Month: January 2023

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Northern California residents are bracing for another round of powerful storms. A weather phenomenon known as an atmospheric river dumped up to 5 inches of rain in the Sacramento region on Saturday. More rain was expected to move into the area Monday night. But bigger storms

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Unless Missouri Gov. Mike Parson grants clemency, Amber McLaughlin, 49, will become the first transgender woman executed in the U.S. She is scheduled to die by injection Tuesday for killing a former girlfriend in 2003. McLaughlin’s attorney, Larry Komp, said there are no court appeals pending.

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — At least 500 migrants have arrived in the Florida Keys over the last several days in what the local sheriff’s office describes as a “crisis.” Over the weekend, 300 migrants arrived at the sparsely populated Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Key West. The park

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will convene Tuesday to elect a speaker for the new Congress. The majority of the Republican conference plans to nominate Kevin McCarthy as the party takes over control of the chamber. Many are skeptical, though, that McCarthy will reach a majority to become speaker on

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African officials say the death toll from an explosion of a tanker truck on Christmas Eve near eastern Johannesburg has risen to 34, including 10 health workers at a nearby hospital. Emergency services officials said the truck was carrying gas when it got stuck under a low-lying bridge in the town

A suspected gas explosion a few hours into the new year demolished two Philadelphia row homes and sent several people to the hospital. Fire department officials said the blast occurred shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday in the Port Richmond neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia. Two buildings were reduced to rubble while others had windows blown out,

By SELLO MOTSETA Associated Press GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — An arrest warrant has been issued in Botswana for former President Ian Khama on a charge of illegal possession of firearms. Khama, currently residing in neighboring South Africa, denies the charge. The former president was formally charged in April last year but has not yet appeared

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SANTOS, Brazil (AP) — Thousands of mourners, including high school students and supreme court justices, began filing past the body of Pelé on Monday on the century-old field where he made his hometown team one of Brazil’s best. The soccer great died on Thursday after a battle with cancer.

By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur is set to become the longest-serving woman in congressional history when the U.S. House convenes Tuesday. Kaptur told The Associated Press in an interview that she sometimes feels like an outsider because most leaders in Congress now come from the coasts and

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet Emergencies such as power outages or severe weather can happen at any time and can be costly. Unplanned hotel stays, lost documents and damaged property are just a few of the expensive outcomes. But there are ways to get yourself prepared, including setting aside cash and storing essential documents in

CAIRO (AP) — An ancient wooden sarcophagus that was featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was returned to Egypt after U.S. authorities determined it was looted years ago, Egyptian officials said Monday. The repatriation is part of Egyptian government efforts to stop the trafficking of its stolen antiquities. In 2021, authorities in Cairo

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Lise Nørgaard, a screenwriter who penned the popular epic television drama “Matador” about the lives of ordinary Danish families in a fictitious provincial town during the recession of the 1930s and the hard times of World War II, has died. She was 105. Nørgaard died Sunday after a brief illness, her

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A 29-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the death of her baby daughter in northern Greece. The 11-month-old girl’s body was found in the Aliakmonas Dam which is used for farm irrigation. The suspect is facing murder charges. Police said the woman had previously received psychiatric treatment and the

By GIADA ZAMPANO and FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ‘s body, his head resting on a pair of crimson pillows, lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday as tens of thousands queued to pay tribute to the pontiff who shocked the world by retiring a decade

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of people in the Philippines remained in emergency shelters in the wake of devastating Christmas flooding, as the death toll climbed to 51 with 19 missing, authorities said Monday. Images showed residents in southern Misamis Occidental province sweeping away thick mud from the floors of their homes. In the seaside

By FELIPE DANA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces fired rockets at a facility in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian soldiers were stationed, killing 63 of them, Russia’s defense ministry said Monday, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago. Ukrainian

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court says the government’s surprise decision in 2016 to demonetize high-value bills was legal and taken after consultation with India’s central bank. The five-judge constitution bench was hearing petitions challenging the currency ban that yanked 86% of India’s currency out of circulation without warning.

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Katie Hobbs took the oath of office to become Arizona’s 24th governor and the first Democrat to hold the office since 2009. Power transferred in a private ceremony Monday as Hobbs formally took over from Republican Doug Ducey. A public inauguration for Hobbs and others taking

RENO, Nevada (AP) — Jeremy Renner suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries in a snow plow accident in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday, a representative for the actor said Monday, and remains in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery. A publicist for Renner said in a statement that the 51-year-old “Avengers” star is in

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Two children have been killed and five other civilians wounded in a blast in a village in Indian-controlled Kashmir a day after assailants sprayed bullets toward homes, killing at least four. Police say the blast on Monday occurred near one of the houses targeted overnight in Dhangri village in southern Rajouri

By COURTNEY WALSH Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two helicopters collided in an Australian tourist hotspot, killing four people and critically injuring three others. Police said the crash drew emergency aid from beachgoers who had been enjoying the water during the southern summer. Queensland state police said one helicopter was taking off and the

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Political Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Republicans and Democrats are being forced to confront critical questions about the people and policies they want to represent them as the next election season roars into view. For Democrats, much depends upon Joe Biden and whether the president will follow through on his

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Political Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Both political parties are opening the new year confronting critical questions about the people and policies they want to embrace as the next election speeds into view. The challenges are particularly urgent for Republicans, who hoped to enter 2023 with a secure grip on

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family waved to throngs of New Year’s well-wishers from the balcony at the Imperial Palace on Monday in the return of a celebration halted for the past two years by the pandemic. Naruhito offered prayers for people’s happiness and world peace in

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a man claimed by an armed group as a member, during a confrontation that erupted early Monday when troops entered a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The two men were killed in the village of Kafr Dan near

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press MACAO (AP) — Only a few tourists crisscrossed the wavy black and white paving of Macao’s historic Senado Square on a recent weekday and many of the shops were shuttered. The gaming hub on China’s south coast near Hong Kong has endured some of the world’s strictest anti-virus controls for

By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian army says missile strikes by Israel’s military have put the capital’s airport out of service. Monday’s attack was the second in seven months to put the Damascus International Airport out of commission. Several hours later flights from the airport resumed after reports