By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press Power lines ignited massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle that destroyed homes and killed thousands of livestock, officials said Thursday, including the largest blaze in state history that the utility provider Xcel Energy said its equipment appeared to have sparked. The Texas A&M Forest Service said its investigators have concluded
Continue ReadingBy JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A coalition of humanitarian and nongovernmental groups has slammed Israel’s halt in renewing visas for international aid workers in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Since early February, Israel’s welfare ministry has stopped the renewal process saying it doesn’t have the bandwidth to investigate aid
Continue ReadingCNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Facts The organization’s charter states that the signing parties will “seek to promote stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area,” and will “unite their efforts for collective defense and for the preservation of peace and
Continue ReadingBy TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee have identified the victims of a small plane crash near downtown Nashville as a family of five from Canada. Metro Nashville Police say pilot Victor Dotsenko was with his wife Rimma and their three children, ages 12, 10 and 7. The Mayor of
Continue ReadingBy Christian Edwards, Radina Gigova, Jennifer Hansler and Mariya Knight, CNN (CNN) — Sweden officially joined NATO on Thursday after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spurred it to rethink its defense policy and abandon its long held position of neutrality. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson formally handed over accession documents to the US State Department in
Continue ReadingBy HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has been the only state in the U.S. to explicitly mandate that state, county and local decision-making bodies are balanced by gender. That will end when Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs a bill that aligns with a broader abrogation of gender- and race-conscious policies
Continue ReadingBy GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The mother of a 6-year-old girl who has been missing in South Africa for nearly three weeks was arrested and charged Thursday with kidnapping and selling or trafficking her daughter, a shocking twist in a case that has seized the country’s attention and sparked
Continue ReadingWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s government is blaming hooligans and provocateurs for this week’s violent clashes during farmer protests that left many police officers injured. The government is vowing to prosecute the offenders. Warsaw police say that 14 officers were hurt, one of them seriously, when aggressive participants in a massive farmer protest Wednesday pelted
Continue ReadingBy DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has left its key interest rate at a record high even though inflation is way down from its painful double-digit peak and the economy has stalled. After the decision Thursday, ECB President Christine Lagarde suggested a much-anticipated cut to borrowing costs
Continue ReadingBy Arlette Saenz, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Biden campaign is recognizing efforts by staff at its Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters to unionize, kickstarting a bargaining process that could address wages, working hours and working conditions for some of the individuals pushing to reelect President Joe Biden. The unionization effort is affiliated with the Campaign Workers
Continue ReadingANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish energy minister says Turkey and Somalia have struck an oil and gas cooperation agreement for the Horn of Africa nation. The agreement reached in Istanbul is the latest step aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries against the backdrop of Somalia’s dispute with Ethiopia over the breakaway region
Continue ReadingBy EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer Every time long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall steps onto a runway, there’s a chance the silver medal she won at last year’s world championships will find a new resting place — even deeper back among her vast collection of awards. When Davis-Woodhall won that silver last year, it opened doors
Continue ReadingBy GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A rebel group in Myanmar’s northern state of Kachin says its troops have attacked more than 10 army outposts along the main road to the state capital of Myitkyina, increasing the pressure on the military government from pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority armed organizations. Residents told
Continue ReadingBy DAVID SHARP and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — An Army reservist who served with the Maine mass shooter and participated in the search for him after the shootings described the response to the Lewiston shooting as chaotic and hampered by poor communication. Robert Card, who shot and killed 18 people in
Continue ReadingBy ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Jurors have heard opening statements in the trial of the second parent accused of having responsibility for a Michigan school shooting. James Crumbley’s son killed four students at Oxford High School in November 2021. The father is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press The invitation list for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday speaks volumes about what Democrats and Republicans want to focus on as the 2024 election season heats up. Biden and Democratic lawmakers have invited several health care providers and women whose lives have been impacted by stricter
Continue ReadingBy MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Grimes, best-known for his portrayal of the complex cowboy character Kayce Dutton on the hit show “Yellowstone,” will release his self-titled debut album on Friday. It’s a country music declaration that speaks volumes: Think you know him? Guess again. The actor-musician says he hopes
Continue ReadingBy LAURA UNGAR AP Science Writer Alabama lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey have agreed to protect in vitro fertilization providers from legal liability. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law and touched off immediate backlash. Many doctors and patients are concerned about ripple effects across
Continue ReadingBy JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday that its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. The Smokehouse Creek fire burned nearly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers) and destroyed hundreds of
Continue ReadingBy PREDRAG MILIC Associated Press POGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A Montenegrin court has ruled that cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon should be handed over to his native South Korea, the latest twist in the months-long legal procedure that followed the arrest of the Terraform Labs founder in the Balkan nation last year. The High Court handed
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