U.S./World category, Page 868
Dutch govt bans New Year’s Eve fireworks to help hospitals
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A year overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic will not go out with the usual bang in the Netherlands after the Dutch government announced Friday it is banning the sale and use of most fireworks. New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands is traditionally celebrated with fireworks, with...
Vatican calling: Pope congratulates Joe Biden on election
It’s not exactly divine intervention, but even the pope considers the U.S. presidential race over. President-elect Joe Biden, a lifelong Roman Catholic, spoke to Pope Francis on Thursday, despite President Donald Trump refusing to concede. Trump claims — without evidence — that the election was stolen from him through massive...
Polish bishops defend John Paul II after McCarrick report
WARSAW, Poland — Polish bishops defended St. John Paul II on Friday against evidence that he rejected reports that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick slept with his seminarians, seeking to salvage a papal legacy that has been badly tarnished by his inaction on clergy sexual abuse. The head of the Polish bishops...
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits remote corner of Nevada
MINA, Nev. — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck a remote corner of Nevada early Friday, shaking the desert and a nearby town, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck at 1:13 a.m. and was centered about 21 miles southeast of Mina, a town of about 155, at a...
11 killed as India, Pakistan trade fire in disputed Kashmir
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani and Indian troops clashed in disputed Kashmir, leaving 11 people dead, including three Indian soldiers, and wounding more than 30 others on both sides, officials said Friday. The fighting came amid increasing tension between the South Asian neighbors. In a statement, Pakistani military and government officials...
Germany criticizes new Russian sanctions over Navalny case
BERLIN — The German government on Friday criticized an announcement by Russia’s foreign minister that Moscow is imposing sanctions against German and French officials in response to EU measures taken over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny, a corruption investigator and longtime foe of Russian President Vladimir...
Justice Department: ‘Poor judgment’ used in Jeffrey Epstein plea deal, but finds no misconduct
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department report has found former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta exercised “poor judgment” in handling an investigation into wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was a top federal prosecutor in Florida. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, is a culmination of an investigation by the Justice...
Belarus rights group counts 900 cases against opposition
KYIV, Ukraine — A human rights group said Thursday that authorities in Belarus have brought more than 900 criminal cases carrying potential yearslong prison sentences against opposition figures and protesters in connection with the country’s challenged presidential election and the anti-government demonstrations that followed. The tally released by the Viasna...
Sculpture restoration work draws laughs, memories in Spain
MADRID — Restoration work on a sculpture in northern Spain has resurrected memories of a restored Christ fresco in another Spanish city eight years ago that drew ridicule as well as tourists. The latest incident concerns a relief sculpture on the exterior of an ornate office building in the city...
Tunnel plan near Stonehenge gets U.K. government consentVideo
LONDON — The British government went against the recommendations of planning officials Thursday when it approved controversial plans for a road tunnel to be built near the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge in southern England. The project, which is aimed at trying to ease traffic along a stretch of road widely...
Support for marijuana grows: see the latest states to legalize
As voters in more U.S. states this month legalized recreational marijuana use, longtime pot-friendly Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other drugs — including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he thinks Pennsylvania should be a leader in drug reform,...
Peacekeeping force: 6 Americans, 2 others killed in Egypt helicopter crash
JERUSALEM — The international force that monitors the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement said Thursday that eight peacekeepers, including six Americans, were killed when one of its helicopters crashed during a routine mission in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. A ninth peacekeeper was badly injured. The Multinational Force and Observers said a French peacekeeper...
Appeals court clears Harvard of racial bias in admissions
BOSTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling clearing Harvard University of discrimination against Asian American applicants. Two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accuses the Ivy League University of imposing a “racial penalty”...
Military wary that shakeup could upend its apolitical nature
WASHINGTON — The words spoken by America’s top military officer carried a familiar ring, but in the midst of a chaotic week at the Pentagon, they were particularly poignant. “We are unique among militaries,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We do not take...
Nurse charged with murder of 8 babies in U.K. held in custody
LONDON — A nurse accused of killing eight babies and trying to kill another 10 at a hospital in northwest England was remanded into custody Thursday, a day after she was charged with murder and attempted murder. Lucy Letby, 30, was remanded in custody after appearing via video link during...
Grief, anger, disbelief: Trump voters face Biden’s victory
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When Joan Martin heard that Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the presidential election, the retired nurse and avowed supporter of President Donald Trump was deeply unsettled. To steel herself, she thought about how her household weathered Hurricane Katrina when it battered her hometown...
Trump administration deports migrant women who alleged abuse by Georgia doctor
HOUSTON — The Trump administration is trying to deport several women who allege they were mistreated by a Georgia gynecologist at an immigration detention center, according to their lawyers. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already deported six former patients who complained about Dr. Mahendra Amin, who has been accused...
Minnesota Trump supporter charged in attack of elderly couple over Biden sign
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — A suburban Minneapolis man who told police he’s a supporter of President Donald Trump is accused of attacking an elderly couple with a golf club after he saw them at a street corner with a Joe Biden sign. Mark Anthony Ulsaker, of Lino Lakes, is...
NYC woman gets ill swan to clinic via foot, car and subway
NEW YORK — Ariel Cordova-Rojas went to New York’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge last week to celebrate her 30th birthday. She ended up rescuing a swan with lead poisoning, taking it to a wildlife clinic by foot, car and subway with the help of both friends and strangers. Cordova-Rojas is...
Pantsless woman forces Houston-bound flight to land in Alabama
A woman dressed only in a T-shirt and underwear caused a Houston-bound flight to land in Mobile, Ala. Fox 10 News reports that Sierra Nicole McClinton forced the CommutAir (operating at the time as United Express) plane to land because of her “unruly behavior” on Thursday. McClinton was reportedly fully...
Trump emerges from White House to mark Veterans DayVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, emerging in public for the first time since his failed reelection bid to take part in the annual presidential rite. Trump, who honored veterans in a ceremony that was held during a...
Bidenomics: More stimulus, tougher regulation and gridlock
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a vulnerable economic recovery under threat from a resurgent virus, likely with a divided Congress that will hinder his ability to address the challenges. Yet despite the obstacles, the former vice president and senator will pursue a drastic shift in America’s economic policy....
Lagarde: Recovery from pandemic could be bumpy
FRANKFURT, Germany — European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that the economy could face a “bumpy,” “stop-start” recovery despite good news about vaccine development. The top central banker for the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency said there was a risk that fearful consumers could...
Eta remains a tropical storm as Florida prepares for 2nd hitVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eta remained a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon as it prepared to skirt past the heavily populated Tampa Bay region in Florida and crash ashore in the coming hours somewhere to the north along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The storm’s maximum sustained wind remained at about...
Greece, Egypt seeks Biden role in East Mediterranean dispute
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s prime minister said Wednesday that he expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration to play a more active role in attempting to calm tension in the eastern Mediterranean. “We have every reason to welcome, along with all our partners in the region, the return of the...
