Endangered status sought for manatees as hundreds starve bit.ly/3UVEjS3

China anti-virus curbs spur fears of global economic impact apnews.com/article/health…

Rolling blackouts across Ukraine may continue through March, according to one of the country's energy chiefs, as Ukrainians brace for a grim winter after weeks of relentless Russian strikes against its power grid. apnews.com/article/russia…

Authorities have raised the death toll of a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that shook Indonesia’s main island of Java to at least 268 people. That toll will likely rise. Here’s a closer look at the earthquake, and why it caused so much devastation. apnews.com/article/scienc…

First Lady Jill Biden received the official White House Christmas tree on Monday, calling the tree "beautiful." It is a 20-year-old, 18 foot-tall Concolor fir grown on a farm in Pennsylvania. bit.ly/3VbejSA

The search of the Pechersk Lavra monastic complex, motivated by apparent suspicions of possible Russian covert operations at the complex, highlighted deep splits in the Orthodox church in Ukraine that have been sharpened by the nine-month Russian invasion. apnews.com/article/russia…

Washington banned fish-farming with net pens in state waters on Friday, citing danger to struggling native salmon. apne.ws/JD80oLY

The holiday travel rush is already on, and it could spread out over more days than usual this year. Travel experts say remote work will allow many people to start Thanksgiving trips early or return later. apnews.com/article/travel…

A rail union’s rejection of the latest contract offer this week raises the risk of a strike next month. American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt. apnews.com/article/busine…

Americans who got the updated COVID-19 booster shots are better protected against symptomatic infection than those who haven’t — at least for now — U.S. health officials said, offering a first look at the new shot’s real-world effectiveness. apnews.com/article/scienc…

Decades after bison vanished from their tribal lands, the Cherokee Nation is part of a nationwide resurgence of Indigenous people seeking to reconnect with the animals that occupy a crucial place in centuries-old tradition and belief. apne.ws/fdDWTqQ

Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after the failure of a government system that gives pilots safety information. Officials said preliminary information indicates that "a damaged database file” caused the problem. apnews.com/article/scienc…

The European Union's highest court says travelers whose package tours were ruined by the imposition of restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be entitled to at least a partial refund. apne.ws/bXjLrtX

Delays and cancellations among flights across the United States were minimal on Thursday, a day after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed, grounding U.S. air traffic and leading to thousands of stranded travelers. apnews.com/article/power-…

Germany will drop a mask mandate on long-distance trains and buses on Feb. 2, ending one of the country's last remaining COVID-19 restrictions. apne.ws/ERvCqJW

Winter weather brought ice to Texas and nearby states, causing the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights and bringing traffic to a standstill on an Arkansas interstate. Numerous auto collisions were reported in Austin with at least one fatality. apnews.com/article/winter…

Update: The two monkeys taken from the Dallas Zoo were found Tuesday in a nearby abandoned home after a mysterious disappearance the day before, police said. No arrests have been made. apnews.com/article/dallas…

The U.K. Supreme Court ruled that a viewing platform at London’s Tate Modern art gallery made residents of glass-walled luxury apartments next door feel like animals in a zoo, and impeded “the ordinary use and enjoyment” of their homes. apne.ws/79f4wWB

Bands of sleet and snow that brought traffic to a standstill across the nation's midsection, canceled thousands of flights and were blamed for three deaths caused dangerous conditions for a third day Wednesday in several Southern states. apnews.com/article/weathe…

Six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Punxsutawney Phil makes his annual prediction at Pennsylvania's most popular Groundhog Day celebration. Watch live. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…