Month: November 2023

LONDON (AP) — Elton John is to address Britain’s Parliament on his work fighting HIV at an event to mark World AIDS Day. The British star’s AIDS Foundation has led campaigns to extend a pilot government program to test people visiting hospitals’ emergency rooms for HIV. The program was recently introduced in London and other

In a story published November 28, 2023, about a federal lawsuit seeking to throw out an Iowa law that bans some books and outlaws discussion gender identity in schools, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of an organization helping bring the lawsuit as Lambda. The organization’s name is Lambda Legal.

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The North American wolverine will receive long-delayed federal protections under a Biden administration proposal released Wednesday in response to scientists warning that climate change will likely melt away the rare species’ snowy mountain refuges. Across most of the U.S., wolverines were wiped out by the early

Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s military government has announced an investigation into the Tuareg rebel leaders who signed a peace agreement in 2015 and now accuse the government of failing to comply with it. Experts worry that the deal crucial to establishing a measure of stability in the country’s north is collapsing. The

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — It has become an Israeli mantra throughout the latest war in Gaza: Hamas is ISIS. Since the bloody Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the war, Israeli leaders and commanders have likened the Palestinian militant group to the Islamic State group. They point to Hamas’ brutal

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Shrugging off higher interest rates, America’s consumers spent enough to help drive the economy to a brisk 5.2% annual pace from July through September, the government reported in an upgrade from its previous estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 4.9%

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court has acquitted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a graft case, removing a major obstacle for him to run in parliamentary elections in February. The Islamabad High Court’s decision on Wednesday comes weeks after the court restored Sharif’s right to appeal a 2018 conviction

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has escalated his war of words with the leader of Greece. Sunak accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday of trying to “grandstand” over the disputed Parthenon Marbles and breaking a promise to the U.K. government. The two European allies have been

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it. Earlier this year, Nepal’s supreme court issued an interim order enabling the registration of

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka says it has reached an agreement in principle with a group of creditors including India and Japan on debt restructuring. It’s a crucial move toward unlocking a second instalment of a $2.9 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund. The Finance Ministry

By TIFFANY STANLEY and LEA SKENE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — As Charles Richardson gradually lost his eyesight to complications from diabetes, certain childhood memories haunted him even more. The Catholic priest appeared vividly in his mind’s eye — the one who promised him a spot on a travel basketball team, took him out for

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s her, hi — Taylor Swift is Spotify’s 2023 most-played artist. According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s most-streamed artist globally, raking in more than 26.1 billion global streams since January. That means the pop superstar has dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetonero Bad Bunny, who held

By TIFFANY STANLEY and LEA SKENE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — As Charles Richardson gradually lost his eyesight to complications from diabetes, certain childhood memories haunted him even more. The Catholic priest appeared vividly in his mind’s eye — the one who promised him a spot on a travel basketball team, took him out for

By DANIEL POLITI Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei says he’s chosen Luis Caputo, a former finance minister and Central Bank chief who is known as an expert in markets, to lead the Economy Ministry when the right-wing leader takes office on Dec. 10. The pick confirms that Milei, a

By NICK KURCZEWSKI Edmunds Hands-free driver assistance technology has seemingly gone from a sci-fi fantasy to everyday driving reality in a very short time. However, as these systems increase in availability and consumer acceptance, so does confusion over the benefits (and limitations) each of these driving aids has to offer. The automotive experts at Edmunds

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration would like to see a new extension of the cease-fire agreement in Israel’s war with Hamas after the current one expires. The aim is to secure the release of additional hostages held by the militant group

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet Airbnb may have met its match. There’s no shortage of customers who have sworn off the company after being ghosted by owners or hit with unexpected cleaning fees. Airbnb’s operation in New York City is severely restricted, given new regulations implemented in 2023. Meanwhile, hostels — which largely struggled during

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region, the United Nations’ rights office said, calling the attack a war crime. In one of the largest clashes in recent years

By JON GAMBRELL and MALAK HARB Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks has forcefully denied a report alleging his nation planned to use the summit to strike oil and gas deal, a day before the summit was due to being. Sultan al-Jaber,

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India has set up a high-level inquiry after U.S. authorities raised concerns with New Delhi that its government may have had knowledge of a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on American soil. The U.S. government said it had raised the issue with New Delhi

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — President Joe Biden will try to turn Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado into the embodiment of Republican opposition to his agenda as he visits her congressional district. Biden plans on Wednesday to tout aspects of his domestic agenda that Boebert and her fellow Republicans

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The global economy, which has proved surprisingly resilient this year, is expected to falter next year under the strain of wars, still-elevated inflation and continued high interest rates. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated Wednesday that international growth will slow to 2.7% in

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s economy shrank in the third quarter of 2023 to mark the second time of contraction and signal that a recession may have hit the country. Data released Wednesday by Statistics Sweden showed that the country’s gross domestic product declined by 0.3% in the period ending in October. Jessica Engdahl of the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is selling a part of its stake in components maker Denso to raise cash for its drive toward electric vehicles and other innovations. Japan’s top automaker said Wednesday that the move is estimated to raise about 290 billion yen, or $2 billion, given recent share

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis presided at his weekly audience with the public at the Vatican, but he said that he’s still unwell and asked an aide to read his remarks for him on Wednesday, a day after canceling an overseas trip. Francis, who will turn 87 on Dec.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The ruling emir of oil-rich Kuwait has been hospitalized “due to an emergency health problem” but later was in stable condition. That’s according to a report Wednesday by the state-run KUNA news agency. The report did not elaborate on the problem faced by 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — International mediators worked Wednesday to extend the truce in Gaza, which will otherwise expire within a day. Israel says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing hostages, but its other major goal, the annihilation of the militant group,

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar and China are conducting naval drills together as the military government in the Southeast Asian nation loses ground in the northeast to a coalition of armed ethnic militias that also has strong ties to Beijing. State-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said Wednesday that three Chinese naval vessels were anchored in Yangon, Myanmar’s

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government has proposed new laws that would place behind bars some of the 141 migrants who have been set free in the three weeks since the High Court ruled their indefinite detention was unconstitutional. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said on Wednesday Parliament would

TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying eight people has crashed into the sea off southern Japan, and the Japanese coast guard is heading to the site for search and rescue operations. A coast guard official says details about what happened to the Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft that can function as a helicopter

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly fell Wednesday although a strong report on U.S. consumer confidence and hopes the Federal Reserve is finished with its aggressive interest rate hikes sent shares higher on Wall Street. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 0.3% to finish at 33,321.22. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s new prime minister plans to ban cellphone use in schools and repeal tobacco controls in the agenda for his first three months in office. Christopher Luxon outlined 49 actions he said his conservative government intends to take in the next 100 days. He

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has started hearing the final arguments of some of the city’s best-known pro-democracy activists tried under a law imposed by China’s ruling Communist Party to crush dissent. The activists’ subversion trial which continued Wednesday is the biggest prosecution yet under such law.

By BILL BARROW Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Rosalynn Carter will receive her final farewells Wednesday in the same tiny town where she was born and that served as a home base as she and her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, climbed to the White House and spent four decades thereafter as global humanitarians.

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — By now, Americans should be well aware that the process of electing a president isn’t like electing a senator or governor. In presidential primaries, the major political parties use a complex delegate selection process to pick their nominees to compete in November. Candidates win delegates in a

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and ALI SWENSON Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign legislation in the coming days aimed at curbing deceptive uses of artificial intelligence and manipulated media. The legislation comes as concerns grow that generative AI could be used in the 2024 presidential race to mislead

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — Opening statements are scheduled to begin in the third and final trial over the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who died after he was stopped by police in suburban Denver. Jurors will have to decide if two paramedics committed a crime when they

By SHARON LURYE of The Associated Press and CHARLES LUSSIER of The Advocate BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Raynesha Cummings enrolled her three teenagers in a private school, she hoped to keep them safe from COVID-19. It was small, with no frills — there was just one teacher and the school didn’t serve lunch

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a challenge to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ability to fight fraud, part of a broader attack on regulatory agencies led by conservative and business interests. The case before the justices Wednesday involves the Biden administration’s appeal of a lower-court

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers have suggested their strategy in his election interference case in Washington involves distancing their client from the horde of U.S. Capitol rioters, whom the former president has embraced on the campaign trail. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team has signaled it

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said Wednesday. But