Israel’s plan to double number of settlers in Golan Heights met with conflicting emotions
EIN ZIVAN, Golan Heights — A dry mountain wind whipped through a cluster of Israeli flags at the entrance of a kibbutz in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where the tranquility belies the tumultuous events unfolding nearby. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted after nearly 25 years in...
Experts suggest Azerbaijan plane may have been hit by Russian air defense system
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster, with some experts saying that the airliner was damaged by Russian air defense fire....
AI is a game changer for students with disabilities. Schools are still learning to harness it
For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as “rineanswsaurs” or sarcastic as “srkastik.” The 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. “I just assumed I was...
Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen
ATLANTA — Republicans plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress to push through long-sought changes that include voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore...
Pa. lawmakers passed fewer laws than in recent sessions, but leaders say quality is better than quantity
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — The divided Pennsylvania legislature passed fewer laws and held fewer voting days over the past two years than in most sessions in recent...
New York taxi driver hits 6 pedestrians, 3 taken to hospital, police sayVideo
NEW YORK — A taxicab hit six pedestrians Wednesday in midtown Manhattan, police said, with three people — including a 9-year-old boy — transported to hospitals for their injuries. A New York Police Department spokesperson said the taxi driver may have suffered a medical episode, but that the investigation had...
Snowy owl rescued from car grille by Minnesota woman who saved another bird hours earlier
Annabell Whelan woke up Tuesday and frantically checked on her holiday overnight guest — Nowl the snowy owl, who she rescued from the grille of a car the day before. Whelan was out with her boyfriend’s family Monday in Duluth, Minnesota, when she saw the owl “just hanging out there,...
Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials sayVideo
An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev disclosed the figures while meeting with Azerbaijani officials, the Russian news agency Interfax reported. The Embraer 190 was en...
Dead body found in wheel well of United plane from Chicago to Maui
KAHULUI, Hawaii — Maui police are investigating the discovery of a dead body in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it landed in Maui, the airline and police department said in statements on Wednesday. The body was found in the wheel well of one of the main...
Jackpot for Mega Millions surges past $1B after no numbers match on Christmas Eve drawing
Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. “We know that many people will...
King Charles III is set to focus on healthcare workers in his traditional Christmas message
LONDON — King Charles III and close members of the royal family attended Christmas Day services Wednesday at a church on Sandringham, the estate on the windswept North Sea coast that has served as a retreat for the royals for generations. The monarch, who is suffering from cancer, waved to...
Pope urges ‘all people of all nations’ to silence arms and overcome divisions in Christmas address
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. The pontiff’s “Urbi et...
Biden signs a bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the U.S.
WASHINGTON — The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor on Tuesday: It officially became the country’s national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United...
Bucks County hospital employee stole more than $130K from patient convicted of killing 2 sons, DA says
A former Pennsylvania psychiatric hospital employee stole more than $130,000 from a woman convicted of killing her two sons in Bucks County in 2022, prosecutors said. Trinh Nguyen, 41, was being held at Norristown State Hospital for a mental health evaluation and awaiting sentencing for her sons’ fatal shootings when...
Bill Clinton is out of the hospital after being treated for the flu
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from a Washington hospital on Tuesday and will be home for Christmas after he was admitted the day before with a fever. Clinton is being treated for the flu, Angel Urena, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement about his...
Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere
BOSTON — Straddling the scaffolding high up in a historic Boston church, murals conservator Gianfranco Pocobene is working to uncover eight angels that were hidden under layers of paint for more than a century. The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining...
Gallery: Photos from Dec. 24, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
N.C. man charged with murder in fatal shooting of officer at supermarket, police say
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A North Carolina man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a police officer who was responding to a report of a man with a gun in a supermarket, authorities announced Tuesday. Tarell Isaac McMillian, 34, has been charged with first-degree murder in the...
Man accused in burning death of a woman on a New York subway awaits arraignment
NEW YORK — A man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames is awaiting arraignment Tuesday. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is facing murder and arson charges in the woman’s death. Federal immigration officials...
Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and giant tree...
Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
WASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the...
Baby mammoth preserved for 50,000 years unveiled in Russia’s Siberia
MOSCOW — The remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth uncovered by melting permafrost in Russia’s Siberia have been unveiled to the public. Nicknamed Yana, the female mammoth weighs over 220 pounds and is 47 inches tall and 79 inches long. Scientists believe that Yana was only 1 year old when...
Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says
CAIRO — Famine is spreading in Sudan due to a war between the military and a notorious paramilitary group that has wrecked the country and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, a global hunger-monitoring group said Tuesday. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said it detected famine in...
A blast at a Turkish armaments factory kills at least 12 people
ISTANBUL — An explosion at an armaments factory in northwest Turkey left at least 12 dead and four injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in the facility located in the province of Balikesir, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the explosion collapsed the capsule production...
American imprisoned in Russia sentenced to new 15-year jail term for espionage
MOSCOW — A Russian-born U.S. citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Gene Spector in August 2023, although details surrounding the case were not made public....
