Month: January 2023

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization is forming a committee on “formal complaints of abusive conduct.” The announcement came hours after The Associated Press reported that the U.N.’s health agency knew of past sexual misconduct charges against a doctor who was accused of harassing a woman in the

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press ERKELENZ, Germany (AP) — The fate of a tiny village has sparked heated debate in Germany over the country’s continued use of coal and whether tackling climate change justifies breaking the law. Environmental activists have been locked in a standoff with police who started eviction operations on Wednesday around the

By The Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan women and girls who once played a variety of sports say they have faced intimidation from the Taliban, including visits and phone calls warning them not to engage in their sports. Since they took power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned sports for women and

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press The founder of FedEx, Fred Smith, believes that if you’ve done well, you should give back to the public interest. The 78-year-old Marine Corps veteran has stepped down as the CEO of FedEx but remains its executive chairman. Over the years, the billionaire has done little to publicize his and

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The spokesman for Tigray forces in Ethiopia says they have handed over heavy weapons as a key part of the agreement signed with Ethiopia’s government late last year to end a two-year conflict. Getachew Reda tweeted that an African Union monitoring team confirmed the handover. He expressed hope it would “go

BEIJING (AP) — China has renewed its threat to attack Taiwan, warning foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island that they are “playing with fire.” A spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said it was recommitted in the new year to “smashing plots for Taiwan independence.” The self-governing democracy separated from mainland China in

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner is running for governor. The Republican made the announcement Tuesday in a speech beside the veteran’s memorial on the West Virginia state Capitol grounds. Warner was first elected secretary of state in 2016. He already has nearly $53,000 in

By ROD McGUIRK, NICOLE WINFIELD and NICK PERRY Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday paid tribute to Cardinal George Pell, who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia before his child sex convictions were overturned, praising his diligence in reforming the Vatican’s finances and his faith “even in the

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The infighting was so intense a year ago that Democrats who controlled both the White House and Congress couldn’t win support for a sweeping social spending package that was the party’s top legislative priority. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, was viewed skeptically enough that some of his fellow

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is on track to max out on its $31.4 trillion borrowing authority as soon as this month, starting the clock on an expected standoff between President Joe Biden and the new House Republican majority that will test both parties’ ability to

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions prize has grown again to an estimated $1.35 billion after there was no winner of the lottery’s latest giant jackpot. The numbers drawn late Tuesday night were: 7, 13, 14, 15, 18 and gold Mega Ball 9. The new jackpot drawing on Friday night will be another

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s new attorney general says more than two dozen elders won’t be subject to another round of prosecutions for blocking a road three years ago to prevent the construction of a new telescope on a mountain summit that many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. Law enforcement arrested 38

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The fatal shooting of a middle-school student has sparked public uproar in Washington as the nation’s capital struggles with rising tensions about violent crime and racial justice. Police say they found 13-year-old Karon Blake early Saturday morning suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. A police media report says

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Student and civic groups in Mexico have expressed outrage over the arrest and jailing of three students for trying to plant trees on formerly government-owned land that was sold to a private developer. The three were jailed earlier this week in the western city of Guadalajara on charges of illegal land

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district has canceled classes for a second day due to an apparent cyberattack on its computer system. Des Moines’ interim school superintendent, Matt Smith, said Tuesday that technicians were working to protect data and restore the system, but that Wednesday classes have

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s newly sworn-in Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed three executive orders intended to combat homelessness on her first full day in office Tuesday, a sign of how critical the shortage of affordable housing has become in the state and across the nation. The orders

By CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press/Report for America CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois lawmakers approved during the last day of their lame-duck session a measure that would secure access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care. The legislation makes Illinois the latest state to pursue abortion rights protections since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Chickens may not be able to fly very far, but the price of eggs is soaring. A lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to U.S. egg prices more than doubling over the past year, and hatched a

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors will retry “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson on three rape counts after a hopelessly deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in his first trial in November. The LA County District Attorney’s Office declared prosecutors’ plans in court filings and at a

HOUSTON (AP) — A grand jury will determine whether a customer at a Houston taqueria will face charges after fatally shooting a man who pointed a gun that appeared real at customers and took their cash. Following the shooting last week, police had asked for the public’s help in identifying the man who fatally shot

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin plans to support young people through education and sports with the $8.6 million in GoFundMe donations that unexpectedly poured into his toy drive fundraiser after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a game last week. The Giving Back

By ROD McGUIRK, NICOLE WINFIELD and NICK PERRY Associated Press ROME (AP) — Cardinal George Pell, a onetime financial adviser to Pope Francis who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia on child sex abuse charges before his convictions were overturned, died Tuesday in Rome. He was 81. Pell suffered fatal heart

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has outlawed automatic weapons amid a torrent of mass shootings including a 4th of July parade shooting that killed seven and injured 30. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law Tuesday after the House approved the ban 68-41. Illinois is the ninth state,

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem called Tuesday for using the state’s surplus to eliminate the tax charged on groceries and lower other taxes in a State of the State address that notably steered clear of the hot-button topic of abortion. The Republican governor, who is seen as a potential contender