LOS ANGELES  -- George Springer and the Houston Astros rocketed to the top of the baseball galaxy Wednesday night, winning the first World Series championship in franchise history by romping past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7.　Playing for a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and wearing an H Strong logo on their jerseys, the Astros brought home the prize that had eluded them since they started out in 1962 as the Colt .45s.　“I always believed that we could make it,” All-Star sec

NEW YORK -- A man in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near the World Trade Center memorial Tuesday, killing at least eight and injuring 11 others in what the mayor called "a particularly cowardly act of terror."The driver was shot in the abdomen by police and taken into custody after jumping out of the truck with what turned out to be a fake gun in each hand and shouting "Allahu Akbar!," or "God is great" in Arabic, officials said. His condition wa

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on the investigation into possible coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia (all times local):8:45 a.m.President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former business associate, Rick Gates, surrendered to federal authorities Monday. That's according to people familiar with the matter.The charges are the first in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday the threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating.    In remarks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis accused the North of illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs and vowed to defeat any attack.    Mattis said the North engages in "over-the-top rhetoric'' and behavior. And he said the U.S. will never accept a nuclear North.     He added that regardless of what the North might

More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the increase was modest and came after applications fell to the lowest level in 44 years the previous week.The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for jobless aid rose 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 233,000. Last week's figure was the lowest since 1973. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 239,500.The number of people receiving benefits slipped 3,000 to 1.89 million, the lowest level since December 1

ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola's third-quarter profit rose 38 percent as it sold more Sprite and bottled tea and coffee drinks in the US.The Atlanta company has been diversifying its drinks and lowering the sugar in its sodas to try to adapt to changing tastes. During the quarter, the company relaunched Coca-Cola Zero in the US as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and it bought Mexican sparkling water brand Topo Chico. This April 25, 2011, file photo shows a cap on a bottle of Coca-Cola in Philadelphia. The Coca-Cola

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece -- South Korea's Olympic organizers played down concern over ongoing tensions with North Korea on Monday and also said that work has been completed on all venues for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.Lee Hee-beom, president of the Pyeongchang organizing committee, said the International Olympic Committee has made it very clear that the Feb. 9-25 games will go ahead as scheduled."There is no Plan B," Lee said, speaking at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics shortly after the l

WARSAW (AP) -- Poland's President Andrzej Duda has signed a law that will eventually increase the country's spending on defense to at least 2.5 percent of GDP, well above the 2 percent required by membership in NATO.Polish Minister of Infrastructure and Construction Andrzej Adamczyk (C-L) and Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Volodymyr Omeljan (C-R) sign a memorandum on co-operation between the Polish and Ukrainian ministries on the construction of the Via Carpatia project in Przemysl, Polan

The U.S.-led coalition said allied fighters captured Syria's largest oil field from the Islamic State group on Sunday, marking a major advance against the extremists in an area coveted by pro-government forces. (Photo: AP)With IS in retreat, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been in a race to secure parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.   The SDF, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition, said Sunday it captured the Al-O

Regional officials in Ethiopia say 11 people were killed in clashes in the restive Oromia region as the country continues to experience anti-government protests that at times lead to ethnic violence. Citizens sit under an Ethiopian flag in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AP Photo)The Oromia and Amhara regional states spokesmen on Sunday issued statements after a week of unrest in Oromia that reportedly caused major business disruptions and the burning of several vehicles and properties in various locati

MOSCOW-- A high-ranking North Korean official says the country's development of nuclear weapons is necessary because of the threat posed by the United States and contends the nuclear program is for deterrence.The deputy chairman of the parliament of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ahn Dong-chun, made the comments Sunday at an assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in St. Petersburg, Russia. An assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in St. Petersburg, Russia (Yonhap)"Our country

The death toll from the most powerful bomb blast witnessed in Somalia's capital rose to 189 with more than 200 injured, police and hospital sources said Sunday. (Yonhap)The death toll from the most powerful bomb blast witnessed in Somalia's capital rose to 189 with more than 200 injured, making it the deadliest single attack ever in the Horn of Africa nation, police and hospital sources said Sunday. Doctors struggled to assist horrifically wounded victims, many burnt beyond recognition. Official

US-Canadian couple Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle landed in Canada late Friday, five years after they were kidnapped in Afghanistan. They arrived with their three young children, who were all born in captivity.Boyle provided a written statement to The Associated Press on the plane saying his family has “unparalleled resilience and determination.” Linda and Patrick Boyle, parents of Joshua Boyle, speak with the media outside their home in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Canadian

A fifth day of desperate firefighting in California wine country brought a glimmer of hope Friday as crews battling the flames reported their first progress toward containing the massive blazes, and hundreds more firefighters poured in to join the effort.The scale of the disaster also became clearer as authorities said the fires had chased an estimated 90,000 people from their homes and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses. The death toll rose to 36, making this the deadliest and most d

When flames swept over the mountain like a “nuclear blast,” Paul Hanssen ran from his burning home, a water-soaked towel around his head and dog by his side, and took shelter in a trailer. He waited nervously for two long hours as winds howled and embers flew by. When the fire passed, he emerged, parched with thirst. He went to a nearby spring for water and screamed to see if anyone else was around.No one answered.(AP)Hanssen hurried toward his neighbors’ house, where he found Sara Shepherd and