Latest Holidays News
Retail group: holiday sales up 8.3% amid big spending shift
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s largest retail trade group said Friday that holiday sales soared 8.3%, far exceeding its forecast even as the coronavirus kept shoppers away from physical stores. The National Retail Federation had expected growth in a range of 3.6% to 5.2% for the November and December...
U.S. retail sales fell in December for 3rd straight month
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans cut back on spending in December for the third-straight month as a surge in virus cases kept people away from stores during the critical holiday shopping season. The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.7% in December from the month...
Poet Amanda Gorman, 22, will read at Biden inaugural
NEW YORK (AP) — At age 22, poet Amanda Gorman, chosen to read at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, already has a history of writing for official occasions. "I have kind of stumbled upon this genre. It's been something I find a lot of emotional reward in, writing something I can make people...
Vacation of Denver mayor prompts complaint to ethics board
DENVER (AP) — A Denver woman has filed a complaint against Mayor Michael Hancock, who flew to visit family for Thanksgiving despite sending messages on social media and to city staff asking them to avoid travel. The complaint filed by Tonia Wilson with the city's Ethics Board said the mayor's actions were...
Target continues to thrive in whirlwind retail environment
NEW YORK (AP) — Target's strong sales streak extended through a pandemic-shrouded holiday season after a hard push online and an increased effort to provide alternatives to customers who are trying to minimize risk. The retailer reported Wednesday that online sales surged 102% between November and...
China pandemic control goes rural ahead of Lunar New Year
BEIJING (AP) — China is concentrating its pandemic prevention efforts in the rural areas as officials urge people to not travel home for the Lunar New Year festival while the country combats its most serious latest outbreak of COVID-19. Authorities said Wednesday local clinics and hospitals in villages...
Forest Service announces free dates in 2021
WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — The Daniel Boone National Forest has announced that it will waive fees on several dates in 2021. Fees will be waived at most recreation areas and day-use sites as well as some campgrounds, the Forest Service said in a statement. The dates include Jan. 18 in observance of Martin...
Indian partying hotspot Goa counts losses, braces for change
GOA, India (AP) — The sun’s golden rays fall on Goa’s smooth, sandy beaches every evening, magical as ever but strangely quiet and lonely. This holiday season, few visitors are enjoying the celebrated sunsets in the Indian party hotspot. The unspoken fear of the coronavirus is sapping...
Mexico sees holiday bump in tourism amid pandemic surge
TULUM, Mexico (AP) — The friends from Jackson, Mississippi, relaxed on lounge chairs dug into a white sand beach and romped in the turquoise Caribbean waters, grateful for a break from the pandemic winter in the United States. They were among tens of thousands of American tourists who descended on Mexico's...
South Africa struggles with post-holiday spike in COVID-19
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is struggling to cope with a spike in COVID-19 cases that has already overwhelmed many hospitals, as people returning from widespread holiday travel have spread the country's more infectious coronavirus variant. Of particular concern is Gauteng province, the country's most...
LOADING MORE STORIES
