New Year’s fireworks OK’d in Sydney as wildfire risk worsens
PERTH, Australia — Sydney will set off its iconic New Year's fireworks display after being granted an exemption to a total fire ban Monday as other Au...
Congressman John Lewis says cancer is his latest battle
ATLANTA — As a civil rights activist at 25, John Lewis was beaten so badly his skull was fractured and the TV images from an Alabama bridge in the 196...
In Afghanistan, jailed Taliban await peace, their freedom
PUL-E-CHARKHI, Afghanistan — Thousands of Taliban prisoners jailed in Afghanistan as insurgents see a peace deal being hammered out between the United...
Jewish leaders urge action after another ‘senseless’ attack
NEW YORK — When a suspect walked into the home of a rabbi celebrating Hanukkah and stabbed five celebrants it was the latest in a week of anti-Semitic...
Chiefs among playoff-bound teams with injury concerns
The Kansas City Chiefs will hope for good news about their depleted secondary during their first-round playoff bye week.
Sports editor apologizes for tweeting ‘scalps’ after game
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — A sports editor for a New Mexico newspaper apologized this week after using “scalps” in a tweet to describe a high school basketb...
5 stabbed at Hanukkah celebration in latest attack on Jews
MONSEY, N.Y. — A knife-wielding man stormed into a rabbi's home and stabbed five people as they celebrated Hanukkah in an Orthodox Jewish community no...
California takes lead on laws affecting gig economy, privacy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s long tradition of advancing nation-leading legislation continues into the new year, with laws reining in the gig eco...
Police: All 7 killed in Hawaii tour helicopter crash
HONOLULU — Tour helicopter operations in Hawaii have come under increased scrutiny after the deadly crash this week, one of several recent accidents i...
Soul-searching in opera world after tumultuous #MeToo year
SAN FRANCISCO — It was a tumultuous year in the opera world, a year in which sexual harassment allegations against superstar Placido Domingo prompted ...
Taiwan president: Island’s democracy under threat from China
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that the self-governing island's democracy remains under direct threat from rival China,...
Sydney New Year’s fireworks to go ahead despite wildfires
PERTH, Australia — Sydney's iconic New Year's Eve fireworks will go ahead despite the wildfire crisis to show the world Australia’s resiliency, the pr...
N Korea begins key meeting before year-end deadline for US
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has opened a high-profile political conference to discuss how to overcome “harsh trials and difficulties," state medi...
Woman charged with hate crime amid NYC anti-Semitic attacks
NEW YORK — A woman accused of slapping three people in one of a series of apparently anti-Semitic attacks reported throughout New York during Hanukkah...
US astronaut sets record for longest spaceflight by a woman
A U.S. astronaut set a record Saturday for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, breaking the old mark of 288 days with about two months left in ...
49ers-Seahawks prime-time showdown highlights Week 17
The return of Beast Mode. A division title on the line. Possible home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Even amid affluence of tech capital, local news struggles
OAKLAND, Calif. — The cities and suburbs on the eastern side of San Francisco Bay are home to 2.7 million people, a world-class University of Californ...
Thousands of koalas feared dead in Australia wildfires
PERTH, Australia — Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia's iconic mars...
Drawn-out sex crimes case rattles Israel-Australia ties
JERUSALEM — Nicole Meyer endured years of sexual abuse allegedly at the hands of her former school principal. She’s had to watch as her alleged abuser...
UN condemns human rights abuses against Myanmar’s Rohingya
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Friday strongly condemning human rights abuses against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and...
Greece deal with Lockheed seals major air force upgrade
Greece says it has signed an agreement with U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin that will allow a major upgrade of its F-16 fighter jet fleet over...
Refugees, quadruple homicide top North Dakota news in 2019
BISMARCK, N.D. — Debate over whether to ban new refugees in North Dakota’s capital city county and a rare quadruple homicide in Mandan were among the ...
Suit on ex-offender voting filed in close-divided N Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina law that prohibits convicted felons from voting until their full sentence is completed — not just their prison time —...
Global markets mostly higher amid trade optimism
BEIJING — Global stock markets moved mostly higher on Friday amid optimism that U.S.-Chinese trade relations are improving and on early reports that o...
India clamps down on marches, internet after deadly protests
NEW DELHI — A group of protesters in New Delhi was beaten and shoved into buses by police on Friday as they attempted to demonstrate against a new cit...
Global stocks mixed, Wall Street rises amid trade optimism
BEIJING — Global stock markets were mixed Friday after Wall Street rose amid optimism that U.S.-Chinese trade relations are improving.
Japan OKs divisive plan to send naval troops to Mideast
TOKYO — Japan on Friday approved a contentious plan to send its naval troops to the Middle East to ensure the safety of Japanese ships transporting oi...
Markets in 2019: record stocks, lower rates, so-so IPOs
NEW YORK — On January 3, the S&P 500 sank 2.5% when Apple warned of sagging demand for the iPhone, an inauspicious start to 2019 following a 14% d...
West Coast fishery rebounds in rare conservation ‘home run’
WARRENTON, Ore. — A rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the U.S. West Coast.