Top General News
'Soul-crushing': US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans. The increasingly lethal turn has filled...
House OKs debt and funding plan, inviting clash with GOP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted late Tuesday to keep the government funded, suspend the federal debt limit and provide disaster and refugee aid, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the risk of triggering a fiscal crisis. ...
Mexico buses, flies Haitians from remote area on US border
CIUDAD ACUNA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the United States as a giant refugee camp in a small Texas border town presented President Joe Biden with a humanitarian...
China, US unveil separate big steps to fight climate change
The two biggest economies and largest carbon polluters in the world announced separate financial attacks on climate change Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will no longer fund coal-fired power plants abroad, surprising the world on climate for the...
Afghanistan girls soccer team given asylum in Portugal
The girls on Afghanistan’s national soccer team were anxious. For weeks, they had been moving around the country, waiting for word that they could leave. One wants to be a doctor, another a movie producer, others engineers. All dream of growing up to be professional...
Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest unscathed by wildfire
THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP) — The ancient massive trees of Sequoia National Park’s famed Giant Forest were unscathed Tuesday even though a wildfire has been burning near them on the western side of California’s Sierra Nevada for nearly two weeks. “As of right now we...
UN: Afghanistan's Taliban want to address General Assembly
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Who should represent Afghanistan at the United Nations this month? It's a complex question with plenty of political implications. The Taliban, the country's new rulers for a matter of weeks, are challenging the credentials of their country's...
Toxic gas, new rivers of molten lava endanger Spanish island
EL PASO, Canary Islands (AP) — As a new volcanic vent blew open and unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowed toward the sea, authorities on a Spanish island warned Tuesday that more dangers lie ahead for residents, including earthquakes, lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain. ...
US sues to stop deal between American Airlines and JetBlue
The Justice Department and officials in six states have filed a lawsuit to block a partnership formed by American Airlines and JetBlue, claiming that it will reduce competition and lead to higher fares. The Justice Department said Tuesday that the agreement will eliminate...
Report: Births decline in pandemic may have turned corner
While there has been a decline in births in the U.S. during the pandemic, a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau suggests the drop may have turned a corner last March as births started rebounding. The decline in births was most noticeable at the end of...
Latest General News
Seven female Afghan taekwondo athletes resettle in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A sports association official says seven female taekwondo athletes who fled Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have resettled in Melbourne. Australian Taekwondo’s chief executive Heather Garriock said Wednesday the women are completing...
5.9 earthquake causes some damage in Australia, no injuries
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused some damage in suburban Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia. The quake hit about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Australia’s second-most populous city near the town...
The Latest: Chinese city shuts down over new outbreak worry
BEIJING — Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak. The city of 9.5 million people reported three infection cases Wednesday, a day after discovering a...
Asian shares mostly lower after mixed trading on Wall Street
Asian shares were mostly lower on Wednesday after major indexes ended mixed on Wall Street. Benchmarks fell in Tokyo, Shanghai and Taiwan but rose in Sydney. Markets in South Korea and Hong Kong were closed for holidays. The Bank of Japan kept its...
'The world must wake up': Tasks daunting as UN meeting opens
NEW YORK (AP) — In person and on screen, world leaders returned to the United Nations' foremost gathering for the first time in the pandemic era on Tuesday with a formidable, diplomacy-packed agenda and a sharply worded warning from the international organization's leader: “We face the...
ADB: Asia below pre-pandemic levels as variants slow rebound
Developing economies in Asia will likely grow at a slower pace than earlier expected due to prolonged COVID-19 outbreaks and uneven progress in vaccinations, the Asian Development Bank said in a report Wednesday. The regional lender lowered its outlook for economic...
Health officer 'broken' after threats tied to mask order
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The public health officer in the Grand Rapids area said he's a victim of “brute mob hatred” after ordering masks in schools in Kent County to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Adam London told county commissioners that a woman tried to run...
Sudanese officials say coup attempt failed, army in control
Sudanese authorities reported a coup attempt Tuesday by a group of soldiers but said the attempt failed and the country's ruling council and military remain in control. The development underscored the fragility of Sudan’s path to democracy, more than two years after...
White House faces bipartisan backlash on Haitian migrants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is facing sharp condemnation from Democrats for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border, after images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week. Striking...
AP PHOTOS: Behind barricades, Vietnam battles 'enemy' virus
VUNG TAU, Vietnam (AP) — The roadblocks and barricades make the streets of this southern Vietnamese city look like they did during the war that ended almost 50 years ago. But this time, the battle is being fought against the rampaging coronavirus. In Vung Tau, just...
