Manila, Philippines (AP) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to prepare to deploy its aircraft and ships “at any moment’s notice” to evacuate thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq and Iran should hostilities erupt there. Other Asian nations with large populations of expatriate labor may face similar decisions amid the rapidly escalating tensions between…
(AP) Officials in Pennsylvania say five people have been killed and dozens more hospitalized in an early morning crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. State police report that around 60 were injured with the victims ranging from 7 to 67 years old. Their conditions are not considered life threatening. State Police spokesman Stephen Limani described the…
(AP) Iran’s ancient and rich cultural landscape has become a potential U.S. military target as Washington and Tehran lob threats and take high-stakes steps toward a possible open conflict. President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday evening that if Iran targets any American assets to avenge the killing of a top Iranian general, the U.S. has 52 Iranian…
Washington, D.C. (AP) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says President Donald Trump has “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox” with the targeted killing of Iran’s top general in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport. The former vice president is joining other Democratic White House hopefuls in criticizing Trump’s order, saying it could leave…
(AP) Conservatives are asking a judge to find the Wisconsin Elections Commission in contempt for not immediately purging more than 200,000 voters from the rolls. A judge last month ordered the purge of voters who may have moved and didn’t respond within 30 days to notification sent by the elections commission in October. The commission…
Tokyo, Japan (AP) Asian shares are mostly higher on optimism about a U.S.-China trade deal as regional markets open for the new year’s first day of trading. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.1% and the Shanghai Composite gained 1.1%. South Korea’s Kospi was lower, while Tokyo was still closed for the New Year’s holiday. President…
New York (AP) 2020 is being rung in around the globe. More than 1 million people descended on Sydney Harbour to see fireworks despite the wildfires ravaging other parts of Australia. In Hong Kong, revelers as well as pro-democracy protesters came out to usher in the new year. Russia held the world’s longest New Year’s…
Stocks are closing out their best year since 2013 led by huge gains in technology stocks. The benchmark S&P 500 index soared 28.9% for the year. Major indexes ended slightly higher Tuesday after spending most of the day wavering between small gains and losses. Technology and health care stocks led the gainers. The S&P 500…
Mallacoota, Australia (AP) Wildfires burning across Australia’s two most-populous states have trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions, destroyed many properties and caused at least two fatalities. About 4,000 people fled to the waterfront of a southeastern town as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire towards their homes. The town of Mallacoota was shrouded…
New Your, NY (AP) Authorities say a man charged with federal hate crimes in a bloody attack on a Hanukkah celebration had handwritten journals containing anti-Semitic references and had used his phone to look up information on Hitler. Federal criminal charges were filed Monday against 37-year-old Grafton E. Thomas. He was being held without bail…