Year: 2021

Edmunds The Volkswagen Taos and Chevrolet Trailblazer are two of the latest in a growing crowd of extra-small crossover SUVs. These entry-level crossovers provide lots of utility in a relatively small package and offer many features found in larger SUVs. Cutting back on size doesn’t mean cutting back on convenience.  Chevrolet introduced the Trailblazer for

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has praised the “spontaneity and freedom” of children after a young boy approached him during his weekly general audience and motioned that he wanted the pope’s white skullcap. A good-humored Francis kept the boy by his side, and the head of the papal household gave up his chair so

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will require police officers, firefighters and other municipal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be placed on unpaid leave. Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement Wednesday. That presents an ultimatum to public employees who’ve refused, and

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet Travel in the COVID-19 era is anything but predictable. Don’t get caught off guard by flight cancellations, quarantine rules or a positive COVID-19 test. Because of this unpredictability, planning holiday travel in 2021 needs to include a backup plan as well. Ensure you’re booking flights and hotels with flexible cancellation

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian police officers have fired tear gas at protesters in Lagos, the country’s largest city, as they tried to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating against alleged police brutality on Wednesday. One year ago, thousands marched in Nigeria for the #EndSARS movement to protest the activities of

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Three people were killed and two others critically wounded in a shooting at a home in a southeastern Wisconsin city, and police believe the shooter is among the dead. Kenosha police say the shooting late Tuesday appears to have been domestic. Officers dispatched to the scene found three people dead inside

ROME (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has said he hopes to soon join a beloved professor friend in “the afterlife.” Benedict penned an Oct. 2 letter to a German priest, thanking him for letting him know of the passing of the Rev. Gerhard Winkler, a Cistercian priest and academic colleague. In the letter, the

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in Germany say police have searched 14 premises across the country in connection with a suspected far-right extremist group whose members had discussed preparing for an armed revolt. Berlin police said officers searched premises in the capital and three other states linked to 15 suspects belonging to a group that called

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for a few days. The palace did not offer specifics on the decision Wednesday. But it said the monarch is “in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to

By STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister-designate has failed to win parliamentary support from lawmakers on a new cabinet proposal, which risks prolonging an ongoing political crisis amid an acute surge of coronavirus cases. After failing to rebuild a governing coalition after the Liberal-led government was ousted in a no-confidence

LONDON (AP) — Oscar-winning British songwriter Leslie Bricusse, whose work includes James Bond themes and Willy Wonka’s signature tune, has died. He was 90. Son Adam Bricusse said on Facebook that his father “passed away peacefully” on Tuesday. No cause of death was given. Born in London in 1931, Bricusse wrote lyrics for the Bond