KOB-TV (Albuquerque, NM)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s a Special Shapes kind of day at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and the green flag is waving to christen it. Thursday is the Special Shapes Rodeo. It’s the day to showcase the 117 Special Shape balloons in the 54th edition of Balloon Fiesta. That includes 13 new ones. The U.S. has five new Special Shapes – Eva, Ducking Grateful, Agape, Scout and Johnny Panda. Brazil has four – Falcon Ozi, Walrus, Blue Jay Cotorro Tiberio.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has nominated health official Song Li to lead the World Health Organization, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday, as Beijing seeks to expand its presence in international governing bodies. The World Health Assembly is set to elect the next WHO head in May. That person will succeed Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is finishing his second five-year term and is barred from running again under WHO rules.

PepsiCo reported better-than-expected revenue in the third quarter despite lackluster North American demand. Net revenue rose 5.6% to $25.27 billion in the July-September period. Wall Street had expected revenue of $24.95, according to analysts polled by FactSet. The company, based in Purchase, New York, said its global snack food volumes increased 4%, the highest rate of growth since 2021. That was largely due to its international business, which makes up 41% of the company’s revenue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Worries around artificial intelligence cross party lines, with the vast majority of Americans saying the U.S. government should prioritize keeping AI under human control and protecting workers.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — For Jessica Renda, the breaking point was a particularly chaotic Christmas season. Consumed by her eldest daughter’s mental and behavioral health struggles, she stopped exercising or doing anything else that brought her joy. Forget holiday magic, she was barely hanging on. “After that, I was like, ‘I really need to take care of myself,’” she said. “We always tell people that old cliché: It’s like the oxygen mask on a plane. But it’s really true.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat.

NEW MEXICO — The New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission is in the fact-finding phase of its investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, with contracted attorneys taking depositions from alleged victims, witnesses and high-profile New Mexico politicians. But even as the investigation moves forward, ongoing disputes within the bipartisan commission continue to draw attention, and at least one commissioner believes those divisions could jeopardize the timely release of its final report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration says its ongoing safety review of the nation’s main abortion pill will continue into next year, a timeline that was quickly condemned by abortion opponents hoping to see the drug’s use curtailed. The FDA gave a court-ordered update on its progress in a legal filing late Wednesday, providing the first substantive information about the controversial reevaluation ordered by Health Secretary Robert F.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Larry Marker said he wants to contribute bigger GOP Senate majority and called government spending a key driver of inflation. KOB 4 continued its one-on-one candidate interviews ahead of Election Day and spoke with Marker after interviewing Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan. Marker pointed to increasing the slight senate majority when asked what’s at stake for voters. “Washington has had a hard time accomplishing anything.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico opened conference play with a rout of UTEP, and coach Jason Eck said the Lobos played well in all three phases before the bye week. In this UNM Lobo Coaches Show, we’re talking with New Mexico head football coach Jason Eck after the win. Watch the video above for more.