AP National

Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Wildfires in Brazil have swept through an area the size of Switzerland, a level of destruction that will take decades to recover, if it ever does, according to a new satellite assessment. The breadth of forest that has been lost or degraded was revealed as smoke that has blanketed

Associated Press A court in Uganda has sentenced a former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels to 40 years in prison for brutal crimes committed by the group during its insurgency that started in the 1980s. Thomas Kwoyelo  — a former child soldier who later became a rebel commander — will serve only 25

Associated Press Some hurricane-impacted households in North Carolina and Florida will receive one-time, direct cash payments of $1,000 on Friday. The nonprofit GiveDirectly is using AI to find low-income households in badly damaged areas and reaching out to them via an app used to manage SNAP benefits. GiveDirectly hopes the tech-forward model can inspire more

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike that hit a guesthouse in southeast Lebanon has killed three journalists who were covering the Israel-Hezbollah war. Those killed were camera operator Ghassan Najjar and broadcast technician Mohammed Rida of the Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV, and camera operator Wissam Qassim, who worked for Al-Manar TV of Lebanon’s

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — George Washington. Benjamin Franklin. Betsy Ross. The two Founding Fathers and the seamstress of the American flag all once worshipped on the now centuries-old wooden pews of Christ Church. It’s the site of colonial America’s break with the Church of England — and where the U.S. Episcopal Church was born.

Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The two historic churches are less than a mile apart in Philadelphia. Christ Church is where some of the Founding Fathers worshipped, and where colonial America made its break with the Church of England. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is located on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek ferry crews have curtailed a four-day strike by several hours, announcing Friday they would go back on the job in the early afternoon instead of at midnight. The strike had threatened to disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Greeks heading to islands for a long weekend ahead of a

Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on has praised the Serbian president for meeting  her and other European Union leaders instead of attending a Russia-organized summit of developing economies held earlier this week. Von der Leyen was also in Bosnia on Friday as part of a trip this

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s central bank has raised its key interest rate by two percentage points to a record-high 21% in an effort to combat growing inflation. Government spending on the military is straining the economy’s capacity to produce goods and services and driving up workers’ wages. The central bank said in a statement Friday

Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — The banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party has claimed responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of a key defense company in Ankara that killed at least five people. A statement from the PKK’s military wing said Friday two members of its so-called “Immortal Battalion,” carried out the attack in response to

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — North Korean troops are poised to be deployed by Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine as early as this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Friday. Western officials have warned that North Korean units joining the fight would stoke the almost three-year war and bring geopolitical consequences as far

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have held wide-ranging discussions to bolster strategic ties between the two countries. They met in New Delhi where the two countries signed various agreements on enhancing cooperation in the defense sector, information technology, clean energy, skill development and artificial

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French authorities say they have charged seven individuals in connection with a cyberbullying campaign targeting Thomas Jolly, the artistic director behind the Paris Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies. Jolly became the target of an online hate campaign filled with homophobic and antisemitic abuse following his acclaimed but controversial queer-inclusive opening

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — At the same time he sought war crimes charges this year against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the International Criminal Court faced accusations that he tried for more than a year to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship. Karim Khan has categorically denied

Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Sherpa teenager who’s won mountaineering celebrity as the youngest person ever to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks called for Sherpas to be recognized as athletes and expedition leaders as well as porters and guides. “It’s always been that Sherpas were supporting climbers and we’re never seen as

AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving ahead with a new path to student loan cancellation for Americans who face steep medical bills, child care costs and other types of financial hardship that prevent them from repaying their loans. Announced Friday, the proposed rule is President Joe Biden’s third attempt at

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A group campaigning for Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi says Iranian authorities have issued an additional six-month prison sentence against her. The Free Narges Coalition said in a statement on Thursday that Mohammadi was sentenced on Oct. 19 to an additional six months in prison on the

PARIS (AP) — Environmental activist Paul Watson, who is detained in Greenland and facing possible extradition to Japan, has formally requested French citizenship after France’s Foreign Minister said his bid for political asylum could not be processed because he is not on French soil. Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd and a prominent anti-whaling advocate,

AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA astronaut was taken to the hospital for an undisclosed medical issue after returning from a nearly eight-month space station stay extended by Boeing’s capsule trouble and Hurricane Milton, the space agency said Friday. A SpaceX capsule carrying three Americans and one Russian parachuted before dawn

Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The grand opening of new modern art museum designed by the American architect Thomas Phifer is taking place in the Polish capital, Warsaw. The Museum of Modern Art opens its doors to the public on Friday. It has a white box-like facade and light-filled spaces and a monumental geometric

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Authorities say three Indian soldiers and their two civilian porters have been killed in a rebel ambush in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Police on Friday said rebels sprayed bullets at an army vehicle carrying troops close to the highly militarized line of control near the resort town of Gulmarg on Thursday night. The

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — One of Japan’s largest travel agencies says a tourist died and 12 other people were injured when their a tour bus smashed into the rear of a truck on a highway in Malaysia. JTB Corp. says the incident occurred Thursday in central Perak state while the bus was heading to

Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Authorities say a group of militants have attacked a security post in northwest Pakistan and killed 10 officers in an intense shootout. Police said that other security forces were wounded in the attack overnight in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Also on Friday, suspected militants

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Tropical storm Trami has blown away from the northwestern Philippines, leaving at least 82 people dead mostly in extensive flooding and landslides. Authorities scrambled for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people who were trapped, some on their roofs. But the trauma caused by the onslaught may

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel pounded Iran with a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military sites in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier in the month. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though the Islamic Republic

Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians will cast ballots on Sunday in the seventh general elections in just over three years as their country faces growing political instability that might further enhance the popularity of pro-Russian and far-right groups. Of the six elections since 2021, only two have produced an elected government, but they

Associated Press CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — The former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch pleaded not guilty Friday to federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges. Michael Jeffries, 80, declined to comment after his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf in federal court in Central Islip, on Long Island. He is free on

AP Business Writers U.S. stock indexes gave up an early gain and drifted to a mixed finish Friday, helping give the market its first losing week since early September. The S&P 500 closed little changed after having been up 0.9% earlier in the day. The benchmark index ended the week 1% lower, ending a six-week

Associated Press If Donald Trump wins the presidential election, Republicans hope he will fulfill a longstanding GOP goal of privatizing the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have been under government control since the Great Recession. But Democrats and some economists warn that, especially in this time of high mortgage rates, doing so

Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire woman has been sentenced to 53 years to life in prison in the death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and exposed to drugs. Thirty-eight-year-old Danielle Dauphinais appeared in court Friday and tearfully apologized for her actions. Elijah Lewis weighed just 19 pounds when

Associated Press LAVEEN VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized to Native Americans for the “sin” of a government-run boarding school system that for decades forcibly separated children from their parents, calling it a “blot on American history” in his first presidential visit to Indian Country. “It’s a sin on our

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A child psychiatrist who altered a first-day-of-school photo he saw on Facebook to make a group of girls appear nude. A U.S. Army soldier accused of creating images depicting children he knew being sexually abused. A software engineer charged with generating hyper-realistic sexually explicit images of children. Law enforcement agencies

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The last Kmart on the U.S. mainland sits at the west end of a busy suburban Miami shopping center, quiet and largely ignored. All around it are thriving chain stores attracting steady streams of customers in sectors where the former box-store chain was once a major player: Marshalls, Hobby Lobby,

AP National Political Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Progressive Democrats warn Kamala Harris risks losing the support of a small but significant portion of her political base unless she changes her campaign’s closing message — and its messengers — immediately. Specifically, several progressive leaders believe that the Democratic nominee has been too focused on winning

AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — As news outlets get ready for election night, they’re not only focusing on what happens. They’re keeping watch over what doesn’t. Several plans to combat misinformation are in place across newsrooms that will follow the climax of a hard-fought campaign on Nov. 5. The Associated Press and others

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tropical Storm Dana is bringing strong winds and heavy rain to India’s eastern coast, uprooting trees and raising the risk of floods after nearly 600,000 people evacuated. The storm made landfall Thursday night in Odisha state with 68 mph winds. Officials told the Press Trust of India news agency the storm

Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Some voters living in areas that recently experienced rainy or humid weather have reported receiving ballot return envelopes that are already sealed shut because of moisture dampening mail, elections officials say. The issue has been reported in parts of North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene brought heavy rains and catastrophic

SEATTLE (AP) — A 15-year-old boy accused of killing his parents and three of his siblings this week east of Seattle tried to pin the slayings on his younger brother, but a sister who survived after playing dead escaped to a neighbor’s house and told police who really carried out the shootings, authorities said in

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — King Charles III told a summit of Commonwealth countries in Samoa on Friday that the past could not be changed as he indirectly acknowledged calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for a reckoning over its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The British monarch told leaders in

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, has died. He was 86. Jones died Wednesday night at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, after battling leukemia for more than two years, according to a statement from his manager, Milt Suchin. Jones began his

Associated Press The United States has brought hundreds of thousands of children from abroad to be adopted by American families. But along the way it left thousands of them without citizenship, through a bureaucratic loophole that the government has been aware of for decades, and hasn’t fixed. Some of these adoptees live in hiding, fearing

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected accusations from Beijing that his country is “plagued by systemic racism and hate crimes” after an Australian diplomat led a group of Western nations in renewing concerns about human rights violations in China. “When it comes to China, we’ve said we’ll

Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The 50-year-old newspaper was turning yellow and its edges fraying, so she had it laminated, not as a memento but as proof — America made a promise to her, and did not keep it. She pointed to the picture in the corner of her as a little girl in

APIA, Samoa (AP) — Australia and the United Kingdom have deepened ties by agreeing to collaborate on climate change and energy initiatives, aiming to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while also reaffirming their mutual commitment to develop nuclear submarines for both nations under the AUKUS treaty. The Climate and Energy Partnership was announced after

AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani sat behind a small table and waited. Across the center field plaza at Dodger Stadium, a horde of media listened for the signal. Once it came, the stampede was on. Reporters and photographers ran, ignoring security’s commands to walk, in a beeline to reach Ohtani first.

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling party, dogged by corruption scandals and plunging support for his weeks-old government, faces its toughest challenge in decades in Sunday’s parliamentary election. This could set up a very short-lived time in office for Ishiba. But even if he falls, it won’t hurt his Liberal

CANTON, N.Y. (AP) — More than 40 dogs have been killed in a fire that swept through a rescue organization’s kennels in northern New York. Fire officials say the blaze at the No Dogs Left Behind building in Canton was reported at about 1 a.m. Thursday by a person who saw the flames while passing

AP Baseball Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will play Major League Baseball’s starriest World Series in decades. This figures to be the first World Series featuring five MVPs: the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Ohtani and

PHOENIX (AP) — Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources have made the first move toward regulating the use of groundwater in the state’s rural southeast. That water is rapidly being drawn down through agricultural use. The state agency announced on Wednesday a Nov. 22 public hearing to present data and hear

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump said Thursday that China’s leader would handle Vice President Kamala Harris “like a baby” if she’s elected to the White House, as the former president and his top allies increasingly have moved to infantilize the Democratic nominee. “If somehow Kamala wins, she’d have to deal with Xi Jinping,”

AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns’ back-and-forth battle with Cleveland over a planned move into a new suburban stadium has gone to court. The NFL team said Thursday it has filed a lawsuit in federal court asking for clarification of the “Modell Law,” which the city has threatened to use to keep the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. Officials said in a news release Thursday that the settlement does not include any damages for rebuilding the bridge.

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris was asked this week if she thought Donald Trump was a fascist, and she replied, “Yes, I do.” She subsequently called him the same thing herself, saying voters don’t want “a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.” But what exactly

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian police say a minor broke into a police station in northwest Bosnia on Thursday and killed one officer with a knife and injured another. The incident happened around 9p.m. on Thursday in the town of Bosanska Krupa. A spokesman said the attacker, born in 2009, went into the local police

Associated Press Environmentalists accuse New York, New Jersey and Delaware in federal lawsuits of improperly allowing Atlantic sturgeon to be killed by commercial fishing operations even as the prehistoric fish is on the brink of disappearing. The three lawsuits from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Hudson Riverkeeper were filed Thursday and accuse the states of

Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The most far-reaching of Ohio’s laws restricting abortion was struck down on Thursday by a county judge who said last year’s voter-approved amendment enshrining reproductive rights renders the so-called heartbeat law unconstitutional. Enforcement of the 2019 law banning most abortions once cardiac activity is detected — as early as

Associated Press A California-based produce company was the source of fresh onions linked to a deadly E. coli food poisoning outbreak at McDonald’s, officials with the restaurant chain said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — pulled onions from some menus. McDonald’s officials said that Taylor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is seeking information about the state of competition in air travel. The Justice Department and the Transportation Department announced the public inquiry on Thursday. The administration says it wants to learn more about the effect of mergers and joint ventures between airlines, and what it calls anticompetitive behavior by

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors in Los Angeles say they will ask a court to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez for the 1989 murders of their parents. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has said there’s no doubt the brothers killed their parents in Beverly Hills, but on Thursday he said he believes they

Associated Press CLARKSTON, Ga. (AP) — Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama lent their star power to Kamala Harris’ quest for the presidency on Thursday, as the vice president implored Georgia voters to consider the “brutally serious” consequences if Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House. Harris asked voters to imagine who’ll be

Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judicial panel is recommending that the state’s Republican attorney general be suspended from practicing law for 90 days for openly defying court orders and repeatedly attacking the integrity of justices. Both sides have up to 30 days to object to the recommendations and another 30 days for

Associated Press NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — President Joe Biden said he will formally apologize on Friday for the country’s role in forcing Indigenous children for over 150 years into boarding schools, where many were physically, emotionally and sexually abused, and more than 950 died. “I’m doing something I should have done a long time ago:

Associated Press An attorney for a white former Ohio police officer says the officer mistakenly shot and killed Andre Hill in 2020 because he saw a flash of light from keys in the Black man’s hand and thought he was about to be shot. Columbus Officer Adam Coy was fired after the shooting and is