U.S./World category, Page 642

LOS ANGELES — Robert Durst, the wealthy New York real estate heir and failed fugitive who was dogged for decades with suspicion in the disappearance and deaths of those around him before he was convicted of killing his best friend and sentenced to life in prison, has died. He was...

MADISON, Wis. — The man who bought an AR-15-style rifle for Kyle Rittenhouse pleaded no contest Monday to a reduced charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid prison. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder accepted Dominick Black’s plea...

ALMA, Colo. — Two people snowshoeing in the mountains of Colorado were killed in an avalanche over the weekend, authorities said. Their bodies and the body of their dog were found buried near Hoosier Pass in central Colorado by searchers using an avalanche rescue dog, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The European drug regulator said Monday it has started evaluating an application by Pfizer for its pill to treat the effects of covid-19. The announcement comes as countries in much of the 27-nation bloc are reporting soaring numbers of infections as the highly transmissible omicron variant...

GENEVA — Senior U.S. and Russian officials launched special talks Monday on strategic stability, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity in Europe this week aimed at defusing tensions over a Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine, though no major breakthrough was immediately in sight. Russian Deputy Foreign...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers held talks over the weekend with senior leaders of an anti-Taliban alliance, the Taliban said Monday. The meeting, held in Tehran, was the first of its kind, underscoring Taliban efforts to bring their former opponents into the fold. During the meeting, the alliance...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Conscripts in Norway have been ordered to return their underwear, bras and socks after the end of their military service so that the next group of recruits can use them. The Norwegian military said Monday that it is struggling with dwindling supplies, in part due to the...

Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court Monday for training, having won a legal battle to stay in Australia to play in the Australian Open after his exemption from strict coronavirus vaccine rules was questioned. But the government is still threatening to cancel his visa and deport him. The unvaccinated...

BRASILIA, Brazil — The death toll from an accident in which a slab of cliff rock toppled onto pleasure boaters on a Brazilian lake has risen to 10, police said Sunday. Authorities worked to identify the dead and divers were searching the lake in case there were more victims. Police...

The man who bought Kyle Rittenhouse the gun used to kill two people in Kenosha, Wis., and injure a third when he was just 17 is expected to take a plea deal to avoid convictions on the two felony charges. Dominick Black, now 20, purchased the Smith & Wesson M&P...

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Authorities rescued 27 people from a floating chunk of ice that broke away from shore in the bay of Green Bay in eastern Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office said Sunday. No injuries were reported in the incident that happened Saturday morning north of Green Bay, in the...

NEW YORK — More than 800,000 noncitizens and “Dreamers” in New York City will have access to the ballot box — and could vote in municipal elections as early as next year — after Mayor Eric Adams allowed legislation to automatically become law Sunday. Opponents have vowed to challenge the...

MADISON, Wis. — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, said Sunday that he will seek reelection, avoiding a wide open GOP primary in the narrowly divided swing state. Johnson had pledged in 2016 not to run for a third time,...

LAS VEGAS — Attendance at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas fell more than 70% compared to its previous in-person event two years ago, its organizer said Saturday. The Consumer Technology Association said that more than 45,000 people attended the multi-day event on the Las Vegas Strip that ended...

The nearly $1 million in checks that a woman and a man cashed at more than 300 Walmart stores in 24 states looked like legitimate bank checks, federal prosecutors said, but they were counterfeits. The pair spent the money — more than $850,000 — on prepaid debit cards, including from...

BRASILIA, Brazil — A towering slab of rock broke from a cliff and toppled onto pleasure boaters drifting near a waterfall on a Brazilian lake on Saturday and officials said at least two people died. Minas Gerais Fire Department Lt. Pedro Aihara said at least 32 people were also injured,...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s new space telescope opened its huge, gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror Saturday, the final step in the observatory’s dramatic unfurling. The last portion of the 21-foot mirror swung into place at flight controllers’ command, completing the unfolding of the James Webb Space Telescope. “I’m emotional about it....

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s Democratic governor has vetoed a bill that would have given farm workers in the state the right to unionize, citing the possibility of heaping new costs on an already struggling agriculture sector. The Maine Legislature passed the proposal, which called for people working in agriculture to...

BEIRUT — Hundreds of people rallied in Beirut on Saturday to protest measures imposed against the unvaccinated, saying individuals should have the right to decide whether to be inoculated or not. Vaccination is not compulsory in Lebanon, but in recent days authorities have cracked down on people who are not...

NEW YORK — A Chinese American man who was brutally attacked in April while collecting cans in East Harlem has died of his injuries, and his case is now deemed a homicide, police said Saturday. Yao Pan Ma, 61, died Dec. 31, police said. The attack drew national attention as...

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Offering hugs and humor, President Joe Biden comforted Coloradans grappling with rebuilding homes and businesses destroyed last week by a rare wind-whipped, winter fire that burned through a pair of heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder. One victim was identified Friday and one person remained unaccounted...

States and localities in November paid out the largest amount of rental assistance to cash-strapped tenants since a federal program began, the Treasury Department said in a statement Friday. The $2.9 billion paid out is the latest sign that the program’s early hiccups have been mostly been resolved and it...