Month: November 2023

By JESSICA DAMIANO Associated Press The best holiday gifts for gardeners will sow the seeds of anticipation for greener days ahead, and spread a little sunshine in the off season. For instance, consider a smart video camera bird feeder that not only feeds the birds but identifies and records them as they visit. Or a

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Fisher is going to hell this winter and he’s very happy about it. The actor and singer star enters Broadway’s “Hadestown,” the brooding 2019 Tony Award-winning musical about the underworld, which intertwines the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone. Fisher starts

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A good book packs power. A good book thoughtfully chosen as a gift can add a layer of joy. The holidays are a great time to track down just the right coffee table reads. This year’s crop doesn’t disappoint. There’s an overview of the work

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Staring down a hefty holiday gift list? There’s something for everybody out there. Artisan gifts can be a hit. Head to Etsy to tap into the global handmade marketplace’s trends for the season. This year, they include “grandpa chic,” a counterpoint to the “granny chic”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his conviction for second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd. The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place state court rulings affirming Chauvin’s conviction and 22 1/2-year sentence. Chauvin’s lawyers argued that their client was denied

By KEN MILLER Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The founder of a former megachurch in Oklahoma who fell from favor and was branded a heretic after he embraced the idea that there is no hell and supported gay rights has died, his agent said Monday. Bishop Carlton Pearson died Sunday night in hospice care

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press Carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service have capacity to meet projected demand this holiday season, which is cheery news for shoppers and shippers alike. Like last year, there’s expected to be little drama compared to struggles during the pandemic when people hunkered down at home

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the U.K. is setting up a new science initiative to help develop flood-tolerant rice, disease-resistant wheat and other crops that are more resilient to climate change. Ministers, diplomats and philanthropists from about 20 countries attended a one-day Global Food Security Summit

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer A new United Nations report calculates that the globe is speeding to 2.5 to 2.9 degrees Celsius (4.5 to 5.2 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming since pre-industrial times, set to blow well past the agreed upon international climate threshold. Monday’s Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Sotheby’s is to auction six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s winning run at last year’s soccer World Cup in Qatar and thinks they could become the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever sold at potentially more than $10 million. The auction house said Monday

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The morning after Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion, right-wing activist and film producer Eduardo Verástegui dressed up in a black suit to register as an independent candidate for the 2024 presidential campaign. “Mourning is a reminder for me to recall why I’m doing this,” the

By JENNIFER FORKER Associated Press If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, setting and decorating the table is something you can do in advance. Not only does that relieve stress, it also lets you know what’s missing. Table settings have become less formal and more personalized, experts say. Use pieces you have on hand and that

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has placed a Ukrainian singer who won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list. State news agencies reported on Monday that an Interior Ministry database listed singer Susana Jamaladinova as being sought for violating a criminal law. The independent Russian news site Mediazona says she has been charged under

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The government and police in the nation’s capital are handing out tracking devices and dashboard cameras to local drivers to help stem rising crime rates. The parallel initiatives are part of an anti-crime offensive launched by the Metropolitan Police Department and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s government. Violent crimes

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is suspected of killing more than 150 people and infecting more than 8,000. The virulent bacterial disease is striking fear in many in the southern African country who live in impoverished and neglected areas where sanitation conditions are poor and local

By AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can order four free COVID-19 tests again online. Anyone who did not order a batch of four COVID-19 tests in September can secure up to eight of them beginning Monday at covidtests.gov. The government is offering to mail the COVID-19 tests for free as the flu

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s reelected Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says women will hold 12 of the 22 posts in his new government. Key posts remain unchanged with Nadia Calviño in economy, Jose Manuel Albares in foreign affairs and Margarita Robles in defense. Sánchez’s Socialist party will hold 17 ministries and the leftist Sumar coalition

By RAHMAT MIRZA and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AP) — Almost 1,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar have arrived by boat in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh in the last six days. They included five groups with women and children who were afloat for days. One batch of more than 240 people was twice

Airbnb has named Ron Klain, former White House Chief of Staff for President Joe Biden, as its chief legal officer. Klain served as President Biden’s chief of staff for his first two years in office. He previously served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Biden. He held the same position under Vice President Al

ROME (AP) — Italy has erupted in outrage over the death of a young woman, allegedly at the hands of her possessive ex-boyfriend. It’s the latest in a series of cases of domestic violence that has claimed the lives of more than 50 women so far this year in Italy. Police in Germany over the

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet While getting divorced can be emotionally and financially overwhelming, financial experts say focusing on a post-divorce plan for your money can contribute to overall recovery. First, adjusting to your new cash flow, which can include new expenses and lower household income, might mean creating a new budget or delaying other

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say more than 400,000 Afghans returned to their home country following the ongoing crackdown on illegal foreigners in the country. The chief spokesperson of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan also confirmed the number and told The Associated Press that the majority have been using the

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed by a Nov. 11 arson fire has reopened ahead of Monday morning’s commute. That’s at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that inspections showed

By CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Negotiators at United Nations-led talks in Nairobi, Kenya have failed to agree on how to advance toward the development of a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Environmental advocates say some oil-producing governments used stalling tactics designed to ultimately weaken the treaty. Delegates were expected to discuss

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers have disrupted the Parliament’s session again to protest against what they say is increasingly authoritarian rule by the governing Socialists. Democratic lawmakers on Monday lit flares and piled chairs on top of each other in the middle of the hall the minute Prime

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Toymakers are tweaking original classic games or coming out with new ones that embrace an audience that’s been around for a while: people over 65 years old. The products are being marketed as a way for older folks to sharpen their brain skills as well

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Divine Bourrage is one of the top high school prospects in the country, juggling the stressful challenges of the ever-changing demands of the usually precarious recruiting landscape as she chases her dream of playing women’s college basketball. The transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules that have

TOKYO (AP) — The Japan Meteorological Agency says a volcano in Papua New Guinea has erupted and it is assessing a possible risk of a tsunami for the Japanese coasts. Mount Ulawun on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea erupted at around 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) Monday, spewing volcanic smoke as high

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The NATO chief has said that the alliance strongly supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity and condemned “malign foreign interference” including by Russia in the volatile Balkan region that went through a devastating war in the 1990s. Sarajevo is the first stop on Jens Stoltenberg’s tour of Western Balkan countries that will also

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized China for a “dangerous” encounter between Chinese and Australian warships but declined to say whether he had raised the issue to President Xi Jinping. He said one diver was injured when a Chinese destroyer used sonar while near an Australian

By The Associated Press Microsoft has announced that it’s hired Sam Altman and another co-founder of ChatGPT maker OpenAI after they unexpectedly departed the company days earlier in a corporate shakeup that shocked the artificial intelligence world. Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella also tweeted Monday that the major investor in the chatbot that kicked

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s top diplomat welcomed four Arab foreign ministers and the Indonesian one to Beijing on Monday, saying his country would work with “our brothers and sisters” in the Arab and Islamic world to try to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible. The ministers from

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv. He arrived Monday in what is expected to be a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as U.S. and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong Disneyland has opened its first Frozen-themed attraction, with thousands of eager visitors turning up to experience the new rides. Based on Disney’s wildly popular Frozen animation film, it features landscapes and characters from the movie and two new rides. It is part of a

ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares were higher Monday after Wall Street closed its third straight winning week with a tiny gain. U.S. futures were lower while oil prices gained as investors looking ahead to OPEC plus meetings. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index broke its September peak, hitting a 33-year high, and

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The operator of Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear plant says the release of a third batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean has ended safely as planned. Japan’s seafood producers are continuing to suffer from a Chinese import ban imposed after the discharges began. Large amounts

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer Holiday meals may be changing for millions of Americans struggling with obesity and taking a new generation of weight-loss drugs. Experts and consumers say the drugs are shifting dining habits and social norms around food-centric holidays like Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas. Some users welcome greater control over what they

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy fighting erupted Monday around a hospital in northern Gaza where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, as Israeli forces focus on clearing out medical facilities that they say Hamas militants use for cover. The advance

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s interior minister says severe storms have delayed a search-and-rescue operation for 12 crew members of a cargo ship that sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Ali Yerlikaya said the Turkish-flagged Kafkametler sank on Sunday after hitting a breakwater outside the harbor off the town of Eregli, some 200 kilometers (125

By DAVID BILLER and DANIEL POLITI Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — His legions of fans call him “the crazy” and “the wig” due to his ferocity and unruly mop of hair, while he refers to himself as “the lion.” He thinks sex education is a Marxist plot to destroy the family, views his

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The frontrunner in Taiwan’s presidential race has picked the long-term de-facto ambassador to the United States as his vice presidential candidate. Vice President William Lai announced Monday on his Facebook page the nomination of Hsiao Bi-kim who was born in Japan to a Taiwanese father and an American mother. This move

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Australia are set to hold talks focused on bolstering their strategic, defense and security ties in New Delhi. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong and defence minister Richard Marles arrived to meet Monday with their counterparts for the second India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue, where they’re expected to discuss regional and global

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Global pop star Shakira has been summoned to a Barcelona courthouse to attend the first day of her trial for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax officials of millions of euros. Shakira on Monday will face six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros

By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court is hearing arguments Monday on whether to reinstate a gag order against Donald Trump in the federal case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s

By GIADA ZAMPANO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Verdicts are expected Monday in the trial of hundreds of people accused of membership in Italy’s ’ndrangheta organized crime syndicate. The trial started almost three years ago in the southern Calabria region, where the mob organization was originally based. The ’ndrangheta quietly amassed power in Italy and

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers blocked from reaching 41 workers trapped by a highway tunnel collapse are shifting to an attempt to reach them vertically. The construction workers have been trapped nine days, though they are healthy and are getting oxygen and food through pipes. The rescue attempt has been stymied by debris, and a

By JULIE WATSON and HAVEN DALEY Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sardines swirling in preserved lemons. Mackerel basking in curry sauce. Chargrilled squid bathing in ink. All are culinary delicacies long popular in Europe that are now making their mark on U.S. menus. The country’s canned seafood industry is moving well beyond tuna sandwiches,

By JUWON PARK Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s esports powerhouse T1 has won the League of Legends World Championship by defeating China-based Weibo Gaming. It is T1’s record fourth win at one of the biggest esports tournaments in the world.  South Korea’s Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok — arguably the most well-known face

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press When Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge fatally shot Leonard Cure during a roadside struggle after pulling him over for speeding, it wasn’t the first time a traffic stop involving the Camden County sheriff’s deputy had spiraled into violence. Last year, Aldridge dragged a driver from a car that crashed after fleeing

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BIGFORK, Mont. (AP) — After 17 years in the U.S. Senate, Democrat Jon Tester is a well-known commodity in Montana — a plain-spoken grain farmer with a flattop and a carefully cultivated reputation as a moderate. The 67-year-old lawmaker smiled and laughed his way through the crowd at a Veterans

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky could learn Monday whether he will be ordered to trial on allegations that he fired a gun at a former friend and collaborator outside a Hollywood hotel. A Los Angeles judge is set to hear evidence Monday against the 35-year-old rap star and