Snowplows cleared the way for ambulances and fire trucks in Rhode Island. New York City workers geared up to dump massive basins of warm water on piles of snow and ice. And in Boston, officials tried to clear sidewalks coated in packed snow that cut off access for people using wheelchairs.

The gigantic snowstorm this week across the Northeast U.S. dropped piles of powder from Maryland to Maine and left cities on Wednesday scrambling to clear towering heaps that were not showing signs of melting anytime soon.

Hugo Alejandro Pérez was in his house a few miles from the Mexican stadium that is slated to host FIFA World Cup games when gunfire and explosions erupted just outside his door.

The 53-year-old restaurant owner was already skeptical about his city, Guadalajara, hosting the international sporting event.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered the longest-ever State of the Union address on Tuesday, beating Bill Clinton's 2000 record of one hour and 20 minutes.

Trump declared during the marathon State of the Union that "we're winning so much" — insisting he'd sparked an economic boom at home and imposed a new world order abroad in hopes it can counter his sliding approval ratings.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is meeting China's top leaders Wednesday at the start of a whirlwind two-day visit to press for a fair economic playing field for German companies, and China's assistance in bringing about an end to Russia's four-year-old war in Ukraine.

The German leader's plane touched down in the late morning on an overcast day in the Chinese capital. Before his departure, he emphasized the importance of placing Germany's China policy in a European context, saying it was no coincidence that he is visiting not long after French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — and ahead of a planned trip by U.S. President Donald Trump in early April.

Foreign minister Youssef Rajji said Tuesday that Lebanon fears its infrastructure could be hit by Israeli strikes if the situation with Iran escalates.

Rajji said Lebanese authorities had appealed to Hezbollah, which has fought several wars with Israel, most recently in 2024, not to respond in any way that could trigger “bad situations” for Lebanese civilians.

More than a dozen senior European officials arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday in a show of support on the fourth anniversary of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine — a grim anniversary in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and put European leaders on edge about the scale of Moscow's ambitions on the continent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has withstood the onslaught by Russia's bigger and better equipped army, which over the past year of fighting captured just 0.79% of Ukraine's territory, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

France's spat with the U.S. ambassador to Paris took another turn Tuesday with the French foreign minister saying the top U.S. diplomat in France must explain himself after ignoring a French summons.

The minister suggested that Ambassador Charles Kushner won't have access to French government officials until he complies.

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Worshippers arriving for the day's first prayers found the damage and a smoldering fire that spewed black smoke across the entrance of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, near Nablus, and stained the ornate doorway.

Ramadan in the Arab world is a time of fasting and prayer, but it brings another beloved tradition: the much-anticipated TV drama series shot each year to be aired during the holy month.

After breaking their daily fast, families gather to watch their picks from the year's crop of soap operas and political and historical dramas, snacking on sweets and nuts and drinking tea and coffee until late in the evening.

More than a dozen civilians were killed after being lured from their homes by fighters allied to South Sudan 's government under the pretense of being registered for humanitarian food aid, according to two people who survived the attack.

The killings took place on Saturday morning in the village of Pankor, in Ayod County, in the conflict-hit Jonglei State, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of the capital, Juba. Women and children were among the victims.