NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Local Niger government officials say at least 18 people were killed and 7 injured when a gold mine collapsed in the Maradi region. Hundreds have been gathering in the village of Dan Issa, near the border with Nigeria, peering with shock into the collapsed mine. Many residents are small-scale miners who work in the shaft. Local authorities said that thousands have been arriving there to work, with the mayor of Dan Issa calling it a “human tide,” emphasizing the difficulties they have trying to control and provide safety at the site. Niger, one of the world’s poorest countri ..read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A host of musical artists have been tapped for an online concert next month to benefit environmental causes. The Lumineers, Jack Johnson, Black Pumas, Rhiannon Giddens and Ben Harper. The “Peace Through Music” event is being run by the organization Playing for Change and the United Nations Population Fund. It will be shown on Playing for Change’s YouTube channel on Dec. 15. Designed to promote environmental sustainability, the concert will raise money for organizations like Conservation International, American Rivers and the World Wildlife Fund. It is modeled after a similar 20 ..read more

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Republican Chris Sununu says he’ll seek a fourth term as New Hampshire governor and won’t run for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan. Sununu made the announcement Tuesday. Sununu, who hails from a political family, won reelection last year by more than 30 percentage points. Republicans had hoped Sununu would run and reclaim one of New Hampshire’s Senate seats, now in Democratic hands. Democrats now hold a slim majority in the 50-50 Senate by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ role as a tiebreaking vote. Sununu says he can have a bigger and more dir ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case about whether Texas must allow a chaplain to pray audibly and touch a prisoner during an execution. Executions in the nation’s busiest death penalty state have been delayed while the court considers the question. The case before the justices involves an inmate, John Henry Ramirez, who is on death row for killing a Corpus Christi convenience store worker during a 2004 robbery. Ramirez’s lawyers sued after Texas said it would not allow his minister to pray audibly and touch him as he is being given a lethal injection. The ..read more

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — The Latest on the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow: GLASGOW, Scotland — Efforts leading up to and in climate talks have trimmed a couple tenths of a degree off future warming, but still not near enough to reach any of the international goals, according to an analysis by an authoritative independent group of scientists. Climate Action Tracker, which for years has monitored nations’ emission cutting pledges, said based on those submitted targets the world is now on track to warm 2.4 degrees Celsius (4.3 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times by the end of this cent ..read more

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Cleland, who lost three limbs to a hand grenade blast in Vietnam and went on to represent his native Georgia in the U.S. Senate, has died. Cleland also served as administrator of the Veterans Administration, as Georgia Secretary of State and as a state senator. The Democrat served just one Senate term, losing to Republican Saxby Chambliss in 2002. He also served as as administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration, as Georgia Secretary of State and as a Georgia state senator. Cleland died at his home in Atlanta from congestive heart failure, his personal assistant Linda D ..read more

LONDON (AP) — Soccer star Marcus Rashford has received an honorary award from Prince William for his successful campaign to provide free meals to disadvantaged children during the pandemic. Rashford, 24, was made an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, on Tuesday during a ceremony at Windsor Castle. The England and Manchester United striker waged a high-profile campaign last year to persuade the Conservative government it should extend free meal vouchers to vulnerable young people throughout the summer school holidays. Rashford’s campaign drew on his own experiences as a Black ch ..read more

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston police and fire departments were deeply involved in safety measures for the music festival where a surging crowd killed eight people. Now the city’s police department is leading the criminal investigation into how the deadly chaos erupted during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. A prominent local official is calling for a separate, independent review of the tragedy. Experts in crowd safety say an investigation by neutral outsiders could help the city avoid potential conflicts and promote transparency. Police and fire officials played key roles in crowd control me ..read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Thanksgiving is Jonatan Mitchell’s favorite holiday. He and his wife usually host up to 20 loved ones. He’d been looking forward to the day this year after calling off the gathering in 2020 due to the pandemic. But one of the most pressing issues of the times got in the way: Who’s vaccinated and who’s not? The Mitchells called off Thanksgiving and will host a Friendsgiving instead. Mitchell says the situation is upsetting and frustrating. It resonates with other families navigating the vaccination divide for the holidays. Thanksgiving is a bellwether for how the rest of the sea ..read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of that human-pet bonding during the pandemic is slowly coming to an end as more offices reopen. So what’s a lonely dog to do? Turns out, a lot. And we don’t mean a slow all-day whine, a messy rug delivery or mass furniture destruction. Gifters can help out their pet-loving friends this holiday season with a snuffle mat, puzzle feeder, or HD remote camera that dispenses food and has two-way audio. How about a snuggle puppy of a dog’s very own? Or a tiny tent to crawl into? Other anxiety-relieving gifts for dogs include a Bluetooth speaker pre-loaded with pet-friendly musi ..read more