AP Science Writer A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper airways of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ROME (AP) — Italy’s foreign ministry says an Italian journalist who was reporting in Tehran has been detained by the Iranian police. Cecilia Sala was reporting in the Iranian capital when she was detained on Dec. 19, the ministry said. It said that it was working with Iranian authorities “to clarify the legal
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ruled that the Georgia state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of a inquiry into whether she has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump but is giving Willis the chance to contest whether lawmakers’ demands are overly broad.
Continue ReadingThe former Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors and their 1970 album of the same name, was significantly damaged by a fire that erupted in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The four-story building, which has been vacant more than a decade, burned for nearly two hours before more than 100 firefighters brought the flames
Continue ReadingST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week has died, but the other is still getting medical care. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Duluth said in a Facebook post Thursday that the snowy owl rescued by Annabell Whelan had internal
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — An outdoor holiday market in New York City’s Bryant Park briefly caught fire, sending flames and plumes of smoke above the popular midtown Manhattan tourist draw. No one was injured in the blaze. But fire officials said at least four shops were destroyed in the fire, which broke out around 9
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The leading human rights organization in Belarus says a well-known opposition activist has been convicted of public order offenses and sentenced to six years in prison. Dzmitry Kuchuk, whose Green Party was shut down last year, was arrested on Feb. 16 in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, near the Russian
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s prime minister has announced the closure of “all foreign military bases” in the country, a statement essentially aimed at France, the African nation’s former colonial ruler. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko did not set out a timeline for the exit of troops in making the announcement on Friday, during
Continue ReadingAP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — NASA has confirmed that a spacecraft has made the closest approach to the sun. Earlier this week, the Parker Solar Probe passed within a mere 3.8 million miles of the sun. Space agency officials received an all-clear message Thursday night confirming Parker survived the journey. The spacecraft was
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Netflix is once again releasing a British thriller miniseries on New Year’s Day, based on a Harlan Coben bestseller. Like 2024’s hit adaptation “Fool Me Once,” “Missing You” moves from the U.S. of the book to the north of England. Rosalind Eleazar stars as a woman who discovers her ex-fiance
Continue ReadingAssociated Press 2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people’s lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home now when you turn on the lights or turn up the thermostat — large banks of batteries. Storing extra power in batteries effectively extends the hours of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The impeachment of South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials are unprecedented, and the deputy prime minister and finance
Continue ReadingBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian university students have left piles of old school books outside the education ministry building as part of daily street protests demanding accountability over the collapse nearly two months ago of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people in the country’s north. Scattered traffic blockades were also held at various locations
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Avicii, the groundbreaking Swedish DJ-producer, died six years ago at 28. Two new movies hitting Netflix next week aim to celebrate his life. His death was a tragedy that reverberated around the world — much like his music, which brought unexpected genres and collaborators into his melodic EDM
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — The office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says his brother has died. Nick Starmer, who was 60, had cancer. The prime minister, who is 62, paid tribute in a statement to his brother, describing him as a “wonderful man.” Starmer also took the opportunity to thank all those who treated his
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — States with restrictive abortion laws generally have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press. Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennessee residents of childbearing age are more likely to live in maternal care
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty. But she’s infuriated by Tennessee’s meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling in a state where abortion is
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIJING (AP) — A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings. Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement, the court in the southern
Continue ReadingThe news can be tough in a world often marked by suffering, disaster and war. Sometimes you need to stop and remember that good things happen all the time, all across the world, and 2024 was no different.
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