Month: December 2023

WINNEMUCCA, Nev. (AP) — U.S. land managers are planning to round up more than 2,800 wild horses across four Nevada counties beginning next week. The Bureau of Land Management says the current population is more than six times what it should be and there’s not enough water and forage to support that number. Chris Mitchell,

By MARCO DiMARCO Associated Press GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Residents of the small fishing town in Iceland where a volcano erupted this week have been told they can return home. Authorities said Friday that residents of Grindavik could return and stay overnight beginning Saturday. The town was evacuated in November as a precaution after a

The federal government on Friday reopened railroad crossings in two Texas border towns, five days after the shuttering of rail operations there disrupted trade and caused outrage. Customs and Border Protection closed railroad operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, on Monday to reallocate their customs officers to help Border Patrol take migrants into

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will not immediately take up a plea by special counsel Jack Smith to rule on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his actions to overturn the 2020 election results. The court revealed its decision Friday. The issue will now

GLENVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A tractor-trailer loaded with natural gas containers slammed into the bottom of an overhead railroad bridge in upstate New York and exploded. The fiery crash in Glenville on Thursday night seriously injured the driver and briefly knocked out power in the area. A freight train happened to be going over the

By JIM SALTER Associated Press O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A conservative-led Missouri school board has voted to drop elective courses on Black history and literature, five months after the same board rescinded an anti-discrimination policy adopted in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. The Francis Howell School Board in suburban St. Louis voted

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A lawsuit by a Seattle hospital says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked for records regarding gender-affirming treatment potentially given to children from Texas. The lawsuit was filed this month in Austin and appears to show the Republican going beyond state borders to investigate transgender

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A British sea trade monitoring agency says another boat has been hijacked near the coast of Somalia. That and the hijacking of a Maltese-flagged merchant vessel last week has raised fears that Somali pirates are active again after nearly a decade. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Florida State has sued the Atlantic Coast Conference, challenging a contract that binds the school to the league for the next 12 years. The lawsuit claims the ACC’s grant of rights violates antitrust law and has unenforceable withdrawal penalties. It also accuses the ACC of mismanaging its

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says he is eager to debate President Joe Biden, even if the debates are sponsored by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. And he says he is open to debating a single Republican rival if a serious challenger emerges after the New

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily. High levels of flu-like illnesses

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine feared that confronting an Army reservist prior to the worst mass shooting in state history would “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,” according to video footage released by law enforcement. The footage release on Friday documents a call between

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s parliament has voted to lift the legal immunity of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being probed for possible corruption. Opposition lawmakers inside the hall boycotted the vote and tried to disrupt the session by collecting chairs and

By GISELA SALOMON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A former Colombian soldier has pleaded guilty to conspiring in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean nation into violence and political turmoil. Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios pleaded guilty Friday to three charges, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — In an extraordinary pushback against Pope Francis, some Catholic bishops in Africa, Poland and elsewhere say they will not implement the new Vatican policy allowing blessings for same-sex couples. Others downplayed the policy approved this week by Francis as merely reaffirming the Vatican’s long-standing

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is planning to offer exclusive guided tours of the ancient Acropolis, its most powerful tourist magnet, to handfuls of well-heeled visitors outside normal opening hours. The program is part of an overhaul of ticketing policy for Greece’s archaeological sites and museums.  A culture ministry official said Friday that the new

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Officials say a 24-year-old student owned eight guns when he opened fire at a university building in Prague killing 14 people. The suspect had no criminal record so he didn’t attract the interest of law enforcement authorities. The Czech Republic has a liberal law on gun ownership

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential policing think tank is pushing law enforcement agencies to change how they handle body camera footage after police shootings. The Police Executive Research Forum says officers should not be able to review video before making their first statements to investigators. The group changed its position

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Even at age 80, Michael Mann has lost little of his velocity. “Ferrari” is Mann’s first film since 2015’s “Blackhat.” He’s wanted to make it for three decades. While you will find plenty of speed and gorgeous, rosso corsa-colored cars in “Ferrari,” that’s not what

PARIS (AP) — French authorities have grounded a flight carrying 303 Indian passengers on suspicions it could be carrying victims of human trafficking. Special investigators are questioning all those aboard and two people are in custody pending further investigation, the Paris prosecutor’s said in a statement Friday. The flight was en route from the United

Associated Press The Department of Transportation is investigating possible deceptive practices in airline loyalty programs after federal lawmakers raised concerns about how airlines are calculating points and rewards. A DOT spokesperson said in a statement that the agency is planning “to carefully review complaints regarding loyalty programs” and investigate airlines “for unfair and deceptive practices

LONDON (AP) — The elusive artist Banksy displayed his latest work on a London street corner and it was taken less than hour after he confirmed its installation Friday. A red stop sign with three military drones on it was taken in the middle of the day by a man with bolt cutters as witnesses

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL player Mike Williams died from a rare form of sepsis related to dental health problems, according to a medical examiner’s report released Friday. Williams, 36, died Sept. 12 after being hospitalized following a construction accident while working as an electrician. The wide receiver played four seasons with the Tampa

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote after many delays on a watered-down resolution to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza. The revised text is backed by the United States, while Russia and other countries still support a stronger text that would include the

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president says he is willing to help with a crush of migrants that led to the closure of border crossings with the United States. But in exchange he wants the U.S. government to open talks with Cuba. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also offered ton Friday o negotiate with Venezuela,

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press DERRY, N.H. (AP) — A judge has fined the New Hampshire publisher of a weekly community newspaper $620 after finding her guilty of five misdemeanor charges that she ran advertisements for local races without properly marking them as political advertising. The judge had acquitted Debra Paul of a sixth misdemeanor

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian court on Friday rejected a request by the divisive influencer Andrew Tate to temporarily leave the country to visit his mother in the U.K. after she had suffered a heart attack, his spokesperson said. Tate is charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has seized “thousands of units” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug widely used for weight loss. The agency said Thursday that the shots had been distributed through legitimate drug supply sources. The FDA and the drugmaker Novo Nordisk are testing the

LONDON (AP) — Police say they’ve launched a criminal investigation into the alleged abduction of British teenager Alex Batty who was missing for six years. Batty was found last week in France after telling police he had decided to walk away from the house where he had been staying with his mother and grandfather. They

By The Associated Press This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include the return of “Night Court” and the release of an early K-pop sensation, the boy band TVXQ. While there’s plenty of new movies in theaters this Christmas, many of the year’s best films — including Barbenheimer — can be watched in your living room.

By The Associated Press Donald Trump pressured two elections officials not to certify 2020 vote totals in a key Michigan county. That’s according to an audio recording of a post-election phone call revealed by the Detroit News. The former president’s 2024 campaign has not confirmed or denied the recording’s legitimacy. The campaign insists all of

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. health agency says it has tallied a tenfold increase in the global count of reported cases of dengue over the last generation, with climate change and the growing spread of virus-carrying mosquitos in part to blame for transmission that remains mostly prevalent in the Americas. WHO says reported cases soared

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — France has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Niger after they were asked to leave by the country’s new military rulers, ending years of on-the-ground support. The withdrawal completed on Friday has raised concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities in southern Greece have rescued 81 people stranded on a ship south of the mainland, on a route frequently used to take migrants illegally to Italy. Municipal officials in the southern Greek port of Kalamata said the city has provided a temporary shelter for the people rescued, who identified themselves

STONINGTON, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut State Police dog has been killed in a shooting involving troopers and a man they say they were trying to arrest on a felony warrant. State police say troopers went to the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, near the Rhode Island state line, on Thursday evening to serve the warrant

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration released its highly anticipated proposal for doling out billions of dollars in tax credits to hydrogen producers Friday, in a massive effort to build out an industry that some hope can be a cleaner alternative to fossil fueled power. The U.S.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers are stepping up sales and other enticements in the final days before Christmas to lure shoppers who’ve been waiting for the best deals or who didn’t have the time or the urge to wrap up gift-buying earlier. Incentives to spend last minute are an

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation fell last month in another sign that price pressures easing in the face of the central bank’s interest rate hikes. Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that U.S. consumer prices slid 0.1% last month from October and were