U.S./World category, Page 361
In Israel, U.S. defense secretary is expected to press for a more targeted approach in Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians....
Police say driver accidentally struck parked SUV in Biden’s motorcade near campaign headquarters
WILMINGTON, Del. — Wilmington police say a 46-year-old driver believed to be drunk accidentally plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed. While Biden...
Texas defends volleyball title with sweep of No. 1 Nebraska
TAMPA, Fla. — Madisen Skinner had 16 kills and Ella Swindle became the fourth true freshman setter to lead her team to a national championship as Texas defended its NCAA Volleyball title by dominating No. 1 overall seed Nebraska 3-0 on Sunday. With Skinner, named the Most Outstanding Player with...
Cardinal is convicted of embezzlement in big Vatican financial trial, sentenced to 5½ years
VATICAN CITY — A Vatican tribunal on Saturday convicted a cardinal of embezzlement and sentenced him to 5½ years in prison in one of several verdicts handed down in a complicated financial trial that aired the city state’s dirty laundry and tested its justice system. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the first...
Pope Francis’ 87th birthday closes out a big year of efforts to reform the church, cement his legacy
ROME — Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope. Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday...
As 2023 holidays dawn, face masks have settled in as an occasional feature of the American landscape
NEW YORK — The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather. There are people — lots of people. But look around, and it’s clear one...
Israel faces new calls for truce after killing of hostages raises alarm about its conduct in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel’s government faced calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies on Sunday after a series of shootings, including the mistaken killing of three Israeli hostages, fueled global concerns about the conduct of the 10-week-old war in Gaza. Israeli protesters are urging...
Confederate memorial to be removed in coming days from Arlington National Cemetery
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Confederate memorial is to be removed from Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia in the coming days, part of the push to remove symbols that commemorate the Confederacy from military-related facilities, a cemetery official said Saturday. The decision ignores a recent demand from more than 40...
As Trump threatens to repeal Obamacare, these ‘insurance godmothers’ are signing Florida Latinos up
MIAMI — Salsa music blares from the food court in a rundown Miami shopping center as Latinos head to a kiosk and an office showing signs for ” Obamacare,” where they hope to renew their health coverage plans before the year ends. It’s areas near this mall where former Democratic...
Netanyahu says Israel is as ‘committed as ever’ to war after soldiers mistakenly killed 3 hostages
JERUSALEM — Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, military officials said Saturday, in Israel’s first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its war against Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin...
Arizona’s governor sending National Guard to border to help with migrant influx
PHOENIX — Arizona’s governor Friday ordered the state’s National Guard to the border with Mexico to help federal officials manage an influx of migrants. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said she issued the executive order because “the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep...
Tesla driver to pay $23K in restitution for 2019 crash that killed 2
LOS ANGELES — A Tesla driver will pay more than $23,000 in restitution for the deaths of two people during a 2019 car crash in a Los Angeles suburb, a decision announced the same day the automaker recalled nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S. Wednesday’s court hearing wrapped up...
Georgia teacher accused of threatening student in dispute over Israeli flag
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A middle school teacher in Georgia was arrested because witnesses told a sheriff’s investigator he threatened to cut off the head of a student who objected to an Israeli flag in his classroom. Benjamin Reese, a teacher at Warner Robins Middle School, was taken into custody...
Matthew Perry died from effects of drug ketamine, coroner says
LOS ANGELES — Matthew Perry died from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, according to the results of an autopsy on the 54-year-old “Friends” actor released Friday. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in the autopsy report that Perry also drowned in “the heated end of...
Dozens stranded in stuck elevators as lights flicker in brief NYC power outage
NEW YORK — Lights flickered, subway service was disrupted and firefighters rescued scores of people trapped in elevators after a small explosion at an electrical facility caused a momentary power outage in New York City. The brief outage just before midnight Thursday affected most of the city, officials said. “Essentially,...
Jury awards $148 million in damages to Georgia election workers over Rudy Giuliani’s 2020 vote lies
WASHINGTON — A jury awarded $148 million in damages on Friday to two former Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them in 2020 that upended their lives with racist threats and harassment. The damages verdict follows emotional testimony from Wandrea “Shaye” Moss...
Court upholds $75,000 in fines against Alex Jones for missing Sandy Hook case deposition
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut appeals court on Friday upheld $75,000 in fines against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for missing a deposition in the lawsuit by Sandy Hook families, which led to a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones for repeatedly calling the 2012 Newtown school shooting a hoax. The state...
Mother of 6-year-old who shot teacher in Virginia gets 2 years in prison for child neglect
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Virginia was sentenced Friday to two years in prison for felony child neglect, nearly a year after her son used her gun to critically wound the educator. Friday’s sentencing was the second time Deja Taylor was...
Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli military on Friday mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, military officials said. The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was...
U.S. homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses
WASHINGTON — The United States experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness to its highest reported level as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans, federal officials said Friday. About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness, the most since...
A Kentucky family gets an early gift: a baby owl in their Christmas treeVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — One Kentucky family got a little something extra when they picked out their Christmas tree this year: a baby owl. Lexington resident Michele White told WDKY-TV that it’s a tradition for the family to pick out a Christmas tree every year and this year seemed no different....
Prince Harry’s phone hacking victory is a landmark in the long saga of British tabloid misconduct
LONDON — Prince Harry’s victory against Mirror Group Newspapers on Friday over what a British judge called “habitual” illegal activity is a landmark moment in the long and twisting saga of lawbreaking by Britain’s tabloid press. Judge Timothy Fancourt ruled that Mirror newspapers had hired private investigators to snoop for...
Prince Harry claims vindication in court victory as judge finds British tabloid hacked his phoneVideo
LONDON — Prince Harry’s phone was hacked by journalists and private investigators working for the Daily Mirror who invaded his privacy by snooping on him unlawfully, a judge ruled Friday, delivering an historic victory for the estranged royal who broke from family tradition to take on the British press. Phone...
Plane crashes, catches fire on North Carolina highway; 2 escape serious injuries
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A small plane crashed on a western North Carolina highway and caught fire Thursday night, but the two people on board escaped life-threatening injuries, authorities said. A single-engine Diamond DA-40 crashed on Interstate 26 near Asheville Regional Airport around 8:15 p.m. with two people on board, the...
2 attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels strike container ships in vital Red Sea corridor
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels slammed into a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following another attack only hours earlier that struck a separate vessel, authorities said. The missile attack on the MSC Palatium III...
