Month: October 2023

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Rubin, a longtime publishing executive with an eye for bestsellers and a passion for music and public life who helped launched the career of John Grisham, among others, and released such blockbusters as “The Da Vinci Code” and “Fire and Fury,” has died. He

By ISABEL DEBRE and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — In the besieged Gaza Strip, 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water because of Israel’s decision to cut off water and electricity to the enclave while pounding it with airstrikes. Israel’s chokehold has seen taps run dry across

BY JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A senior Congolese official says a boat capsized in Congo’s northwest killing at least 27 people. More than 70 others were missing as rescuers searched frantically for survivors. The locally made boat capsized late Friday in the town of Mbandaka in Equateur Province as it transported

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some left home with suitcases jammed with clothes. Some left with stacks of foam mattresses tied to car roofs. They took buses and vans and cars and carts pulled by donkeys. Many walked. In just 12 hours after Israel warned that

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray has spoken to one of the nation’s largest police groups about how his agency works with police around the United States in tackling violent crime, fentanyl and gangs. During a speech Saturday to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Wray highlighted a

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida executive whose family business once owned Playgirl magazine has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Prosecutors say he misled investors in another of his companies, which made high-interest loans to small businesses. Carl R. Ruderman was chairman and chief executive officer of 1 Global Capital. Federal authorities say

By MELISSA PEREZ WINDER and CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press/Report for America EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie were excited to celebrate a family member’s birthday and the Jewish holiday season in Israel. That’s according to their rabbi in the Chicago suburb of Evanston. But their family hasn’t heard from them

By SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law allowing low-income Mexican residents who live near the border to be eligible for in-state tuition rates at community colleges. The legislation signed Friday creates a pilot program for some Mexicans who want to attend certain community

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is withdrawing his offer to buy Manchester United, a person with knowledge of the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality restrictions. Sheikh Jassim had been one of the

DENVER (AP) — Police say three people are dead after an early morning shooting during a party in Denver. Officers were called to an industrial storefront where they found someone dead with gunshot wounds. Police later learned five other shooting victims went to local hospitals. Two of them were pronounced dead at the hospital. Police

GLASTONBURY, Conn. (AP) — A former Connecticut police officer is suspected of being a serial burglar and committing 30 or more thefts in three states. A newly unsealed warrant says former Glastonbury Officer Patrick Hemingway is believed to have targeted safes and cash registers at restaurants and businesses in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the death of a Philadelphia steakhouse chef prosecutors say he intentionally killed during a drug-fueled, hit-and-run spree. The rampage involved multiple stolen cars and caused injuries and damage in two counties. Forty-three-year-old Kareem Welton also pleaded guilty Friday in Montgomery County Court to

By CHETAN NARULA Associated Press AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav triggered a stunning Pakistan collapse and shared four wickets in India’s dominant victory over its archrival at the Cricket World Cup. The seven-wicket win in front of more than 100,000 fans at Narendra Modi Stadium was India’s eighth consecutive victory over

By ANGELA CHARLTON and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French police say the Louvre Museum and Versailles Palace evacuated visitors and staff after receiving bomb threats. Both monuments are being searched by police on Sunday. The threats came after the French government put the country on high alert following the fatal stabbing of

By JULIA FRANKEL and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — With the world’s attention focused on the war in Gaza, tensions have risen in the occupied West Bank, where 54 Palestinians were killed over the past week in clashes with Israeli troops, arrest raids and attacks by Jewish settlers. U.N. monitors said Saturday it

By The Associated Press Jews in communities far from Israel gathered at synagogues this weekend for their first Shabbat services since Hamas militants attacked Israel, igniting an ongoing war. Rabbis led prayers of peace and shared grief with their congregations. At many synagogues security was tight. PITTSBURGH RABBI SAYS HAMAS ATTACK RESURFACES GENERATIONS OF TRAUMA

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Ada Sagi was getting ready to travel to London to celebrate her 75th birthday with family when Hamas militants attacked her kibbutz and took her hostage. The trip was supposed to be a joyous occasion after a year of trauma. Her husband died of cancer last year,

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — As more children emerge from the pandemic grappling with mental health issues, their parents are seeking ways for them to build emotional resilience. And toy companies are paying close attention. While still in its early phase, a growing number of toy marketers are embracing MESH

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials have reported intense combat that is characterized by relentless assaults by Russian forces on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. City head Vitalii Barabash said on Ukrainian television on Saturday that “the enemy has not stopped either assaulting or shelling positions” around Avdiivka. Barabash’s comments come after Russia’s U.N.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposed gag order aimed at reining in Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric puts the judge overseeing his federal election interference case in a tricky position: She must balance the need to protect the integrity of the legal proceedings against the First Amendment rights

KHIAM, Lebanon (AP) — Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed in Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon, was laid to rest in his hometown in a funeral procession attended by hundreds of people. Draped in a Lebanese flag, Abdallah’s body was carried on a stretcher Saturday through the streets of his southern town of Khiam,

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre Museum says it is closing for the day and evacuating all visitors and staff after it received a written threat. A Louvre official said no incident has been reported or anyone hurt and the museum is being verified. The official said the decision was made in connection with the government’s

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Large numbers of police and special counterterrorism officers sealed off a large square in the Polish capital on Saturday after a man climbed the top of a monument and threatened to blow himself up, the Polish news agency PAP reported. The incident took place at Pilsudski Square, the site of a

By MATTHEW LEE and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protection for civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory’s population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault. Blinken met

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has approved the parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court in a move that has further strained the country’s ties with its old ally Russia. Last week, Armenia’s parliament voted to join the ICC by ratifying the Rome Statute that created the tribunal. Countries that have

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United Nations says it will repatriate nine peacekeepers from a South African contingent in eastern Congo who were accused of sexual assault and other abuse. The U.N. said it decided to immediately repatriate the peacekeepers and a senior officer of the South African army “due

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle. Hossein Amirabdollahianin said that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.” He told reporters in Beirut

By JEFFREY SCHAEFFER and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press ARRAS, France (AP) — France will mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers to increase security around the country after a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people wounded in a school attack. Counterterrorism authorities are investigating the attack and say the suspect is a former student of

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police say gunmen shot and killed six construction workers overnight in the volatile southwestern Baluchistan province. Gunmen opened fire overnight at eight construction workers in the city of Turbat, about 377 miles south of Quetta – the capital of the province, authorities said. Two survived and were hospitalized for treatment.

By NICK PERRY Associated Press AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Voting has closed in New Zealand and ballot counting was underway in a general election, with opinion polls indicating people were favoring a conservative change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. Ardern unexpectedly stepped down

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians voted in a referendum Saturday to decide whether to enshrine in the nation’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that affect their lives. Proponents said creating the Indigenous Voice via the constitution would recognize the special place that Indigenous people

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press SAN JOAQUIN, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans have come to feel the decade-long crisis that undid their country as one numbingly featureless expanse of struggles. But the crisis has evolved over the years, and the latest phase is particularly challenging after the economic stability that many experienced for several months

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians are casting their final votes in the country’s first referendum in a generation, deciding whether to tackle Indigenous disadvantages by enshrining in the constitution a new advocacy committee. The proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has bitterly divided Australia’s Indigenous minority as well as

By ISABEL DeBRE, EDITH M. LEDERER and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza after Israel’s military urged about 1 million people to leave for the territory’s south ahead of an expected ground invasion following the surprise attack a week ago by the ruling Hamas militant group — despite

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s gubernatorial election is one of three in the country this year. Republicans are hoping to reclaim the governor’s mansion Saturday after an eight-year hiatus, while Democrats are trying to keep the coveted position in a state where Donald Trump garnered a majority of the

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is holding an election Sunday that many view as its most important one since the 1989 vote that toppled communism. At stake are the health of the nation’s democracy and the foreign alliances of a nation on NATO’s eastern flank that has been a crucial

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has benefited from waiting to reveal where he stood as the swing vote in a chamber closely divided between Democrats and Republicans. He’s taken the same approach when it comes to the next phase of his political career. The moderate Democrat

By GISELA SALOMON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The lives of several hundred thousand Venezuelans living in the U.S. could change now that President Joe Biden’s administration is offering them temporary legal status. The Homeland Security Department announced last month it would grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans. That makes it easier

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun cuts across the Americas on Saturday, stretching from Oregon to Brazil. For the small towns and cities along its narrow path, there was a mix of excitement, worries about the weather and concerns they’d be overwhelmed by

By JOSH BOAK and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ethical concerns are casting a shadow over President Joe Biden as he seeks reelection amid ongoing investigations into his son Hunter Biden and a presidential impeachment inquiry, with a new poll showing that 35% of U.S. adults believe the president himself has done something

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law to raise the minimum wage for health care workers. The law Newsom signed Friday will raise the minimum wage to $25 per hour over the next decade. This is the second minimum wage increase Newsom has signed this

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press The New York attorney general’s office says police officers in an upstate town will not face criminal charges in connection with the death of a man who doused himself with hand sanitizer and caught on fire when one of the officers shot a stun gun at him. Jason Jones was

BUENA PARK, Calif. (AP) — An ammonia leak at a Southern California business has sent 11 people to the hospital. The Orange County Fire Authority says the leak was reported shortly before 9:15 a.m. Friday in a commercial building in Buena Park. The building was evacuated and 12 people were decontaminated. Eleven were sent to

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has ordered an attempted murder trial for a New Mexico man in the September shooting of a Native American activist. The shooting occurred amid confrontations about aborted plans to reinstall a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside government offices in northern New Mexico.

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge in Montana is continuing to block enforcement of a law that puts restrictions on drag shows and bans drag reading events in public schools and libraries. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris said the law targets free speech and expression and that

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The University of Notre Dame has announced the Rev. John Jenkins will give up the school’s presidency at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year to return to teaching and ministry. Jenkins, the university’s 17th president, has led the school since 2005. He said Friday that serving as Notre Dame’s