Nation
Starmer says he won’t quit after local elections deliver losses for Labour and wins for Reform UK
LONDON | Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Friday that he will not resign after bruising elections that saw his governing Labour Party suffer big losses and the hard-right party Reform UK make major gains. The local and regional elections are widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led […]
US employers defy economic shock from Iran war and add a surprisingly strong 115,000 jobs in April
WASHINGTON | America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war. Hiring beat the 65,000 jobs forecasters had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday. The Iran war has […]
Pentagon begins releasing new files on UFOs and says the public can draw its own conclusions
WASHINGTON | The Pentagon has begun releasing new files on UFOs, saying members of the public can draw their own conclusions on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” like an object that a drone pilot says shone a bright light in the sky and then vanished. It said in a post on X on Friday that while past […]
Pope Leo XIV sought a pastoral role in his first year, but verbal sparring with Trump intervened
VATICAN CITY | Pope Leo XIV had tried during his first year as pontiff to insist that his essential role was that of a pastor accompanying his flock. President Donald Trump’s continuing criticisms – and Leo’s increasingly bold retorts – complicated the effort and overshadowed Friday’s anniversary of Leo’s election. Leo spent the eve of […]
Hungary’s incoming prime minister plans a ‘regime-change celebration’ to mark Orbán’s departure
BUDAPEST, Hungary | As incoming prime minister Péter Magyar takes his oath of office within the halls of Hungary’s sprawling neo-Gothic parliament on Saturday, thousands are expected to gather on a square just outside to celebrate the final moments of Viktor Orbán ‘s 16-year rule. Magyar’s center-right Tisza party defeated Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz in a […]
Air conditioning battery program for renters could help cities manage grid stress during heat waves
NEW YORK | When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages — and residents’ power bills. To ease that strain, power companies may ask customers to do something many probably won’t: Set the air conditioner a few degrees higher. […]
UAE reports drone and missile attack as Iran war ceasefire is challenged
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | The Iran war’s shaky ceasefire was further strained on Friday as the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted a missile and drone strikes, hours after the U.S. said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated against Iranian military facilities. There were no immediate […]
FDA’s new playbook: Lots of media announcements but not much rulemaking
WASHINGTON | In one of his first major announcements as health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called a news conference to unveil a plan to “phase out” synthetic food dyes. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary opened the event by saying his agency was “removing all petroleum-based food dyes” from U.S. foods. But the […]
Georgia officials knew chemicals from carpet mills were polluting local water. The people did not
CALHOUN, Ga. | Growing up in northwest Georgia, Stormy Bost lived her life in the water. During summers she plucked crawdads from the neighborhood creek and played in its cool depths, racing home for dinner to beat the setting sun. Waiting for her were pitchers of sweet tea, which her family brewed using tap water. […]
Indigenous people honor and raise awareness for relatives who are missing or have been killed
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. | Across the country, Indigenous people are gathering this week to honor loved ones who are missing or have been killed and to call for better data collection, law enforcement response and reforms to make their communities safer. From U.S. state capitols and tribal community spaces to the streets of major cities, hundreds […]