U.S./World category, Page 913

McCOMB, Miss. — A scraggly metal Christmas tree planted in a pothole has inspired a Mississippi minister to pen a holiday song. One bit asks, “If a man can take a pothole and bring the whole world together, the question is what are you doing to spread the Christmas joy?”...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The judge overseeing the bankruptcy of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma warns that real-life court cases don’t unfold like “Perry Mason.” But he’s afraid this one might come to resemble “Dr. Strangelove.” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain of White Plains, N.Y., has a reputation for thorough preparation,...

GRANDVIEW, Mo. — A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in an apparent fight over shoes in suburban Kansas City, police said. Grandview police said an officer responded Sunday night to a reported shooting and found Jaylen Blackmon, of Kansas City, dead on a sidewalk. Witnesses told police that the...

NEW YORK — Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is resigning from the board of directors, severing ties with the ride-hailing company that he co-founded a decade ago and ran until a series of scandals led to his downfall. The departure, announced Tuesday, did not come as a surprise. Kalanick recently...

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday as his Senate impeachment trial remains at an impasse, with Republican and Democratic leaders at odds over its format and whether witnesses should be called. Speaking at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, after a teleconference call with troops...

CHICAGO — Fog led to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations Tuesday morning, launching a chain reaction that delayed travelers at the city’s two airports as the clock ticked away hours that were to have been spent with loved ones on Christmas Eve. About 5:30 a.m. Central time, as a...

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton spent the morning of her husband’s impeachment visiting Capitol Hill to rally Democrats to his side. Pat Nixon kept assuring reporters her husband wouldn’t quit — right up until he did. Eliza Johnson, frail from tuberculosis, kept watch over her husband during his impeachment while sitting...

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II plans to acknowledge that both Britain and her family have endured a difficult year by saying during her Christmas message that it has been a “bumpy” time. The pre-recorded message will be broadcast in Britain and the Commonwealth nations on Christmas Day. It was recorded...

SAN FRANCISCO — A new cafe culture is brewing in the San Francisco area, where a growing number of coffee houses are banishing paper to-go cups and replacing them with everything from glass jars to rental mugs and BYO cup policies. What started as a small trend among neighborhood cafes...

SHADDADEH, Syria — Hundreds of American troops based in Syria have received Christmas gifts thanks to Operation Holiday Express, launched by U.S.-led coalition forces from across the border in neighboring Iraq. This year, Santa’s sleigh and reindeer were apparently swapped for a workhorse CH-47 Chinook helicopter. But coalition forces still...

PARIS — Notre Dame Cathedral is unable to host Christmas services for the first time since the French Revolution, because the Paris landmark was too deeply damaged by this year’s fire. So its exiled clergy, choir and congregation are celebrating the holiday in another Gothic church next to the Louvre...

PALEMBANG, Indonesia — A bus plunged into a ravine on Indonesia’s Sumatra island after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 28 people and injuring 13 others, police and rescuers said Tuesday. The accident occurred just before midnight Monday on a winding road in South Sumatra province’s Pagaralam district. Palembang...

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But they all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Visitors converged on the town’s large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus’ birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing...

THE COLONY, Texas — A 19-year-old Texas man has been charged with capital murder after allegedly confessing to killing his pregnant sister, writing a fake suicide note in her name and leaving her body in an alley, authorities said Monday. Officers arrested Eduardo Arevalo Sunday evening after finding the lifeless...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A paramedic from Gaston County is accused of using Visine eye drops to kill his wife last year for a hefty life insurance payout, according to the North Carolina Department of Insurance. The eye drops can cause heart failure when ingested in large quantity, which is what...

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee held open the possibility Monday of recommending additional articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump as it pressed anew for the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn. The committee wants a federal appeals court to order McGahn to testify as it examines...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — President Donald Trump has signed a measure that extends federal grant programs aimed at preserving indigenous languages and expands eligibility so more tribes can participate. The president’s signature came Friday, after the measure cleared the U.S. House with bipartisan support. Senate approval came earlier this year. The...

NEW YORK — A chat app that quickly became popular in the United Arab Emirates for communicating with friends and family is actually a spying tool used by the government to track its users, according to a newspaper report. The government uses ToTok to track conversations, locations, images and other...

A lot of crazy things have washed up on the shores of the Outer Banks. But it’s rare to have something show up that baffles the locals. What’s this strange object? A 3½-inch-long yellowish seashell. Of course, it’s not just any seashell. Turns out, it’s one that the National Park...

KABUL, Afghanistan — A 33-year-old American soldier was killed in combat Monday in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. The Taliban claimed they were behind a fatal roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province. In a statement Monday night, the Pentagon identified the casualty as Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble of...

MOSCOW — Russia’s envoy at talks between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists said Monday that they agreed on conditions for a prisoner exchange following a deal reached by the two nations’ presidents. Boris Gryzlov, who represents Russia in the so-called Contact Group on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, said after Monday’s...