Month: January 2023

By The Associated Press Naomi Osaka is pregnant and plans to return to competition in 2024, the tennis star announced Wednesday. The former world No. 1 posted what she called “a little life update for 2023” on social media, including a picture of an ultrasound. The 25-year-old Osaka has been dating Cordae, a rapper, for

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus said Wednesday it will require all passengers arriving from China to produce evidence of a negative coronavirus test as the Asian country grapples with a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak. The Health Ministry said it was heeding the advice of the European Union’s executive arm in requiring passengers to

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Flag-waving admirers lined the sidewalk outside the National World War II Museum in New Orleans on Wednesday to greet the oldest living survivor of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor as he marked his upcoming 105th birthday. “It feels great,” Joseph Eskenazi of Redondo Beach, California,

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The top national security officials from the U.S. and Japan have unveiled plans to strengthen the alliance to help counter threats from North Korea and China. In unusually blunt terms, the U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers condemned China’s increasing aggressiveness in

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — State and local Republican leaders in New York on Wednesday called for the immediate resignation of their new GOP congressman George Santos, who is facing multiple investigations by prosecutors over his personal and campaign finances and lies about his resume and family heritage. “His lies

By BROOKE SCHULTZ and MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate is postponing a trial seeking to remove Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney on the heels of a court ruling that said the impeachment articles don’t meet the constitutionally required standard. The motion was approved unanimously Wednesday in the Republican-controlled Senate and

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The “Prayers for Damar 3” have been answered. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is finally home. Nine days after he stunned and saddened his teammates by going into cardiac arrest and being resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati, and placed the NFL on hold,

By CARLA BRIDI and NATÁLIA SCARABOTTO Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Skittish Brazilian authorities spared no effort to boost security in the face of a social media flyer promoting a “mega-protest to retake power” in two dozen cities. Whether because of the preventative measures adopted or not, the supposed uprising was a dud. Less

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The leaders of Britain and Japan have signed defense agreement that could see troops deployed to each others’ countries. It comes amid growing concern about China’s increasing military assertiveness and designs toward Taiwan, which it considers a renegade province. The Reciprocal Access Agreement is Japan’s first with

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Wednesday opened their long-promised investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, wielding the power of their majority to demand information from the Treasury Department and former Twitter executives as they lay the groundwork for public hearings. “Now that Democrats no longer have one-party

La SALLE, Ill. (AP) — Officials say a large fire that sent smoke plumes towering over a northern Illinois chemical plant has been contained and no injuries have been reported. The fire at Carus Chemical in La Salle was reported around 9 a.m. Wednesday. Nearby residents were told to shelter in place until that order

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man who federal officials say is a member of the far-right anti-government group the boogaloo boys has pleaded not guilty to charges that he threatened law enforcement and unlawfully possessed a machine gun. Aron McKillips entered his pleas Tuesday during a court hearing in Toledo. The charges against him

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s governing Conservative Party has suspended a lawmaker who spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. The party suspended Andrew Bridgen from the Conservative group in the House of Commons on Wednesday after he tweeted an article questioning the safety of vaccines and said a cardiologist had told him “this is the biggest crime

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press The series of storms that have struck California have poured water on a state mired in a years-long drought. Experts say the precipitation will help relieve the drought somewhat. Exactly how much isn’t clear yet and some areas of the state will benefit more than others. It will take more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Thousands of travelers were stranded at U.S. airports due to an hours-long computer outage. If a flight is canceled, experts say most airlines will rebook you on the next available flight. But if you choose to cancel the trip, airlines must provide you with a full refund. If your

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government has backtracked on restrictions it placed on family members joining asylum-seekers who are granted residency in the Netherlands. The move comes after courts ruled that the move was unlawful. The State Secretary for Justice and Security said in a letter to parliament Wednesday that he expects other

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A European Parliament official says the president of the EU assembly wants to clamp down on the activities of former lawmakers and lobbyists in response to a major corruption scandal. The move would prevent lawmakers from representing businesses or governments soon after their term ends. The official

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian state-linked news agency says a former senior defense official has been sentenced to death after being convicted of spying for Britain. The judiciary was quoted as saying Ali Reza Akbari, who was deputy defense minister until 2001, was a “key spy” for British intelligence. The report also

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda says that the European Union nation has decided to send a company of Leopard tanks to help neighboring Ukraine in the war with invading Russia. But Duda said Wednesday that the move would be possible only as an element of a larger international coalition. Poland’s leaders have

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Screen Actors Guild has announced nominations to its 29th annual awards, heaping honors on “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” while throwing some curve balls into the Oscar race. Nominees for the guild’s top award, best ensemble, are: “Babylon,” “The

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Cayman Islands says it will start culling feral cats to help save a dwindling colony of brown booby birds. The islands’ Department of Environment says the culling will take place in the eastern region of Cayman Brac island. Only 13 brown booby fledglings out of 42 eggs survived

By MANU FERNÁNDEZ and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Farmers from southeastern Spain have protested against a government order to provide ecological protection for a river. They see it as a threat to  water resources they need for irrigating crops. Several hundred protesters rallied in front of Spain’s ministry for ecological transition. The

BERLIN (AP) — More than 244,000 people have applied for asylum in Germany last year and more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees who have come to the country looking for shelter from Russia’s war. The German government said Wednesday that the No. 1 country of origin for asylum-seekers was Syria followed by Afghanistan, Turkey and

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has brought in a law that bans health workers such as nurses and doctors from prolonged strikes, imposing punishments of up to six months in jail for defiant workers or union leaders. The provision, signed into law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week but made

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A judge is set to consider whether authorities should be punished after the media obtained documents showing detailed allegations about the suspect in the Colorado gay nightclub shooting previously plotting to be “the next mass killer” in an old case that was sealed at the time. A

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A police spokesman in Kabul says an explosion near the Foreign Ministry in the Afghan capital has caused casualties. It is the second prominent attack in Kabul so far this year. He did not provide any breakdown for the casualties or other details following the mid-afternoon explosion in Kabul on Wednesday.