Month: January 2023

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The IOC has made clear it wants Russians to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes. That’s in defiance of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to exclude Russians entirely in Paris in 18 months’ time. The International Olympic Committee cites its “unifying mission” during

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas-based online citizen journalist wants a federal appeals court to revive her lawsuit against Laredo area officials over her 2017 arrest. Pricilla Villarreal was arrested for violating a Texas law governing the seeking and use of nonpublic information. A state judge dismissed the criminal case,

By KATHLEEN FOODY The Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago authorities say one person has died and six others were taken to hospitals Wednesday as firefighters responded to a high-rise apartment building fire on the city’s South Side, battling flames on multiple floors as snow fell. Sophia King, the alderman for the area, says the

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Track and field’s governing body is facing renewed criticism from some for a proposal to allow transgender athletes to continue competing in top female events with stricter rules. World Athletics has proposed new regulations governing transgender athletes and the separate issue of athletes

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sach spent eight years attempting to expand its business beyond corporations and the wealthy. But in recent months, the storied investment bank has signaled a partial retreat from those efforts by scrapping plans for a checking account broadly available to the public and mothballing

By JUAN ZAMORANO Associated Press PANAMA CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has banned former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli from ever traveling to the United States. The department said wednesday that it has designated Martinelli for participating in “significant corruption” in awarding government contracts. The ban also applies to two of the former president’s

By THALIA BEATY and GLENN GAMBOA Associated Press Amazon’s surprise decision to shut down its AmazonSmile donation program has left thousands of its nonprofit beneficiaries disappointed and concerned about finding ways to replace the funding. The e-commerce giant had launched AmazonSmile in 2013, contributing 0.5% of every purchase made by participating customers to the charity

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has announced sanctions targeting more than 30 European individuals and entities. It portrays Wednesday’s move as a response to recent European sanctions against officials linked to a crackdown on nationwide protests. Those targeted with Iranian sanctions include Britain’s attorney general and army chief of staff, several European parliamentarians

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — After 18 years, a $1.5 billion project was officially completed Wednesday to repair the sprawling dike around Florida’s Lake Okeechobee that protects thousands of people from potentially catastrophic flooding during hurricanes. The Herbert Hoover Dike project overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was

By JACK B. JEFFERY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — UNESCO has added one of Yemen’s ancient kingdoms and a Lebanese modernist concrete fair park to its list of World Heritage sites in danger. The seven major landmarks of the Ancient Yemenite Kingdom of Saba and the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli were inscribed on

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — First there were four, then they became three and finally just one. Now it’s time to say a final farewell to art pop-rock Panic! at the Disco. Brendon Urie, the only musician left from the original group, announced on the band’s Instagram page Tuesday that

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Witnesses say a drone strike has killed at least 21 civilians in north-central Nigeria. The victims were members of a civilian defense group who were responding to a reported attack by gunmen in Niger state on Tuesday. A member of the group, told The Associated Press

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A farmworker accused of killing seven people in shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms has been charged with seven counts of murder. Prosecutors filed the charges Wednesday. A court appearance for 66-year-old Chunli Zhao was postponed until Feb. 16.

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday the federal investigation into the death of a Black man who died after a violent arrest by Memphis police “may take some time.” Speaking during a news conference, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said his office is working with the

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German officials say a man described as a stateless Palestinian has fatally stabbed two passengers and injured seven others on a train in northern Germany. He was eventually grabbed by other passengers and arrested by police. Germany’s Federal Police force said the man used a knife to

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The leader of Greece’s main opposition party has filed a no confidence motion in the government over a wiretapping scandal that has stung the center-right ruling party ahead of elections this year. Alexis Tsipras, leader of the left-wing Syriza party, said he submitted the motion “for the defense of democracy, transparency

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic was still in the first set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andrey Rublev when the guy who would face the winner of that match, Tommy Paul, sat down for a news conference. “Probably have a better chance of winning if it’s Rublev,”

LONDON (AP) — A trove of previously unseen photos taken by Paul McCartney as The Beatles shot to global stardom will go on display in London this year. The National Portrait Gallery announced Wednesday that the exhibition will help mark the gallery’s reopening in June after a three-year refurbishment. Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said McCartney

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Space Agency chief says he wants to rebuild Europe’s access to space following the botched launch of a European rocket carrying two Earth observation satellites last year and the delayed introduction of the Ariane 6 launcher. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday,

By BERT WILKINSON The Associated Press GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The former leader of Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency is criticizing the government’s plan to use satellites to monitor oil spills in the South American nation’s waters. The agency announced that it will use Colorado-based MAXAR Technologies to watch its oil fields from space. But Vincent

PARIS (AP) — The United Nations’ cultural agency has decided to add the historic center of Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa to the list of World Heritage sites in danger. The decision was made Wednesday at an extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris. The director general of UNESCO said the

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Lloyd Morrisett, the co-creator of the beloved children’s education TV series “Sesame Street,” which uses empathy and fuzzy monsters like Abby Cadabby, Elmo and Cookie Monster to charm and teach generations around the world, has died. He was 93. Morrisett’s death was announced Monday by

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that it can adjudicate cases brought by the Netherlands and Ukraine against Russia for alleged rights violations in eastern Ukraine in 2014, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Wednesday’s ruling by the Strasbourg-based European Court of

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has ruled to shut down Russia’s oldest human rights organization. The Moscow City Court on Wednesday sustained the petition of Russia’s Justice Ministry to liquidate the Moscow Helsinki Group. The ministry has accused the organization of violating its legal registration in Moscow by working on human rights cases

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s top prosecutor has ordered all suspects detained in the investigation into the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast released and filed charges against the judge leading the probe. The move Wednesday by chief prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat is another blow to the investigation, which has

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police say they have arrested a retired man on suspicion he sent six letters containing explosive material to Spain’s prime minister and the U.S. and Ukrainian embassies in the country. The 74-year-old Spanish national was arrested in the northern city of Miranda de Ebro and was “very active” on social media,

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has arrived home after five years in exile, three weeks after the country’s president lifted a ban on opposition rallies. He arrived at the main Julius Nyerere International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and was received by opposition party officials and greeted

MADRID (AP) — A museum in northwest Spain has returned two 15th-century paintings to Polish officials after it was determined that they were looted by the forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The paintings “Mater Dolorosa” (Mother of Sorrows) and “Ecce Homo” were handed over by the Museum of Pontevedra to a delegation

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Top state prosecutors are urging Congress to pass legislation allowing state prisons to jam signals of cellphones smuggled to inmates. The 22 attorneys general say in a letter Wednesday to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that the devices allow prisoners to

By The Associated Press Socialite and reality TV star Paris Hilton has welcomed her first child with her husband, venture capitalist Carter Reum. Hilton took to Instagram on Tuesday and posted a photo that seems to show the 41-year-old new mom holding her baby boy’s tiny hand. “You are already loved beyond words,” she wrote,

SAN VIGILIO DI MAREBBE, Italy (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t wait long to add to her record total of World Cup wins. Shiffrin added her 84th win in another giant slalom on the same course a day after securing record victory No. 83. Shiffrin again led from start to finish by dominating the first run