Car bomb kills Russian general in Moscow
MOSCOW — A car bomb killed a Russian general on Monday, the third such killing of a senior military officer in a year. Investigators said Ukraine may be behind the attack. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, died from...
Cyberattack disrupts France’s postal service and banking during Christmas rush
PARIS — A suspected cyberattack knocked France’s national postal service and its banking arm offline Monday, blocking and delaying package deliveries and online payments at the height of the busy Christmas season. The postal service, called La Poste, said in a statement that a distributed denial of service incident, or...
Suspect in deadly Taiwan knife attack planned it for over a year
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The suspect in a deadly knife and grenade attack that left three dead and 11 wounded in Taiwan’s capital meticulously planned the assault for more than a year, police said Monday. The attacker, identified as 27-year-old Chang Wen, indiscriminately stabbed passers-by and launched smoke grenades on Friday...
Nicki Minaj surprises conservatives with praise for Trump, Vance at Arizona event
Rapper Nicki Minaj on Sunday made a surprise appearance at a gathering of conservatives in Arizona that was memorializing late activist Charlie Kirk, and used her time on stage to praise President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, calling them “role models” for young men. The rap star was...
Power restored to most in San Francisco after massive outage
Power was restored Sunday to the bulk of the 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco impacted by a massive outage a day earlier that caused major disruptions in the city. About 17,000 customers remained without power as of noon Sunday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said. PG&E said earlier...
Trump removes nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial positions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as it moves to reshape the U.S. diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities. The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were...
Doctor’s orders? ‘Belly laugh at least 2 to 5 days a week’
Melanin Bee curves her spine like a stretching cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh. The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —“oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha”— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet. She’s practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious...
Coast Guard pursuing another tanker helping Venezuela skirt sanctions, U.S. official saysVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government. The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a U.S....
Nick Reiner was prescribed schizophrenia medication before killings of Rob, Michele Reiner, sources say
Nick Reiner had been prescribed medication for schizophrenia at some point before he allegedly killed his parents, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. It is unclear the name of the drug and how long he had been prescribed it....
Top Trump administration official defends partial release of Epstein files as Democrats cry foulVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department’s decision to release just a fraction of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the congressionally mandated deadline as necessary to protect survivors of sexual abuse by the disgraced financier. Blanche pledged that the Trump administration...
Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.6 billion, among largest lottery prizes ever in U.S.
The Powerball jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.6 billion, making it one of the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history, Powerball officials said Sunday. No ticket matched all six winning numbers on Saturday — white balls 4, 5, 28, 52, 69 and red Powerball 20. That sets up the...
Thousands cheer as the sun rises on winter solstice at StonehengeVideo
LONDON — Thousands of people cheered and danced around Stonehenge as the sun rose over the prehistoric stone circle on Sunday, the winter solstice. The crowds, many dressed as druids and pagans, had gathered before dawn, waiting patiently in the dark and cold field in southwest England. Some sang and...
France will build a new aircraft carrier as it increases defense spending
PARIS — France will build a new aircraft carrier with a capacity for 30 fighter jets and 2,000 sailors, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday in what he described as “the display of our nation’s power in the service of freedom on the seas and amid the turbulence of our...
Russia says talks on U.S. peace plan for Ukraine ‘are proceeding constructively’
A Kremlin envoy said peace talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on “constructively” in Florida, while the Ukrainian president said they were moving “quickly.” The talks are part of the Trump administration’s monthslong push for peace that also included meetings with...
Trump is leaning on son-in-law Jared Kushner for difficult diplomacy
WASHINGTON — As the dawn rose on President Donald Trump’s second term, one key figure from his first administration stood back, content to focus on his personal business interests and not retake a formal government role. Now, nearly a year into Trump 2.0, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has been drawn...
Turning Point showcases the discord that Republicans like Vance will need to navigate in the future
PHOENIX — The next presidential election is three years away, but Turning Point USA already knows it wants Vice President JD Vance as the Republican nominee. Erika Kirk, leader of the powerful conservative youth organization, endorsed him on opening night of its annual AmericaFest convention, drawing cheers from the crowd....
Prince William brings his son to the same homeless shelter he first visited with Princess Diana
LONDON — Prince William and his eldest son, Prince George, put on aprons to help make Christmas lunch at a homeless shelter, a charity that the Prince of Wales first visited as a child with his mother, the late Princess Diana. The royal father and son were seen decorating a...
Israel’s Cabinet approves 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s Cabinet has approved a proposal for 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, the far-right finance minister said Sunday, as the government pushes ahead with a construction binge in the territory that further threatens the possibility of a Palestinian state. That brings the...
Multiple gunmen open fire at a South African pub, killing 9 and wounding 10
BEKKERSDAL, South Africa — Nine people have died and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said. The incident occurred just before 1 a.m. in the township of Bekkersdal which...
International priests fill vital roles in keeping Diocese of Greensburg operating
After more than a decade of educating aspiring Catholic priests in his native Philippines, the Rev. Jay Jacinto was ready for a change. Jacinto, 48, was ordained in 2005. He worked in the Philippines for 17 years before volunteering to serve abroad in 2022. A year later, the bishop of...
Diocese of Greensburg ‘on the cusp’ of revival going into 75th anniversary, bishop says
When the Rev. Alexander Pleban looks back on his nearly 60-year career as a priest, one feeling in particular stands out among the flood of emotions. “I feel very, very blessed that my priesthood was during the golden age of the diocese,” said Pleban, 95. He’s talking about the 1970s...
Epstein files offer scant new insight into his crimes or how he avoided serious prosecution
NEW YORK — The Justice Department’s much-anticipated release of records tied to Jeffrey Epstein arrived in a flood of documents that did little to quell the long-simmering intrigue, largely because some of the most consequential records were nowhere to be found. The initial disclosures, spanning tens of thousands of pages,...
U.S. forces stop a second merchant vessel off the coast of Venezuela, American officials say
WASHINGTON — U.S. forces on Saturday stopped a vessel off the coast of Venezuela for the second time in less than two weeks as President Donald Trump continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The move, which was confirmed by two U.S. officials familiar with matter, comes...
Paraplegic engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to blast into space
A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high. Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space,...
Everything you need to know about Christmas, and how it has evolved into a global holiday
Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day...
