U.S./World category, Page 1203
New Zealand prime minister says gun laws to change after mosque attack
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated her promise that there will be changes to the country’s gun laws in the wake of a terrorist attack on two mosques and said her Cabinet will discuss the policy details on Monday. At a Sunday news conference,...
Flash floods, slides in eastern Indonesia kill at least 50
JAYAPURA, Indonesia — A disaster official said days of torrential downpours have triggered flash floods and mudslides in mountainside villages in Indonesia’s easternmost province, killing at least 50 people and injuring 59 others. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the disasters in Papua province’s Jayapura district submerged...
Rescues, evacuations as floodwaters breach levees in Midwest
OMAHA, Neb. — Authorities were using boats and large vehicles on Saturday to rescue and evacuate residents in parts of the Midwest where a recent deluge of rainwater and snowmelt was sent pouring over frozen ground, overwhelming creeks and rivers, and killing at least one person. Rescue efforts in eastern...
When gunman advanced on New Zealand mosque, 1 man ran at him
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — When the gunman advanced toward the mosque, killing those in his path, Abdul Aziz didn’t hide. Instead, he picked up the first thing he could find, a credit card machine, and ran outside screaming “Come here!” Aziz, 48, is being hailed as a hero for preventing...
US eases land restrictions meant to protect bird in West
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration on Friday finalized changes to sweeping federal land use plans for the West, easing restrictions on energy companies and other industries in a way officials said would still protect a struggling bird species. The changes by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will guide...
Disease may be killing California desert bighorn sheep
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A new survey has found a sharp decline in desert bighorn sheep in Southern California, and biologists suspect the cause is a disease contracted from domestic animals. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says a survey earlier this month counted 60 bighorns in the Mount San...
ACLU seeks to block fetal heartbeat measure in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Abortion-rights defenders opened a new legal fight against Kentucky on Friday to try to block one of the country’s most restrictive abortion measures, which would mostly ban the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Hours after Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature passed the so-called fetal heartbeat bill, the...
Montana shootings leave 1 dead, trooper and 2 others wounded
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Montana Highway Patrol trooper who was investigating a shooting that killed one person and injured two others was himself shot and critically injured Friday after finding the suspect’s vehicle, officials said. Authorities later arrested a 29-year-old suspect. Trooper Wade Palmer, 35, was among the officers searching...
Calls for former Steeler Lynn Swann to leave USC amid college admissions scandal
Pittsburgh Steelers great Lynn Swann is facing calls to resign as the University of Southern California’s athletic director in the wake of the national college admissions scandal that has entangled four USC athletic department employees. The employees — Swann not among them — are accused of accepting $2 million in...
51 women sue USOC for failing to stop Nassar abuse
DENVER — Fifty-one women are suing the U.S. Olympic Committee, its board members and a number of former high-ranking officials for failing to prevent their abuse at the hands of imprisoned sports doctor Larry Nassar. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Denver, details abuse dating to the late...
Trump issues first veto after rebuke of border order
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency on Friday, overruling Congress to protect his emergency declaration for border wall funding. Flanked by law enforcement officials as well as the parents of children killed by people in the country illegally, Trump maintained that he is not...
Greyhound won’t let U.S. drop migrants in depots
PHOENIX — Greyhound Lines Inc. is no longer allowing U.S. authorities to drop off immigrant families inside bus stations, forcing those who have been released from custody to wait outside until they have a ticket. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that it had...
American Airlines suspends flights to Venezuela
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines is stopping flights to Venezuela because of safety concerns after the pilots’ union told its members to refuse to work the flights. American was the last major U.S. carrier to fly to the troubled country. It flew daily to Caracas and Maracaibo from Miami....
Native American tribe, 3 governments planning 400th Pilgrim anniversary
BOSTON — Native American tribal leaders are teaming up somewhat hesitantly with the U.S., British and Dutch governments on next year’s commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing. Events are planned in all three countries next year to reflect on the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620 to what is...
Former HUD contract specialist pleads guilty in bribery scheme
WASHINGTON — A former contract specialist for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency has pleaded guilty in a federal bribery scheme that involved giving private information on contracts to a Maryland business in exchange for more than $38,000 in money, travel and hotels, and tickets to Washington Redskins and...
ACLU seeks to block fetal heartbeat measure in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Abortion-rights defenders have expanded their legal fight against Kentucky to try to block the state’s most restrictive abortion measure, which would mostly ban the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The American Civil Liberties amended a federal lawsuit Friday to take aim at the so-called fetal...
Students worldwide skip class to demand action on climate
BERLIN — From the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, students mobilized by word of mouth and social media skipped class Friday to protest what they believe are their governments’ failure to take tough action against global warming. The coordinated ‘school strikes,’ were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish...
May tries to save Brexit deal after vote to delay U.K. exit
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May worked Friday to pull off an against-the-odds rescue for her European Union divorce deal, after Parliament voted to postpone Brexit to avert a chaotic U.K. departure in two weeks. May planned to spend the next few days trying to persuade opponents in her...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rethinking U.S. talks; Pompeo remains optimistic
PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon decide whether to continue diplomatic talks and maintain his moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests, a senior North Korean official said Friday, adding that the U.S. threw away a golden opportunity at the recent summit between their...
New Zealand mosque killer’s rifles bore white-supremacist references
The man accused of killing 49 people in an attack on a New Zealand mosque during Friday prayers used rifles covered in white-supremacist graffiti and listened to a song glorifying a Bosnian Serb war criminal. These details highlight the toxic beliefs behind an unprecedented, live-streamed massacre, which Prime Minister Jacinda...
Post Office to release ‘Sesame Street’ stamps
Perhaps it’s the U.S. Postal Service’s way of giving their carriers more sunny days. This week, the Post Office announced three new stamp lines, including characters from “Sesame Street,” the classic PBS children’s show. With images of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Bert and Ernie, and 11 other Muppets, the...
20 dead, mostly children, in Nigeria building collapse
LAGOS, Nigeria — Twenty people are confirmed dead in the school building that collapsed in Nigeria on Wednesday, and most of them are children, an official said Friday. Forty-three other people were rescued, Lagos State Health Commissioner Jide Idris told The Associated Press. The disaster occurred in the heart of...
So cute! Berlin zoo shows off new polar bear cub
BERLIN — The Berlin Tierpark zoo is showing off its new polar bear cub, a 3-month-old with a cuteness and playfulness that could make her the German capital’s next animal celebrity. The bear, who hasn’t been named, was born Dec. 1 and the zoo says she’s developing well. She was...
Facebook removes video of New Zealand mosque shootings
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Facebook says it has taken down a video of shootings at a New Zealand mosque and removed the alleged shooter’s accounts from its platforms after being alerted by police. The man who allegedly carried out the shootings in Christchurch on Friday reportedly broadcast 17 minutes of...
Florida man finds bright green iguana in toilet, calls 911
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man called 911 after going to the bathroom and finding a bright green iguana swimming in his toilet. Fort Lauderdale Battalion Chief Stephan Gollan tells the Miami Herald the man “freaked out and didn’t know what to do.” He says firefighter Jeff Kurus put...
