Month: January 2023

By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press COVINGTON, Kentucky (AP) — President Joe Biden is in Kentucky visiting a dilapidated bridge that’s getting a federal facelift and talking up the virtues of bipartisanship with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell. But at the same time, the Democratic president is blasting House Republicans for an

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Authorities in Pakistan have ordered shopping malls and markets to close by 8:30 p.m. as part of a new energy conservation plan aimed at easing Pakistan’s economic crisis. The move Wednesday comes amid talks with the International Monetary Fund. On Tuesday, Pakistan’s defense minister and and minister

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Police say a man was killed and three people including an 8-year-old child were wounded in a Tuesday night shooting in Washington, D.C. WJLA-TV reports the Metropolitan Police Department says a man was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting around 6 p.m. Two other men suffered gunshot wounds. Police

By OMAR FARUK Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Police in Somalia say two suicide car bombers killed at least 10 people early Wednesday when they targeted a military facility in a region at the heart of the government’s offensive against al-Shabab extremists. The attack occurred in the Mahaas district of Hiran region after the

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to deepen his country’s alliance with the United States under Japan’s new defense policy that breaks from its exclusively self-defense-only stance in the face of growing regional tensions. Kishida, speaking in a news conference Wednesday, said he will visit Washington

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis praised Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s “acute and gentle thought” during a Wednesday general audience in the Vatican, as tens of thousands of admirers of the retired pontiff filed by his body lying in state in Peter’s Basilica on the final day of viewing. By

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ interior secretary has asked all police generals and full colonels to submit their courtesy resignation to clean the ranks of ties to illegal drugs. Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a news conference Wednesday around 300 officers are covered by the directive. He said the move was recommended

BEIJING (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has cited stable ties with China during a visit to Beijing that has sought to downplay the contentious issue of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Marcos said he discussed the rights of Filipino fishermen and was given an assurance by Chinese President Xi Jinping that

By FELIPE DANA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Unauthorized use of cellphones by Russian soldiers led to a deadly Ukrainian rocket attack on the facility where they were stationed, according to the Russian military, as it raised the death toll from the weekend attack to 89. Gen. Lt. Sergei Sevryukov said in a statement

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a bombing near a checkpoint at the Afghan capital’s military airport that killed and wounded several people. IS said in a statement late Tuesday that Sunday’s attack on the checkpoint was carried out by the same member who took

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — UFC President Dana White was seen on video released by TMZ slapping his wife, Anne, while the two were on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last month. White told TMZ in an interview Tuesday he was “embarrassed” and concerned for how his three children

By ADRIANA MORGA, HALELUYA HADERO and CARA RUBINSKY Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest products at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics show. The show is getting back to normal after going completely virtual in 2021 and seeing a significant drop in 2022 attendance

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military leader has pardoned over 7,000 prisoners, including some political detainees, and detailed plans for an election later this year during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of independence. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing urged other nations and international organizations and his country’s own people

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is particularly beloved in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo. He spent every summer here as pope, joining a centuries-long list of pontiffs who vacationed at the papal villa overlooking Lake Alban in the hills south of Rome. Benedict’s death has

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese regulators have said e-commerce giant Alibaba’s finance affiliate Ant Group can raise $1.5 billion for its consumer finance unit in an important step forward after the government called off a planned IPO two years ago and ordered the firm to restructure. The China Banking and

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans flailed through a long second day of fruitless balloting Wednesday, unable to either elect their leader Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority.

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials want to pay reparations for government-forced or coerced sterilizations, but are having a hard time finding victims. The state has $4.5 million in reparations to distribute. Some people were victimized during the eugenics movement that peaked during the 1930s. Others were sterilized while in

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — The mastermind of the nationwide college admissions bribery scheme that ensnared celebrities, prominent businesspeople and other parents who used their wealth and privilege to buy their kids’ way into top-tier schools was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Wednesday. The punishment for Rick Singer, 62,

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mostly higher following a rally on Wall Street as investors assessed minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting of policymakers and welcomed encouraging data on U.S. jobs. Worries over China’s economic slowdown were weighing on regional sentiment. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.9%

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado funeral home operator accused of illegally selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Megan Hess received the maximum sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to mail fraud in federal court in July, The Daily Sentinel reports. U.S. authorities say that

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — What was expected to be a day of triumph for House Republicans coming into the majority turned into chaos Tuesday as interparty fighting over who should lead them in their new reign ended with no speaker in the rostrum. Republicans failed to elect a speaker after Kevin

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — Grappling with the biggest flood of Cuban migrants in decades, the United States reopened their long-closed legal pathway on Wednesday by resuming all visa services at its embassy in Havana. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans desperate to leave the island’s flailing economy and reunite with family in

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $940 million after another drawing resulted in plenty of losers but not a single grand prize winner. The numbers drawn late Tuesday were: 25, 29, 33, 41, 44 and gold Mega Ball 18. The next drawing is scheduled to be held Friday

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City’s Hard Rock casino on Tuesday hired a new management team as the property pushes for an even greater share of the market. George Goldhoff was named president of the casino and Mike Sampson was named general manager. Both men are expected to start

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Police say a juvenile male has been killed and a man has been wounded in a shooting outside an Indianapolis shopping mall. The shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. Tuesday outside the Castleton Square Mall on the city’s far northeast side. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says the wounded victim was in

By MARK SCOLFORO and BROOKE SCHULTZ Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Democrat who promised to govern as an independent was elected speaker of the narrowly divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday on the strength of every Democrat and more than a dozen GOP votes. The chamber voted 115 to 85 on Tuesday

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a former teacher in Vancouver, Washington, concluding that his wearing a hat supporting former President Donald Trump to school was protected speech under the First Amendment. Court documents show that science teacher Eric Dodge brought the “Make America Great Again”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House later this month for economic and security consultations. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the Jan. 13 meeting will include discussions of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, amid concerns over the potential for another nuclear

MONTARA, Calif. (AP) — The driver of a car that plunged off a cliff in Northern California, seriously wounding two children and a second adult after the 250-foot drop, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday. Dharmesh A. Patel of Pasadena will be booked into San

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland are getting a formal welcome into the U.N. Security Council. Ambassadors installed their national flags Tuesday alongside those of other members outside the council chambers on Tuesday, when the newcomers took two-year seats that they won unopposed in June. It’s a first for Mozambique and

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is trying to fix its relationship with travelers who got stuck by canceled flights over the holidays. On Tuesday, Southwest told affected travelers that they will get 25,000 frequent-flyer points, which are worth more than $300 in tickets. Southwest is including the offer in a letter from CEO Bob Jordan

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Democrat Patty Murray has become the first female president pro tempore of the Senate. That senior member of the majority party acts as Senate president when the vice president cannot be present. Murray replaces Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, who has retired after almost five decades

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A U.S. judge serving as special master in a legal battle over management of one of North America’s longest rivers has cleared the way for a proposed settlement to be made public. The federal government had sought to keep details of the agreement in the

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has filed to run for a second four-year term. His filing came Tuesday on the first day that candidates could submit qualifying papers for this year’s election in Mississippi. Candidates for statewide offices, state district offices, legislative seats and county