Month: December 2023

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Police said one person was injured at a Richmond hospital when a man who had come into the hospital for a mental health evaluation began shooting. Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards told reporters that a 911 call came in at 4:11 a.m. of shots fired at Chippenham Hospital. Officers who were

By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press The holidays, a time where families and friends can get together to talk, to laugh — or get into screaming arguments. There are plenty of reasons togetherness can turn into tension — maybe that cousin you mostly love has that one opinion on politics or world events you just can’t

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional oversight committee has launched an investigation into the V-22 Osprey program following the latest deadly crash, which killed eight Air Force special operations service members. The entire Osprey fleet remains grounded following the crash, with the exception of some limited Marine Corps flights. More than

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The current Israel-Hamas war is by far the deadliest and most destructive of the five wars between Israel and Hamas since the militant group seized the Gaza Strip in 2007. The fighting erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas carried out a surprise attack in southern Israel. Since

By ZEKE MLLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press It’s normally a moment of pure joy for the Rev. Khader Khalilia: the excitement, the giggles, the kisses, as his young daughters — in their Christmas pajamas — open their gifts. But this year, just the thought of it fills Khalilia with guilt. “I’m struggling,” said the Palestinian American pastor

By JIWONG SONG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean religious sect leader whose sex crimes were featured in the popular Netflix series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. The Daejeon District Court in central South Korea said Friday that it handed

By RAHMA NURJANA Associated Press PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia’s Mount Marapi has shut down airports and blanketed nearby communities on Sumatra island. The nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) volcano in West Sumatra province is about 113 kilometers (70 miles) north of Minangkabau International Airport On Dec. 3, Marapi shot thick columns of

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.N. atomic agency and outside experts say North Korea may have started operating a light-water reactor at its main nuclear complex in a possible attempt to establish a new facility to produce bomb fuels. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General says his agency has

By ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The holiday travel rush hit its peak Friday as mild weather and lower flight cancelation rates raised hopes for merrier drivers and airline passengers than last year. U.S. airlines are predicting a blockbuster holiday season and have projected confidence they can handle the crowds after

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to sign a new executive order aimed at targeting financial facilitators of the Russian defense industry. The order to be signed later on Friday comes as the Kremlin is trying to restock the Russian military’s depleted arsenal after nearly

By WILL GRAVES AP National Writer There were jitters, of course. Considering all that happened, how could there not be? When Simone Biles walked onto the floor at a suburban Chicago arena in late July for her first gymnastics competition in two years, she knew plenty of people were wondering how it was going to

PARIS (AP) — India has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to be the chief guest at the country’s national day celebrations next month. Macron’s office on Friday described the invite as a powerful gesture for the two nations’ ties. The visit for Republic Day on Jan. 26 will be Macron’s third to India as president.

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered in a surprise ruling the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of his party deputies on bail in a case involving alleged corruption. Khan — currently serving a three-year sentence in jail in a graft case — won’t be

BEIJING (AP) — American electric automaker Tesla’s plans to produce energy-storage batteries in China are moving forward with a signing ceremony for the land acquisition for a new factory in Shanghai. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Friday that construction is scheduled to start early next year with production to come on line by the

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Christmas Eve is almost here. But before running out the door for some last-minute gifts or final tree trimmings ahead of Santa’s visit, you might want to double-check the hours of the stores you’re headed to. Business closings on Christmas Eve are less common than

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian deputy foreign minister said talks with the United States on a potential prisoner exchange that would free Americans held in Russia are hampered by publicity and an alleged disparity in the U.S. negotiating stance. The U.S. State Department said last week that Russia rejected several proposals for freeing Paul Whelan,

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — One of the world’s largest electrical vehicle manufacturers, China’s BYD, will open its first European EV production factory in Hungary, the country’s foreign minister said on Friday. The move was the latest step in the Central European nation’s efforts to become a global hub for EV

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA Associated Press BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Local authorities say rebels targeting a security outpost and a village in northern Central African Republic have killed at least 21 people, including children and a soldier. A federal lawmaker who represents the village of Nzakoundou said the assailants attacked a security outpost

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese automaker BYD plans to build a new electric vehicle plant in Hungary, its first car factory in Europe, as part of its rapid global expansion. The company said Friday that Hungary will be the center for its European operations. The factory is to be based

BERLIN (AP) — Pre-Christmas rail travelers in parts of Germany face disruption as a storm sweeps across northern Europe. The weather brought down trees and prompting warnings of flooding on the North Sea coast. A woman was killed in neighboring Belgium by a falling Christmas tree. German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn said Friday there

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense spending will surge more than 16% next year as it accelerates deployment of long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets in China or North Korea. Japan also will further fortify its military with F35 stealth combat jets and other American weapons as Japanese troops increasingly

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s interior minister says security forces have rounded up 304 people suspected of links to the Islamic State extremist group in simultaneous raids. Ali Yerlikaya said Friday the suspects were detained in 32 provinces but the majority were in Turkey’s three largest cities of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The raids were

MADRID (AP) — People across Spain are tuning into the television, radio and internet as children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school begin singing out the prize-winning numbers in Spain’s huge Christmas lottery. The lottery is known as “EL Gordo” (the fat one) and will shell out 400,000 euros ($440,000) to holders of 20-euro tickets bearing

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China has released draft guidelines aimed at curbing excessive spending on online gaming. The proposal caused shares in the biggest Chinese gaming companies, Tencent and NetEase, to plunge in Hong Kong. China’s gaming regulator, the National Press and Publication Administration, issued guidelines saying online games

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Foreign nationals were among at least 14 killed after a student opened fire at a university in Prague, authorities said Friday. More than 20 others were also wounded in one of the Czech Republic’s worst mass shootings. The bloodshed took place on Thursday in the philosophy department

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s chief prosecutor has appealed a court verdict that largely dismantled his theory of a grand conspiracy to defraud the Holy See of millions of euros but found a cardinal guilty of embezzlement. Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi filed his appeal earlier this week, days after the

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Friday after several strong profit reports helped Wall Street claw back most of its sharp losses from day before. Benchmarks fell in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Bangkok but rose in Tokyo and Mumbai. U.S. futures fell while oil

By The Associated Press The U.S. has spent more than $7 billion on humanitarian aid and building infrastructure in the Palestinian territories in recent decades, while sending more than $3 billion a year to Israel for its military. Since war broke out in early October, at least five U.S.-funded community and youth projects in Gaza

By JULIET LINDERMAN, MARTHA MENDOZA and CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press Less than a year before a Hamas attack out of Gaza sparked a war, one of the oldest and largest sports complexes in the Palestinian territories got a much-needed overhaul: brand-new basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, a soccer field, a running track and, for the

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prized free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has agreed to a $325 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports. Yamamoto is set to join Japanese countryman Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, who signed the two-way superstar to a record $700 million, 10-year deal this offseason. The Dodgers did

By COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press A Chicago man who was exonerated of murder has been released from prison after more than 12 years. Darien Harris was convicted in part on the testimony of an eyewitness who was legally blind. Harris’ case is the latest in a dozen exonerations this year in the county that is

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAM MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip say more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas. The figure amounts to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population. It is a new reflection of the staggering cost

By EUGENE GARCIA and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A Pacific storm that pounded California’s coastal areas and stranded motorists is poised to pounce on the southeastern area of the state through Friday. The National Weather Service says showers and thunderstorms will bring flood threats to a sweeping area extending from

By MANUEL VALDES and CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — New federal guidelines that dropped an abstinence requirement before gay men in monogamous relationships can give blood are opening a new pool of potential donors. They include Dylan Smith, an employee at Bloodworks Northwest in Vancouver, Washington, who was himself barred from donating

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s war on Ukraine has created a massive need for prosthetic limbs. An estimated 20,000 Ukrainians had amputations since the war started in February 2022, many of them soldiers who lost arms or legs due to blast wounds. Only a small number of them has been able

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day. A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Presidential campaigns are hoping that an onslaught of themed merchandise will keep their message out under the Christmas tree. Online stores from Republicans, Democrats and independent candidates vying for the presidency in 2024 offer all kinds of branded holiday-themed merchandise, from ornaments and stockings to be

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s major political parties are scheduled to certify presidential contenders to appear on the state’s June 4 primary ballot. That comes amid uncertainty about whether Donald Trump can be barred from contention by any state under anti-insurrection provisions of the Constitution. Party-certified presidential candidates

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — This Congress started with showy bluster, a bitter 15-round, multi-day spectacle to elect a House speaker who vowed to “never quit,” and then did just that. Lawmakers went on to punish their own colleagues with censures and expulsion, launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

By NICK PERRY GILFORD, N.H. For most Americans dreaming of a white Christmas, this year’s prospects aren’t good. Although parts of the Rockies and Midwest already have snow or could get a fresh dusting by Monday, other parts of the country that are normally coated in white by this time of year are still sporting

By SAGAR MEGHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As children around the world eagerly await Santa’s arrival on Christmas, the military is ready to track him and see if he’s using any new technology. The North American Aerospace Defense Command keeps a close watch on Santa and his sleigh from the moment he leaves the

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has rejected a bid by prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai to throw out a sedition charge laid against him. The ruling came Friday on the third day of his landmark national security trial. The 76-year-old Lai was arrested during the city’s crackdown