FDA clears COVID booster shot for healthy kids ages 5 to 11
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward.
Nearly 43,000 people died on US roads last year, agency says
DETROIT — Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the roads after the coronavirus pandemic forced many to stay at home.
AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter has $42 million in assets
NEW YORK — The foundation started by organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement is still worth tens of millions of dollars, after spending more than $37 million on grants, real estate, consultants, and other expenses, according to tax documents filed with the IRS.
US deaths from COVID hit 1 million, less than 2 1/2 years in
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration.
Authorities: Hate against Taiwanese led to church attack
LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. — A Chinese-born gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, possibly saving dozens of lives, authorities said Monday.
Ukraine says mission at Mariupol steel mill is complete
KYIV, Ukraine — The regiment that doggedly defended a steel mill as Ukraine’s last stronghold in the port city of Mariupol completed its mission Monday after more than 260 fighters, including some badly wounded, were evacuated and taken to areas under Russia’s control, Ukrainian officials said.
Hawaii gets $14M in federal funding to help forest birds
HONOLULU — Hawaii is on course to receive $14 million in federal funding to help protect endangered forest birds and other species, officials said Monday.
Game 7s: Mavericks rout Suns in shocker, Celtics beat Bucks
PHOENIX — Luka Doncic scored 35 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 30 and the Dallas Mavericks stunned the top-seeded Phoenix Suns with a 123-90 Game 7 blowout Sunday night, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2011.
Small wins buoy Ukraine; West says Russians losing momentum
KYIV, Ukraine — Almost three months after Russia shocked the world by invading Ukraine, its military faces a bogged-down war, the prospect of a bigger NATO, and an opponent buoyed Sunday by wins on and off the battlefield.
Biden urges unity to stem racial hate after Buffalo shooting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden urged unity Sunday to address the “hate that remains a stain on the soul of America” after a deadly mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, while state officials pleaded for federal action to end the “uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.
Okinawa marks 50 years of end to US rule amid protests
TOKYO — Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on Sunday urged Japan’s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group as it marked the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan after 27 years of American rule, amid frustration and bitterness over a lack of support from the mainland.
Finland, Sweden inch closer to seeking NATO membership
BERLIN — Finland’s government declared a “new era” is underway as it inches closer to seeking NATO membership, hours before Sweden’s governing party on Sunday backed a plan to join the trans-Atlantic alliance amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Americans bet $125B on sports in 4 years since legalization
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Americans have bet more than $125 billion on sports with legal gambling outlets in the four years since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for all 50 states to offer it.
No-hit wonder: Pirates beat Reds 1-0 without a hit
PITTSBURGH — Reds starter Hunter Greene and reliever Art Warren combined to allow zero hits in a complete game, but it didn’t count as a no-hitter — or even a win — because the Pittsburgh Pirates eked out a run in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 1-0 victory Sunday.
Ukraine: Russians withdraw from around Kharkiv, batter east
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops were withdrawing from around Ukraine’s second-largest city after bombarding it for weeks, the Ukrainian military said Saturday, as Kyiv and Moscow’s forces engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s eastern industrial heartland.
Abortion rights backers rally in anger over post-Roe future
WASHINGTON — Abortion rights supporters demonstrating at hundreds of marches and rallies Saturday expressed their outrage that the Supreme Court appears prepared to scrap the constitutional right to abortion that has endured for nearly a half-century and their fear about what that could mean for women’s reproductive choices.
US fishing haul fell 10% during first pandemic year
PORTLAND, Maine — America’s commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators said Thursday.
Most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached
CANBERRA, Australia — More than 90% of Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth such mass event in seven years in the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, Australian government scientists said.
4 finalists named vying to be next Honolulu police chief
HONOLULU — The Honolulu Police Commission on Thursday announced the names of four finalists who could be the department’s next chief.
Native Hawaiian composer’s new work inspired by Lahaina noon
HONOLULU — Native Hawaiian composer and violinist Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti will premiere a new work this month inspired by Lahaina noon, the Honolulu mayor’s office said Friday.
