US/World

By MICHELLE L. PRICE – Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters. Trump, in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, praised the use

By AP MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. Putin’s apology came as allegations mounted that the plane had

By ANITA SNOW – Associated Press Cases of a wretched stomach bug are surging in parts of the United States this winter, according to government data. The most recent numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported during the week of Dec. 5, up from

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAM MEDNICK – Associated Press DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s army detained the director of one of northern Gaza ‘s last functioning hospitals as overnight strikes elsewhere in the territory killed nine people, including children, Palestinian medical officials said Saturday. Israel’s military alleged that Hamas militants were using

By ABBY SEWELL – Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s embassy in Lebanon suspended consular services Saturday, a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports. Also on Saturday, Lebanese authorities handed over dozens of Syrians — including former officers in the Syrian

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and KEVIN S. VINEYS – Associated Press Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It’s now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

By DEE-ANN DURBIN – AP Business Writer The discount chain Big Lots, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores and distribution centers open. Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies. Gordon

By ZEN SOO – Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the city’s first pyrotechnics drone show, as part of a campaign to raise support and awareness of panda conservation. The 10-minute drone show featured 1,000 drones, some of which were equipped with fireworks, flying over Hong

By SAMYA KULLAB – Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all. Battles are so

By MIMMI MONTGOMERY – Associated Press GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they’ll never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war. The search follows recommendations from the Church of Sweden’s national secretariat, which reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from

By STEPHEN WADE – AP Sports Writer If you think physical therapy is only about rehabilitation after surgery or recovering from an accident, think again. For the vast majority, seeing a physical therapist should be about prevention, routine assessment and staying well. “We’re the best-kept secret in health care,” Sharon Dunn, the past president of

By STEVEN GRATTAN – Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN – Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, was cremated after a state funeral on Saturday as politicians and the public mourned his death. The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear

By BEN FINLEY – Associated Press Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot soared above $1 billion, and that’s still a big deal. After three months without anyone winning the top prize, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. The high

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME – Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A boldly patterned BMW stands at the entrance of the Wits Arts Museum in the vibrant Johannesburg neighborhood of Braamfontein. Its bright geometric shapes are part of 89-year-old South African artist Esther Mahlangu ’s unmistakable style. The car is the centerpiece of an exhibition honoring her