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CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — After fleeing violence in their Guatemalan town, but with their way to relatives in California blocked by continuing U.S. asylum restrictions, a family of 15 joined an Advent candlelight ceremony organized by their shelter just south of the border. The evening service in the Buen Samaritano shelter’s small Methodist church, which doubles as cafeteria, didn’t quite compare with the weekslong Christmas celebrations they had loved […]

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal proposals that would have significantly boosted security funding for election offices and heightened penalties for threatening their staff failed to advance this year, leaving state officials looking to their legislatures for support. The massive budget bill that passed Congress on Friday will send $75 million in election security grants to states, an amount that falls far short of what many officials had sought as state and […]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Shapiro will be taking office as Pennsylvania’s next governor in January after running a campaign in which he spoke early and often about his Jewish religious heritage. At a time of rising concern about overt expressions of antisemitism, some observers are seeing a bright spot in his decisive victory, particularly coming in a presidential battleground state in which he was competing with a starkly contrasting opponent […]

MEXICO CITY (AP) — For Miguel Zadquiel, the secret to staying in step as he dances at the front of the annual Christmastime procession through his neighborhood is in the bass drum. “For every sound it makes, I move one foot, then another one, then I jump around, then I move my shoulders,” he said. The 14-year-old was one of the dozens of dancers and musicians at the front of […]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban government in Afghanistan on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups to suspend employing women. The order came in a letter from Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, which said that any NGO found not complying with the order will have their operating license revoked in Afghanistan. The contents of the letter were confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday by ministry spokesman, […]

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A truck carrying liquified petroleum gas has exploded in the South African town of Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, killing at least 8 people and injuring 50 others on Saturday, officials said. The top of the truck scraped a low-lying bridge, sparking flames that caused the explosion, according to emergency services officials. Video footage shared by residents on social media showed the dramatic explosion, with pedestrians running away […]

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader said Saturday that China has agreed to a reopening of the city’s border with the mainland, which has been largely closed by pandemic restrictions, and that he is aiming for a mid-January start. Chief Executive John Lee, returning from a trip to Beijing where he met President Xi Jinping and other officials, told reporters at the Hong Kong airport that the two sides […]

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The biblical town of Bethlehem marked what was shaping up to be a merry Christmas on Saturday, with thousands of visitors expected to descend upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, and for the past two years, the pandemic kept international visitors away. This year, visitors […]

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo defensive end Damian Jackson has no expectation of growing emotional as he prepares for the final game of his college career next week. At 30, and having had a healthy share of real-life experiences during two tours of duty with the Navy SEALs, Jackson isn’t built that way. Unlike many of his younger teammates, Jackson is independent, unsentimental and self-aware enough to appreciate where football […]