Month: December 2022

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — After five elections that have paralyzed Israeli politics for nearly four years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally returned to power with the government he has long coveted: a parliamentary majority of religious and far-right lawmakers who share his hard-line views toward the Palestinians and hostility toward

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Since California adopted the nation’s first ban on single-use plastic shopping bags in 2014, most grocery stores have turned to thicker, reusable plastic bags that are supposed to be recyclable. But Attorney General Rob Bonta is now investigating whether the bags are truly recyclable as required

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has appointed a new head of its central bank after the country’s currency crashed to its lowest level ever against the dollar amid mass protests and ongoing Western sanctions. The rial was trading at around 430,000 to the dollar on Thursday, down from 370,000 earlier this month. Already

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Bob Penny, an Alabama college professor and actor who performed small roles in movies including “Forrest Gump” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” has died at age 87. Penny died on Christmas Day, according to an obituary from Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville. No cause of death was given. Born in Anniston

By MARK PRATT Associated Press Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to send the consultant at the center of the nationwide college admissions scandal to prison for six years. In a memorandum Wednesday, prosecutors said a harsh sentence for Rick Singer was warranted given the “breathtaking” scope of the scheme. Defense attorneys asked for a

By HOPE YEN and TOM KRISHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. The credit is part of changes enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act and is designed to spur EV sales and reduce greenhouse emissions. But

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus is seeking to strengthen ties with India through agreements aimed at tighter military cooperation, expanding the use of solar energy and stemming illegal migration. Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said after a meeting with his visiting Indian counterpart Thursday that an initial agreement would act as a springboard for talks

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press PORT REPUBLIC, N.J. (AP) — Like many kids at the Jersey Shore, Stewart Farrell loved going to the beach, playing on the sand and swimming in the ocean in and around Asbury Park. But unlike other kids, who were content to ride the waves on surfboards, Farrell scrutinized the way

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A court in Dubai has approved the extradition to Denmark of a British financier accused of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax scheme. Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah is accused of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press MARKTL AM INN, Germany (AP) — People in Pope Benedict XVI’s Bavarian homeland prayed Thursday for the retired pontiff, a favorite son of the region even 40 years after he left Germany for the Vatican and nearly a decade after his resignation stunned the world. At the

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military says three soldiers were killed when troops have raided a militant hideout in a former militant stronghold near the border with Afghanistan. Two insurgents also died. Thursday’s shootout took place in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The military statement did not provide any further information about the

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has dropped its subpoena against former President Donald Trump as it wraps up work and prepares to dissolve next week. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s Democratic chairman, wrote in a letter to Trump lawyer David Warrington on

By HOLLY MEYER The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Jerry Lamb could not maneuver his wheelchair into the rows of pews at his church. It wouldn’t fit. Nor could he sit in the aisles without awkwardly blocking the way. So he adapted. It’s a regular part of his new life with limited mobility that

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press More than 1,100 towns, hamlets and villages in the U.S. lost their status as urban areas as the U.S. Census Bureau released a new list of places considered urban based on revised criteria. The new standards raise the population threshold from 2,500 to 5,000 people and add housing units to

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil´s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Thursday that Amazon activist Marina Silva will be the country´s next minister of environment. The announcement indicates the new administration will prioritize cracking down on illegal deforestation even if it means running afoul of powerful agribusiness interests.

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s foreign ministry has summoned Russia’s ambassador to explain why Moscow has placed a Bulgarian journalist working for an international investigative website on a wanted list. Christo Grozev, the leading Bellingcat researcher on Russia, has focused this year on alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Bulgarian Prime Minister Galab Donev said

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines said it expects to return to normal operations Friday after more than a week of widespread flight cancellations that started with a winter storm and spiraled out of control because of a breakdown with staffing technology. If Thursday turns out to be the last

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Three white men in South Africa have been charged with crimes including attempted murder after an alleged racist attack on two Black boys that has sparked public outrage. The men were caught on video assaulting the Black teenagers who were using a swimming pool at the Maselspoort

By JOHN RABY Associated Press Taking down the Christmas tree is only one task after the holiday season. For those with a real tree, figuring out what to do with it can be as easy as placing it by the curb. In most states, it can be the gift that keeps on giving. Discarded Christmas

By SEUNG MIN KIM and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Senate Democrats are closing out the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency having installed more federal judges than Biden’s two immediate predecessors. So far, 97 lifetime federal judges have been confirmed under Biden, a figure that outpaces both

By SEUNG MIN KIM and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For the Biden White House, a quartet of four female judges in Colorado encapsulates its mission when it comes to the federal judiciary. Charlotte Sweeney is the first openly LGBT woman to serve on the federal bench west of the Mississippi River and

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose modestly last week, the latest sign that the labor market remains strong despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the economy and hiring. Applications for unemployment aid for the week ending Dec. 24 climbed 9,000 to 225,000, the

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is lucid, alert and stable but his condition remains serious, the Vatican said Thursday, a day after it revealed that the 95-year-old’s health had deteriorated recently. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis asked for continued prayers “to accompany

By HILARY FOX Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The weather outside may be frightful, but the myriad viewing options inside can be nothing short of delightful. During press junkets in recent weeks, The Associated Press asked celebrities promoting their own projects in Europe what they planned to watch this winter season. Darren Star and Lucas

By KRYSTA FAURIA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — When it comes to acting, Maria Bakalova considers herself to be a person of extremes. “Cinema is supposed to be provoking. It’s not supposed to be, I think, something that is somewhere in the middle,” the Oscar-nominated actor said in a recent interview with The Associated