LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police are trying to learn what motivated a man to walk into a law firm where he worked and shoot two of his colleagues before turning the gun on himself….
BASRA, Iraq (AP) — In his martyrdom, he has virtually become a new saint for Iraq's Shiites. His poster adorns shop windows, men and women wear his image as badges. Poems praise his valor. His sniper's rifle, with which he's said to have killed nearly 400 Islamic State group militants, is now enshrined in a museum in the holiest Shiite city….
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Already winter-weary parts of the Midwest and East Coast are dealing with a mounting number of weather-related headaches, from highway pileups to frozen pipes and a rash of car thefts. And there's more to come….
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first month of Donald Trump's presidency, an American scholar quietly met with North Korean officials and relayed a message: The new administration in Washington appreciated an extended halt in the North's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. It might just offer a ray of hope….
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian hard-liners rallied Saturday to support the country's supreme leader and clerically overseen government as spontaneous protests sparked by anger over the country's ailing economy roiled major cities in the Islamic Republic….
NEW YORK (AP) — A preschooler toying with the burners on his mother's stove accidentally sparked New York City's deadliest fire in decades, an inferno that quickly overtook an apartment building and blocked the main escape route, the fire commissioner said Friday….
CAIRO (AP) — A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire Friday outside a church in a Cairo suburb and at a nearby store, sparking a shootout that killed at least nine people, including eight Coptic Christians, authorities said. It was the latest attack targeting Egypt's embattled Christian minority….
THETKABYIN, Myanmar (AP) — In her dreams, Setara walks hand in hand with her Muslim husband through the streets of the seaside Myanmar town they grew up in. They visit old friends, share a meal with family, dip their toes into the warm surf of the Bay of Bengal….
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Kim Jong Un wants to turn the art of kimchi-making into a science. And the North Korean leader is putting his money where his mouth is….
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — As a deep freeze sets in across half the country, officials are urging people to help those most vulnerable, especially the homeless and the elderly….
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City's deadliest residential fire in decades spread through every floor of a Bronx apartment building within a matter of minutes, city officials said, killing 12 people and sending other residents scrambling outside into the cold and down fire escapes to safety….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's unpredictable, pugnacious approach to the presidency often worked against him as Republicans navigated a tumultuous but ultimately productive year in Congress….
KAYSERI, Turkey (AP) — Iminjin Qari felt upbeat as he drove to Istanbul's airport with three empty buses and a simple task: pick up about 200 fellow Uighurs who had fled China for asylum in Turkey – and escort them to safety….
NEW YORK (AP) — Police are promising a bigger security detail than ever before in Times Square for this year's New Year's Eve celebration, which will cap off a year that saw a number of deadly attacks on innocent crowds, including a vehicle rampage at the very spot where revelers will ring in 2018….
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Celeste Kidd was a graduate student of neuroscience at the University of Rochester she says a professor supervising her made her life unbearable by stalking her, making demeaning comments about her weight and talking about sex….
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says the East Coast "could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming" as bitterly cold temperatures are expected to freeze large swaths of the country this holiday weekend….
SEATTLE (AP) — Lawyers with the Department of Justice have asked a federal judge to change his order that partially lifted a Trump administration refugee ban….
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Attackers stormed a Shiite Muslim cultural center in the Afghan capital Thursday, setting off multiple bombs and killing at least 35 people and wounding at least 56, authorities said….
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mohammed Aly does not see any reason why he shouldn't try to ease the lives of Orange County's homeless. But the authorities – and many of his neighbors – disagree….
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — For nearly 2½ miles along the western bank of the Tigris River, hardly a single building is intact. The warren of narrow streets of Mosul's Old City is a crumpled landscape of broken concrete and metal. Every acre is weighed down by more than 3,000 tons of rubble, much of it laced with explosives and unexploded ordnance….
WASHINGTON (AP) — In this season of giving, charity seems to be getting an extra jolt because next year the popular tax deduction for donations will lose a lot of its punch….
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eager for more legislative achievements before Washington's focus shifts to the midterm elections, President Donald Trump plans to open the new year by meeting with Republican congressional leaders to map out the 2018 legislative agenda, the White House said….
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump fired James Comey in May, he said he was acting on the recommendation of Justice Department leaders who had faulted the FBI director for releasing "derogatory information" about Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of the email server investigation months earlier….
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Bitter cold weather has taken hold of much of the northern United States and is expected to stay put for days to come as two Minnesota cities already have set record low temperatures and a city in Pennsylvania continues to dig out from a record snowfall….
MOSCOW (AP) — The explosion at a supermarket in Russia's second-largest city was a terrorist attack, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, adding that another attack had been thwarted….
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma, a state with one of the busiest death chambers in the country in recent decades, will enter its third year without an execution in 2018 while prison officials and state attorneys fine tune its procedure for putting condemned inmates to death….
WASHINGTON (AP) — A singer and potential congressional candidate says she has filed a sexual assault complaint against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager for hitting her twice on her buttocks during a Washington gathering in November….
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have long lured foreign workers with the promise of a tax-free lifestyle, plan to impose a 5 percent tax next year on most goods and services to boost revenue after oil prices collapsed three years ago….
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a 12-year prison term for Samsung's jailed billionaire heir, Lee Jae-yong, who maintained his innocence during an appeal of his conviction on bribery and other charges….
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan State Police tried but failed to suspend a trooper for his use of a stun gun months before he fired a Taser at a teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died, according to records obtained by The Associated Press….
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department issued sanctions Tuesday against two officials it describes as "key leaders of North Korea's unlawful weapons programs."…
NEW YORK (AP) — Construction on a Greek Orthodox church to replace one that was crushed in the Sept. 11 attacks has been temporarily suspended amid rising costs and questions over how donations have been managed….
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump couldn't stop talking about the red carpets, military parades and fancy dinners that were lavished upon him during state visits on his recent tour of Asia. "Magnificent," he declared at one point on the trip….
CHICAGO (AP) — The good news for many in the Northeast and Midwest was that it has been a white Christmas. The bad news was that a blizzard swept into parts of New England and bitter cold enveloped much of the Midwest….
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials should review opposition leader Alexei Navalny's calls for an election boycott to see if they might be breaking the law, the Kremlin said Tuesday, hinting at possible legal repercussions….
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing von Trapp children in the hit 1965 film, "The Sound of Music," has died. She was 68….
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James drove to the basket in the waning seconds and Kevin Durant swatted away any chance Cleveland had at a Christmas Day comeback….
DENVER (AP) — President Donald Trump couldn't stand NFL players kneeling in protest during "The Star-Spangled Banner." His angry call to fire players who didn't stand for the national anthem rekindled both the national debate over the issue and the movement itself….
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru's president announced Sunday night that he granted a medical pardon to jailed former strongman Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses, corruption and the sanctioning of death squads….
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it is a "pipe dream" for the United States to think it will give up its nuclear weapons, and called the latest U.N. sanctions to target the country "an act of war" that violates its sovereignty….
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala's president announced on Christmas Eve that the Central American country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, becoming the first nation to follow the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump in ordering the change….
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru's president announced Sunday night that he granted a medical pardon to jailed former strongman Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses, corruption and the sanctioning of death squads….
JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israel heads into its fifth consecutive year of drought, the Sea of Galilee stands at a century low, much of the Jordan River is a fetid trickle and the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking….
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Heading into his first Christmas in office, President Donald Trump took note of those he considers naughty (a top FBI official, the news media) and nice (U.S. troops stationed overseas and their families, kids eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival). He also squeezed in time for golf, time with family and time for church….
ATLANTA (AP) — A Democratic congressional candidate outside Philadelphia calls the Republican tax overhaul a "cynical bill" that will redistribute wealth upward….
STERLING, Va. (AP) — Two Virginia sheriff's deputies were shot and wounded Sunday while responding to a domestic dispute in northern Virginia, authorities said….
LA PINTADA, Panama (AP) — Cultural authorities at UNESCO have recognized the artisans of Panama for their distinctive woven hats. No, not those hats; the famed "Panama hat" comes from Ecuador….
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge in Seattle on Saturday partially lifted a Trump administration ban on certain refugees after two groups argued that the policy prevented people from some mostly Muslim countries from reuniting with family living legally in the United States….
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ask someone like Sam Banks about the tax plan President Donald Trump signed into law Friday, and you hear something other than the effusive joy Republicans in Congress put on display this week….
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The top leadership of the Miss America Organization, implicated in an email scandal that targeted past pageant winners for abuse based on their appearance, intellect and sex lives, resigned on Saturday, with the outgoing president apologizing to a winner whose weight he ridiculed….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two things can be true at once. President Donald Trump's tax overhaul is slanted to the rich, as Democrats say and Republicans like to ignore. It also comes with tax cuts for average people, which Democrats bypass in slamming Trump's "betrayal" of the middle class….
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Saturday that the U.S. military must provide legal counsel to an American citizen who was picked up months ago on the Syrian battlefield and accused of fighting with Islamic State militants….
JIAN, China (AP) — The former smuggler sits on the floor by a muted TV set, smoking cheap North Korean cigarettes one after the other. His hands are rough from years of hard work. His belt is knotted to keep his pants from slipping around his pole-thin waist….
DAVAO, Philippines (AP) — Philippine firefighters recovered one body from a burning shopping mall Sunday and there was "zero" chances of survival for 36 other trapped people inside the four-story building in southern Davao city, an official said….
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) — One of the deadliest storms to hit the Philippines this year blew out of the country's south Sunday after leaving more than 120 people dead and 160 missing in landslides and flash floods….
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Republicans who hope their Senate disaster in Alabama will scare voters away from other outsider, longshot conservatives should spend some time with Michele Evans….
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) — A tropical storm unleashed flash floods and set off landslides in the southern Philippines at a peak time for travel and Christmas preparations, leaving at least 75 people dead and 58 others missing, officials said Saturday….
NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 33 people were killed on Saturday after a passenger bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a river in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said….
JERUSALEM (AP) — Rabbi Chuck Davidson is a criminal in the eyes of Israeli law. However, he wouldn't be put behind bars for his crime in most countries. His offense: conducting rogue weddings in defiance of Israel's Chief Rabbinate….
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California wildfire that has killed two people and seared its way through cities, towns and wilderness northwest of Los Angeles became the largest blaze ever officially recorded in California on Friday, authorities said….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Their tax bill triumph in the rear-view mirror, Republicans running Congress face a 2018 in which they'll need Democratic votes to get almost anything done….
LONDON (AP) — For millions of Britons, a traditional Christmas Day includes turkey, brussels sprouts, Christmas pudding – and a special seasonal episode of "Doctor Who."…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led Congress narrowly passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year….
PARIS (AP) — Russian television anchor Pavel Lobkov was in the studio getting ready for his show when jarring news flashed across his phone: Some of his most intimate messages had just been published to the web….
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to denounce President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, largely ignoring Trump's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him….
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Symphonies in Boston, San Francisco and Sydney have severed ties with world-renowned conductor Charles Dutoit. Classical orchestras in New York, Chicago and Cleveland have announced that he's withdrawn his services for upcoming concerts. The reaction has been swift in the classical music world following graphic sexual assault accusations made by three opera singers and a classical musician to The Associated Press….
BEIRUT (AP) — At a news conference announcing the end of yet another fruitless round of peace talks in Geneva last week, the U.N. envoy for Syria held up a color-coded map showing the divisions of territorial control in the war-torn country….
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Elections in Catalonia have failed to clarify the restive region's immediate future, exposing a deep and broad split between those for and against independence from Spain….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats are waging a partisan messaging battle in the final days of the year to establish an enduring narrative on multiple Russia investigations and the integrity of the investigators. The fight has intensified as special counsel Robert Mueller has appeared to focus more intently on President Donald Trump and his inner circle….
TAPRON SPRING, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Stansbury propped his rusty bike against a live oak tree and cast his fishing line into the rushing waters of Florida's Anclote River….
ISTANBUL (AP) — It was mid-afternoon when the Chinese police officers barged into Ali's house set against cotton fields outside the ancient Silk Road trading post of Kashgar. The Uighur farmer and his cowering parents watched them rummage through the house until they found two books in his bedroom – a Quran and a handbook on dealing with interrogations….
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence swooped into Afghanistan for a secret meeting with Afghan leaders and a visit with U.S. troops, pointing to progress four months after President Donald Trump announced a new strategy to end a stalemate in America's longest war….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers hope to approve a must-pass spending bill on Thursday as the clock ticks toward potential government shutdown this weekend….
WASHINGTON (AP) — A triumphant President Donald Trump and jubilant fellow Republicans celebrated the passage of their $1.5 trillion tax overhaul Wednesday as a "historic victory for the American people." The American people, however, will need some convincing….
UKHIA, Bangladesh (AP) — For six hours he hid in an upstairs room, listening to the crackle of gunfire and the screams of people being slaughtered outside his Myanmar home….
SYDNEY (AP) — Two men were arrested in Australia after the SUV in which they were travelling rammed into pedestrians on a busy central Melbourne street Thursday, leaving 14 people injured in what police believe was a deliberate act….
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump's threat to cut off U.S. funding to countries that oppose his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has raised the stakes in Thursday's U.N. vote and sparked criticism at his tactics, which one Muslim group called bullying or blackmail….
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean soldiers fired 20 warning machine gun rounds Thursday, turning back North Korean soldiers apparently pursuing a comrade who had earlier dashed across the rivals' shared border, officials said. It is the fourth time this year a North Korean soldier has defected across the world's most heavily armed border….
JIECH, South Sudan (AP) — Writhing in agony on the dirt floor of his hut, Bob Wol traced the recent gunshot wounds on his thigh and back with his fingers….
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Voters in Catalonia faced a momentous choice in elections Thursday for their regional parliament: either support political parties that are determined to keep up the pressure to turn their region into Europe's newest country, or opt for those that want it to stay as part of Spain….
WASHINGTON (AP) — You wouldn't know it from President Donald Trump's rhetoric, but the tax overhaul coming into effect is heavily tilted to the rich. It also leaves "Obamacare" in place, despite his assertion that the tax plan repeals the health care law. Nothing about the plan provides the fuel to achieve economic growth at the levels he's predicted….
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