3 Astronauts Blast Off to International Space Station

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — Three astronauts successfully blasted off Monday to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan, a perfect launch that follows October’s aborted mission. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos lifted off as scheduled at 5:31 p.m. (1131 GMT; 6:31…

Qatar Will Pull Out of OPEC Amid Tension with Saudi Arabia

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny, energy-rich Arab nation of Qatar announced on Monday it would withdraw from OPEC, mixing its aspirations to increase production outside of the cartel’s constraints with the politics of slighting the Saudi-dominated group amid the kingdom’s boycott of Doha. The surprise announcement from Qatar’s minister of state for…

Life is Slowly Settling Down in Alaska After Major Quake

ANCHORAGE, AK (AP) — Life is slowly settling down in Alaska following a powerful earthquake that rattled buildings, disrupted power and caused heavy damage to the only highway that goes north of Anchorage. Still, hundreds of aftershocks frayed nerves Saturday as people worried about being caught in more massive shakers. “They’re disturbing, and I’m not…

Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Now 2nd Largest In History, WHO Says

By CARA ANNA , Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Congo’s deadly Ebola outbreak is now the second largest in history, behind the devastating West Africa outbreak that killed thousands a few years ago, the World Health Organization said Thursday. WHO emergencies chief Dr. Peter Salama called it “a sad toll” as Congo’s health ministry announced…