Top General News
Pope calls for nations to overcome divisions in Christmas address as communities celebrate worldwide
VATICAN CITY (AP) — 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. ...
Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials say
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...
Fate of Trump's Cabinet picks unclear as Republicans prepare to take power in Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet is still unclear after Republican senators spent much of December carefully dodging questions about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s views on vaccines, accusations of sexual misconduct against Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard's 2017...
Trial of man accused in Trump assassination attempt in Florida pushed back to September
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida won't be tried until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week. Ryan Routh's trial will begin Sept. 8 instead of the previously scheduled Feb. 10, 2025 start date,...
A baby froze to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays
JERUSALEM (AP) — A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. The 3-week old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza's tent camps in recent days, doctors...
An Israeli soldier who died 417 days after his Oct. 7 wounds has become a symbol of sacrifice
MODIIN, Israel (AP) — For more than 400 days after being critically wounded during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Yona Brief tried to recover. But after losing both legs and enduring medically induced comas, the combat medic died in late November. The dual...
US census data shows how Middle Eastern and Hispanic residents differ in racial identity
As the U.S. Census Bureau gets public feedback about how it should tally people into new race and ethnicity groups, the agency has released new research reflecting how U.S. residents from different backgrounds regard their racial and ethnic identities. Earlier this year, the U.S....
Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Christmas Day
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. The strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy...
Taliban say Pakistani airstrikes killed 46 people in eastern Afghanistan, mostly women and children
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday, raising fears of further straining the relations between the two neighbors. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for...
Blake Lively's claims that movie co-star launched smear campaign gets support in publicist's suit
NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively’s claims that “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni unleashed a smear campaign against her have gained support from a new lawsuit that Baldoni’s former publicist filed against him. The lawsuit was lodged Tuesday in New York...
Latest General News
Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wild fires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. With temperatures in...
This Somali migrant watched others around her die at sea. But she wants to try again for Europe
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Idil Abdullahi Goley’s journey seeking a better life in Europe started in Somalia with a $6,500 payment to local smugglers. It ended a month later with fellow migrants around her dying at sea, one of them screaming and reciting the Muslim profession of faith. ...
Prayers and tears mark 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — People started gathering in prayer on Thursday and visiting the mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, one of modern history’s worst natural disasters. Many openly wept as they placed...
Azerbaijani airliner crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 with 29 survivors, officials say
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...
New York taxi driver hits 6 pedestrians, 3 taken to hospital, police say
NEW YORK (AP) — A taxicab hit six pedestrians in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, 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...
Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad's supporters kill 6 fighters
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad's government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the...
Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday it had...
A baby froze to death overnight in Gaza as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of ceasefire delays
JERUSALEM (AP) — A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. The 3-week old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza's tent camps in recent days, doctors...
Undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia hit by outage, prompting investigation
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A power cable linking Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea suffered an outage, prompting an investigation, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Wednesday. Writing on X, Orpo said that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable stopped...
Dead body found in wheel well of United plane from Chicago to Maui
KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — 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 landing...
