Western New York death toll rises to 28 from cold, storm chaosVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo residents hovered around space heaters, hunted for cars buried in snow drifts and looked for more victims Monday, after 28 people died in one of the worst weather-related disasters ever to hit western New York. The rest of the United States also was reeling from the...
UN official, Taliban minister meet on Afghan women NGO ban
KABUL, Afghanistan — The top U.N. official in Kabul met with a Taliban government minister in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday, following a decision by the country’s new rulers to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations, the U.N. mission said. The ban has already prompted four major international aid agencies...
Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near airbase
KYIV, Ukraine — The Russian military reported on Monday that it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an airbase deep inside Russia, the second time the facility has been targeted this month — raising questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s air defenses if drones can fly that far into the...
On a new map, Pennsylvania elects most diverse assembly ever
HARRISBURG — When mapmakers reimagined the boundaries of Pennsylvania’s 253 legislative districts, they did it with an eye on the state’s growing racial and ethnic minorities, and officials say that has helped yield the most diverse incoming class of lawmakers yet. The number of state lawmakers who are Black, Latino...
China races to vaccinate elderly, but many are reluctant
BEIJING — Chinese authorities are going door to door and paying people older than 60 to get vaccinated against covid-19. But even as cases surge, 64-year-old Li Liansheng said his friends are alarmed by stories of fevers, blood clots and other side effects. “When people hear about such incidents, they...
South Korea launches jets, fires shots after North flies drones
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s military fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance assets across the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Monday, after North Korean drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years in a fresh escalation of tensions. South Korea’s military...
GOP stumbles with independents contributed to midterm woes
EAGAN, Minn. — As Republican Tyler Kistner’s closing ad aired last month in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the U.S., Vickie Klang felt that something was missing. The 58-year-old veterinary technician and self-described independent voter watched as the 30-second spot showed grainy black-and-white images of President Joe...
Sports unraveled, collided with politics, racism in 2022
The unspoken deal between sports fans and their favorite teams and players has been, in theory: Sure, there are billions of dollars being thrown around, but at the core, sports are supposed to be fun and games, a never-ending menu of two- or three-hour escapes into a land of winners...
Deaths of 3 endangered Cambodian dolphins raise alarm
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Three endangered freshwater dolphins have died within 10 days of each other, alarming conservationists in Cambodia. The death of a third healthy dolphin in such a brief period indicates “an increasingly alarming situation and the need for an intensive law enforcement be urgently conducted in the...
Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near airbase
KYIV, Ukraine — The Russian military reported on Monday that it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an airbase deep inside Russia, the second time the airbase has been targeted this month, raising questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s air defenses if drones can fly that far into the country....
South Korea ends ban on imported sex dolls
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has formally ended a ban on the import of full-body sex dolls, ending years of debate over how much the government can interfere in private life. Although there are no laws or regulations banning the import of sex dolls, hundreds and perhaps thousands have...
South Korea launches jets, fires shots after North flies drones
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s military fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance assets across the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Monday, after North Korean drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years, officials said. South Korea’s military detected five drones from...
Josh Shapiro’s win is high note amid antisemitism surge
PITTSBURGH — Josh Shapiro will be taking office as Pennsylvania’s next governor in January after running a campaign in which he spoke early and often about his Jewish religious heritage. At a time of rising concern about overt expressions of antisemitism, some observers are seeing a bright spot in his...
Migrants dropped near VP Harris home on frigid Christmas Eve
WASHINGTON — Three buses of recent migrant families arrived from Texas near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in record-setting cold on Christmas Eve. Texas authorities have not confirmed their involvement, but the bus drop-offs are in line with previous actions by border-state governors calling attention to the Biden...
Frigid monster storm across U.S. claims at least 34 lives
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The deep freeze from a deadly winter storm that walloped much of the United States will continue into the week as people in western New York deal with massive snow drifts that snarled emergency vehicles and travelers across the country see canceled flights and dangerous roads. The...
Pope’s lament: Icy winds of war buffet humanity at Christmas
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis used his Christmas message Sunday to lament the “icy winds of war” buffeting humanity and to make an impassioned plea for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, a 10-month-old conflict he decried as “senseless.” At noon in Rome, Francis delivered the traditional “Urbi...
Some Ukrainians move up Christmas to part ways with Russia
BOBRYTSIA, Ukraine — Ukrainians usually celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do the Russians. But not this year, or at least not all of them. Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around the world. Yes, this has to do with the war,...
King Charles salutes late queen, public workers in speech
LONDON — King Charles III evoked memories Sunday of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as he broadcast his first Christmas message as monarch in a speech that also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public service workers, many of whom are in a fight with the government...
Passenger laptop fire forces plane evacuation at JFK Airport
NEW YORK — Emergency responders evacuated a JetBlue flight at JFK International Airport in New York City as a result of a small fire in a passenger’s laptop on Saturday evening, officials said. Officials from the FAA, JetBlue and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the...
House passes $1.7 trillion spending bill with Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — A $1.7 trillion spending bill financing federal agencies through September and providing more aid to a devastated Ukraine cleared the House on Friday as lawmakers raced to finish their work for the year and avoid a partial government shutdown. The bill passed mostly along party lines, 225-201. It...
U.S. officials: Covid, bomb cyclone won’t slow Santa’s travelsVideo
The U.S. military agency known for tracking Santa Claus as he delivers presents on Christmas Eve doesn’t expect covid-19 or the “bomb cyclone” hitting North America to affect Saint Nick’s global travels. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is responsible for monitoring and defending the skies above North America....
Bloody property disputes a dark side of Mexico real estate
MEXICO CITY — A grisly pre-Christmas killing of two young men and their uncle at an early 1900s house in Mexico City cast attention on the dark side of the capital’s booming real estate market, fed by a lack of legal documents and gangs that illegally seize properties. Actor Andrés...
Ukraine president back in Kyiv; Russia keeps up attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded another defiant note on his return to his nation’s capital Friday following his wartime visit to the United States, saying his forces are “working toward victory” even as Russia warned that there would be no end to the war until it achieved...
Sports reporter’s snarky winter storm coverage goes viralVideo
What do you do when your TV news team is short-staffed around the holidays and you have a major winter storm blowing in? Well, send your sports reporter into the field, of course. But you’d better be prepared for some blowback. Because they were low on reporters and most of...
Rep. Conor Lamb reflects on Capitol riot and aftermath as he departs office
As U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s tenure comes to a close, he has not been able to shake the memory of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. “On that day, it just felt like an attack on our country,” he said. The Democrat from Mt. Lebanon will be leaving office come...
