Girl, 9, feared wheelchair would spoil Halloween costume; 25 students turned it into a throne

1848 Massachusetts mill reopens as 86 apartments after $53M restoration, with 69 affordable homes

Once a 170-year-old stone mill, the Lawrence, Massachusetts landmark has been revitalized with a $53 million restoration, now offering 86 residential units—69 of them affordable housing options. Among these, 58 are tailored for low-income individuals and 11 designed for those in very low-income brackets. Flood prevention measures include ground floor elevation, and the building incorporates energy-efficient features.

Four Virginia officers rescue man from burning home, earn bravery awards

Deadly fire at Canada military base moved a kilometre 'in 30 to 60 seconds'

The blaze that killed four men and injured dozens of others spread with alarming speed, accounts suggest.

Milan luxury shops close for fear of further unrest, gov't prepares new crackdown

MILAN — Shops in central Milan closed early and boarded up their windows on Monday, fearing a new wave of unrest after two days of protests that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot stores and vandalise property. Most stores in Milan's Via Montenapoleone luxury shopping district, home to brands including Chanel, Tiffany and Dior, had removed merchandise from their windows as a precaution, while police patrolled the street and a handful of tourists looked on. Several hundred hooded protesters, many believed to be minors, set bins ablaze and looted shops in the city centre over the weekend after an initially peaceful demonstration on Saturday over poor public services and rising costs. Among the stores ransacked were sports retailers Decathlon and Arc'teryx and mobile phone operator Vodafone, television footage showed. Stores such as clothing brands Levi's and Under Armour, as well as Decathlon, covered their shop windows with cardboard and wooden panels. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who faces a national election next year, condemned the violence and chaired a meeting with

What's behind Egypt's move towards possible military involvement in Saudi-Yemen conflict?

CAIRO — Egypt's parliament is expected to vote next week on whether to authorise the armed forces to help defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen's Houthis if Riyadh requests its support. The move would bring the Arab world's most populous country closer to direct military involvement in the widening conflicts unleashed by the U.S.-Israeli air assault on Iran in February. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested the approval in a speech on Saturday, saying Egypt would "never, never forget our brothers in the Gulf" and telling Saudi Arabia's leaders that Cairo would "take any measure to protect you". Like the Gulf states that have come under attack from Tehran in the Iran war, Egypt is a longstanding partner in the U.S.-led security order that is being tested by the conflict. What is Egypt's stance on the Iran war? Sisi's comments marked a clear escalation from the more measured tone authorities have tended to adopt since the Iran war started. Though Egypt has repeatedly voiced strong support for its Gulf allies, Cairo has stopped short of publicly committing itself to a direct comb

Kenyan starvation cult leader convicted in deaths of nearly 200 children

MOMBASA, Kenya — A Kenyan court on Monday found starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie and about 30 others guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult in one of the world's worst cult-related disasters in recent history. Mackenzie and his co-accused will be given their sentence on November 6. He was arrested in 2023 after police received a tip-off, and weeks later authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest near the coast in southeastern Kenya. Prosecutors say Mackenzie and his Good News International Church organised a Christian doomsday sect in which they ordered followers to starve themselves and their children to death to go to heaven before the world ended. Mackenzie denied murder charges, saying he did not force the victims to starve, but the court rejected that argument. In total, more than 400 bodies have been recovered from the Shakahola Forest. Many were severely decomposed, with only 26 bodies able to be identified. Monday's judgment covered 191 deaths while investigations into the other deaths are ongoing. Families in court t

France in turmoil: What might follow a weekend of riots?

PARIS — France saw some of the worst unrest in years at the weekend as huge protests across the country over the cost of living and underfunded public services descended into riots and looting. Limoges town hall was torched and more than 3,000 shops were pillaged or damaged, according to the government, as violent groups clashed with police in cities across the country. While mayors of France's biggest cities demanded answers from the government on Monday over what they say was a lack of preparation, authorities rushed to set up support measures for impacted businesses and bolster security as calm returned to the streets. Here is the latest on the situation in France: What will the government do to quell the violence, compensate victims? Some 2,400 people were arrested during the weekend and police investigators are poring over online videos and images to track down looters. Partial curfews are being organised in some municipalities while the government has said it will increase police numbers on the ground, especially for next weekend if it sees renewed protests. It has not specified h

France urges curfews in some areas after weekend of riots

PARIS — France's central government asked some local authorities to impose curfews as it faced pressure over security failings on Monday after a weekend of riots and looting stemming from nationwide anti-government protests. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu ruled out a blanket curfew in Paris but not a state of emergency. But he said it was more appropriate for now to apply partial and localised curfews, without providing details. "My determination to restore order is absolute," he told reporters. Ariel Weil, the Socialist mayor of central Paris, said on BFM TV he favoured a curfew. Marseille banned gatherings and demonstrations. French unions meanwhile called for a new round of strikes and rallies on November 5. The weekend of looting and violence between some protesters and police followed weeks of student demonstrations, rocking France six months ahead of its next presidential election and highlighting pressures from a weak economy and surging debt. Minister blames far left Lecornu blamed far-left groups for some of France's worst unrest in years. "There is, after all, a far-left move

Zelenskyy says Ukraine got no early warning from partners as Russia hits power grid again

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched new attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, adding that Kyiv again received no early warning of the attack from partner countries that previously shared their intelligence. Zelenskyy is grappling with recent Washington moves benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import diesel from Moscow. Moscow and Kyiv, meanwhile, were discussing the possible evacuation of the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region, where about 2,000 people have been cut off from food and medical supplies for months, according to a Ukrainian human rights official. Vital US supplies are running late, Zelenskyy says Zelenskyy said speed restrictions are still in place on Kyiv’s use of the military-grade version of U.S. company SpaceX’s satellite internet service. Full service was being restored at the end of last week, but Zelenskyy said Monday that the restrictions are still slowing U

Governments warn citizens over security in France after riots

ROME/BERLIN/WARSAW — Governments in Europe and Asia, including China, on Monday advised citizens travelling to France to avoid large crowds and exercise caution, warning of a deterioration in security conditions after thousands were arrested and shops looted in protests over the weekend. Demonstrations across France over high prices and declining public services erupted into riots on Saturday, with a town hall torched as violent groups clashed with police. In response, the foreign ministries of several European countries issued fresh travel warnings. Italy Italy said its citizens should register their presence in France on a website or an app to enable them to be located, as it warned them to avoid large crowds and exercise extreme caution. Germany The German foreign ministry said further riots in the coming days couldn't be ruled out and urged German nationals to follow instructions from local police. It warned citizens that they could face fines or claims for damages if they failed to leave unauthorised demonstrations when asked to do so. Czech Republic Czechs in France are advised to av

France announces first curfews

PARIS — France announced partial curfews on Monday as protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre in Paris and authorities scrambled to stem discontent over living costs, after weekend demonstrations spilled into some of the worst street violence in recent years. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu did not rule out imposing a state of emergency after the interior minister said police "had lost control" during the unrest, which flared six months before France elects a successor to President Emmanuel Macron. With organisers calling for a new round of protests next Saturday, Lecornu's office said partial curfews would be enforced from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am (1800-0400 GMT) on Monday and Tuesday in four northern cities, including Lille, to protect businesses. "I'm absolutely determined to restore public order," he said. Other European countries have also seen demonstrations over rising prices, with smaller clashes breaking out in Milan and Belgium over the weekend and protests simmering in Spain and Portugal. Some half a million people turned out across France on Saturday to denounce the surging

Nasdaq climbs over 1% as AI-linked stocks recover ahead of key earnings

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite led Wall Street's gains on Monday as investors returned to AI-related stocks following last week's bruising selloff, while declining oil prices lent additional support ahead of key corporate earnings reports. The benchmark S&P 500 and Nasdaq had posted their biggest weekly drop since late June on Friday, as concerns that higher interest rates could curb investments in AI infrastructure weighed on technology stocks, particularly data center operators. The selloff reflected mounting investor unease over how the costly AI build-out will be financed, a question that has increasingly pressured companies underpinning the U.S. bull market, which recently marked its fourth anniversary. CoreWeave, which was at the center of last week's selloff after its shares plunged more than 25 percent on worries over a $50 billion debt load, climbed 3.1 percent on Monday. Goldman Sachs upgraded the neocloud firm to "buy" from "neutral", saying the recent selloff offers a buying opportunity. Peers Nebius and Iren gained 4.7 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively. Chipmakers Broadc