Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message has urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Holy Land to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. The pontiff’s “Urbi et Orbi” — “To
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday, raising fears of further straining relations between the two neighbors. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said those killed in the strikes that targeted four locations in Barmal,
Continue ReadingBy Hanna Park, CNN (CNN) — The Food and Drug Administration has placed its highest warning on thousands of eggs distributed to Costco locations in five states last month, saying there’s a “reasonable possibility” that eating them could result in “serious adverse health consequences or death.” The eggs are potentially linked to salmonella exposure. The
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MODIIN, Israel (AP) — For more than 400 days after being critically wounded during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Yona Brief tried to recover. But after losing both legs and enduring medically induced comas, the combat medic died in late November. The dual Israeli-American citizen has come to symbolize the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIJING (AP) — China and Japan agreed Wednesday to set up talks on often contentious security issues as they seek to improve a relationship riven in recent years by a range of issues, from territorial disputes to the discharge of water from Japan’s tsunami-wrecked nuclear power plant. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, on
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Wednesday, striking a thermal power plant and prompting Ukrainians to take shelter in metro stations on Christmas morning. The strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy sources included 78 air, ground, and sea-launched missiles as well as
Continue ReadingBy Svitlana Vlasova and Edward Szekeres, CNN (CNN) — Russia launched an “inhumane” attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, with explosions reported across the country, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said. It is the thirteenth time this year Russia has carried out a major attack on Ukraine’s power grid, according to DTEK, the country’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev disclosed the figures while meeting with Azerbaijani officials, the Russian news agency Interfax reported. The Embraer 190 was en route from the
Continue ReadingBy Hassan Tayir, Aruzhan Zeinulla and Kara Fox, CNN Astana, Kazakhstan (CNN) — An Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 people crashed in southwestern Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing at least 38 who were on board, according to Kazakh authorities. In a sprawling rescue operation, 29 survivors including two children were pulled from the wreckage near the city
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Gunfire has rung out for days from the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp. But this time, it’s not Israeli forces that are facing off against armed groups. It is the forces of the Palestinian Authority clashing with Palestinian gunmen. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares slipped in Tokyo and Shanghai on Wednesday, two of only a handful of world markets open on Christmas day. Oil prices rose. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% lower to 38,997.02, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 3,387.41. Thursday will bring a weekly update on U.S.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press As the U.S. Census Bureau gets public feedback about how it should tally people into new race and ethnicity groups, the agency has released new research reflecting how U.S. residents from different backgrounds regard their racial and ethnic identities. Earlier this year, the U.S. government changed how it categorizes people by race and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — One-third of Turkey’s children live in poverty, with many forced to work to support their struggling families. Persistently high inflation, exacerbated by economic policies and currency depreciation, has left families unable to afford basic needs such as rent, food and an education. In Istanbul’s Tarlabasi neighborhood, the Sahin family embodies
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Hundreds of flights out of DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field were delayed on Tuesday because of rain storms and technical issues. Delays at DFW International Airport, a major hub for American Airlines, had disrupted flights at Columbia Regional Airport. Departing flights 3341 (scheduled for 7:09 a.m.) and 3582 (scheduled for
Continue ReadingBy Mauricio Torres and Lex Harvey, CNN (CNN) — Brazilian authorities are investigating after a bridge collapsed Sunday, killing at least four people and sending trucks loaded with sulfuric acid and pesticides plunging into a river, raising concerns about water contamination. More than a dozen people are missing after the 533-meter-long Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LHOKNGA, Indonesia (AP) — Qurrata Ayuni, a 28-year-old survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated her hometown two decades ago, has transformed her resilience into purpose. Defying Aceh’s male-dominated coffee culture, she runs a café that serves as a welcoming space for everyone, especially women, by employing and empowering them in the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu’s medical examiner says a Hawaii crime boss who died in federal detention this month was killed by an opioid overdose. Michael Miske died of “toxicity of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl.” The medical examiner says the 50-year-old’s death appears to have been accidental, but the case is still under investigation. An
Continue ReadingBy Raja Razek and Amanda Jackson, CNN (CNN) — The orca who swam with her dead calf for 17 days in an apparent act of grieving recently gave birth to a new baby, according to Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research. The calf born to Tahlequah, known to researchers as J35,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorian police on Tuesday found an undisclosed number of bodies in an area close to a military base, officials said, and were investigating whether the bodies could be of some of the four children who were last seen taken by men in military uniform earlier this month. The case
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AP National Writer Richard Perry, a hitmaking record producer with a flair for both standards and contemporary sounds whose many successes included Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” Rod Stewart’s “The Great American Songbook” series and a Ringo Starr album featuring all four Beatles, died Tuesday. He was 82. Perry, a recipient of a Grammys Trustee
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