Month: October 2023

PARIS (AP) — Reporters Without Borders says a Taliban court in Afghanistan has released a French-Afghan journalist held for 284 days and cleared him of espionage and other charges. The press freedom group said it is now working to quickly reunite Mortaza Behboudi with his wife, Alexandra, in Paris. The group’s secretary general called the

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The net worth of the typical U.S. household grew at the fastest pace in more than three decades from 2019 through 2022, while low interest rates made it easier for households to pay their debts. Wealth for the median household — the midpoint between the richest

PARIS (AP) — The Paris political sciences institute Sciences Po says French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who was detained for years in Iran, has returned to France. Adelkhah had been arrested in 2019 on security charges. Science Po says she arrived in France on Tuesday. She was freed from prison in February this year but had

By MICHELLE R. SMITH and ALI SWENSON Associated Press Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent years disseminating false information about vaccines in a time when spreading conspiracy theories has become a powerful way to grow a constituency. The AP examined the impact of his work. A couple grieving their 12-year-old son described how

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italian lawmakers have voted unanimously to back a long-delayed project to build a Holocaust Museum in Rome, underlining the urgency of the undertaking following the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters in what have been deemed the deadliest attacks on Jews since the Holocaust. The measure

By MICHELLE R. SMITH and ALI SWENSON Associated Press When 12-year-old Braden Fahey collapsed during football practice and died, it was just the beginning of his parents’ nightmare. Deep in their grief a few months later, Gina and Padrig Fahey received news that shocked them to their core: A favorite photo of their beloved son

BALTIMORE (AP) — A former Baltimore police officer involved in the department’s Gun Trace Task Force corruption scandal is asking a federal judge for compassionate release from prison because he’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Daniel Hersl was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years behind bars after a jury found him guilty of racketeering and

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two employees at a Kansas prison were fired, and six others were disciplined, after accusations that they mocked and failed to help an injured female inmate. Other inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility told KCUR-FM that the injured inmate spent two hours crawling back to her cell after hurting herself in

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America URBANA, Ohio (AP) — Rep. Jim Jordan, so far, has failed to get enough votes to become House Speaker but his fight for the coveted leadership role isn’t done — and the devotion of many constituents back in Ohio is unwavering. In Washington, Jordan has made a name for

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration has moved a step closer to Senate confirmation. Michael Whitaker was endorsed Wednesday by a voice vote of the Senate Commerce Committee. Republicans supported the nominee during the committee meeting, indicating that Whitaker appears to have a clear path to final approval

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Norma could briefly grow into a major hurricane before hitting Mexican resorts at Los Cabos. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm continued to strengthen Wednesday off Mexico’s western Pacific coast. Norma is forecast to reach Los Cabos, made up of the twin resorts of San Jose del

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Officials say one person was burned and passengers were evacuated after an explosion was reported aboard a small cruise ship in Portland Harbor. The Portland Fire Department said the injured person, a member of the crew, was taken to a hospital while 128 passengers were removed from the ship in Maine

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A coalition of three opposition parties who won Poland’s general election against the right-wing party that controlled the country for eight years have opened talks on forming a new government. Szymon Holownia, co-leader of the Third Way party, is urging the president to move swiftly in

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say four people are dead after a multicar crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The Los Angeles County Fire Department says the crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Four women were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people were taken to the hospital but there’s no immediate

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister has asked NATO-led peacekeepers to increase their presence on the northern border with Serbia, saying the area is the entry point for illegal weapons and threats to stability. Last month, around 30 Serb gunmen crossed into northern Kosovo, killing a police officer and setting up barricades, before launching

By KATHERINE ROTH Associated Press Botanical gardens and zoos across the country have become go-to destinations for Halloween. The festivities and fun also are a chance to inspire kids and grownups to learn about nature. Displays include thousands of creative jack-o’-lanterns, decorated reptile houses, spider displays and acrobats. Visitors can see bat houses at night,

MAINZ, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga soccer club Mainz has suspended Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi for what it called an “unacceptable” social media post about the Israel-Hamas war. The club says on its website that it has “relieved Anwar El Ghazi of his training and matchday related duties” for a post he shared Sunday that

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has announced plans to expand with a $45 million event venue. The proposed entertainment project is part of the museum’s ‘Pop District’ initiative and would be built on an existing museum parking lot. Plans for the project were presented to the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday.

NICE, France (AP) — French soccer club Nice has suspended defender Youcef Atal until further notice after he shared an antisemitic message on social media. Nice says in a statement that it had discussed the issue with Atal and that he apologized. Nice says it decided to suspend him “given the nature of the publication

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has announced a drive to get more Ukrainian and other refugees into jobs now that many have a usable knowledge of the German language. The government is trying to address both a shortage of skilled labor and concerns about high levels of migration. Germany has taken in more than

By ABBY SEWELL, TARA COPP and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA BEIRUT (AP) — Two suicide drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in Iraq have been intercepted, according to a defense official. Hours later, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq announced it had launched another drone attack on a second base. No injuries have been reported in

By GLENN GAMBOA AP Business Writer

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer United Airlines says that it will start boarding passengers in economy class with window seats first starting next week, a move that will speed up boarding times for flights. The airline said in an internal memo that it will implement the plan on Oct. 26. The plan, known as

By LAURA UNGAR AP Science Writer Scientists are setting out to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to create the world’s largest database of genomic information from the population. They hope to build a new “reference genome” to compare to full sets of DNA from individuals. Research shows less than 2% of

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The next book by Erik Larson, known for the best-selling “The Devil in the White City,” is a work of Civil War history inspired in part by current events. Crown announced Wednesday that Larson’s “The Demon of Unrest: Subtitle: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and

By TOM MURPHY and HALELUYA HADERO Associated Press Amazon will soon make prescription drugs fall from the sky when the e-commerce giant becomes the latest company to test drone deliveries. The company said Wednesday that customers in College Station, Texas can now get prescriptions delivered by a drone within an hour of placing their order.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has announced sanctions against a group of 10 Hamas members and the Palestinian militant organization’s financial network in response to the surprise attack on Israel that left more than 1,000 people dead or kidnapped. Targeted for Wednesday’s sanctions action by the Treasury Department’s Office of

SAMUEL PETREQUIN BRUSSELS (AP) — The suspected attacker who killed two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels this week before he was shot dead by police resided in Belgium illegally and had been ordered to leave Belgium years ago. He never left. In a country that has been repeatedly rocked by extremist attacks, the government’s inability

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Now that she’s stepped back from the sport she dominated like few others, Serena Williams is ready to reflect. The tennis great has a two-book deal with the Random House Publishing Group, starting with an “intimate” memoir in which she will open up about everything

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A leading Cambodian opposition politician who was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison on charges of issuing worthless checks has been convicted and sentenced to three more years of imprisonment for alleged incitement to commit a felony and to discriminate. The case against

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Local authorities say a Russian missile attack has killed two civilians in an apartment building in southern Ukraine. Also Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin made light of a new U.S.-supplied weapon that Kyiv used to execute one of the most damaging attacks on the Kremlin’s air assets

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African officials are hoping the gradual recovery of one of the country’s biggest coal-fired power stations will reduce its crippling power blackouts. At least two units at the Kusile power station have been restored in the last three weeks, adding 1,600 megawatts to the national grid

LONDON (AP) — Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with a public order offense after being arrested at a demonstration against an oil industry conference in London. The Metropolitan Police force said Wednesday that she was one of 26 people charged after protesters gathered outside the luxury InterContinental Hotel during the Energy Intelligence Forum.

PARIS (AP) — Police say three French airports in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Lille have been evacuated following security alerts. Emailed threats of an attack were received at the airports, prompting evacuations and security checks. Meanwhile an abandoned piece of luggage briefly disrupted operations at the airport in the Riviera city of Nice.

By NICK KURCZEWSKI Edmunds The automotive experts at Edmunds test SUVs of all shapes, sizes and prices. During these tests, certain models rise by excelling with highlights such as roomy seating and cargo areas, a comfortable ride, and easy-to-use touchscreens and technology features. Working with a budget cap of $40,000, Edmunds picked five SUVs to

By The Associated Press Russian state media say Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in North Korea, the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two countries. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea in July and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in September. The White House said