Month: December 2023

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man who was released from jail after he was accused of sending text messages threatening to kill a presidential candidate now faces two more charges that he threatened different candidates. Thirty-year-old Tyler Anderson was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on three

PHOENIX (AP) — Two officials from a rural Arizona county pleaded not guilty to felony charges for delaying the certification of their county’s 2022 midterm election results. Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby had balked for weeks about certifying the results. They didn’t cite problems with election results. But they said they weren’t

By EUGENE GARCIA and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A Pacific storm pounded parts of Southern California on Thursday with heavy rain and street flooding, adding to hassles as holiday travel got underway. The downpours targeted coastal Ventura and Santa Barbara counties northwest of Los Angeles County, swamping areas in the

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Saturday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers already carried significance as the first NFL game to be exclusively streamed on Peacock. The matchup will also feature another milestone as NBC and the NFL announced Thursday morning that the fourth quarter will be commercial free for

NEW DELHI (AP) — Four Indian soldiers have been killed and three others wounded in an ambush by militants fighting against New Delhi’s rule in disputed Kashmir. The Indian military said militants fired at two army vehicles in southern Poonch district late afternoon on Thursday. The area is close to the highly militarized line of

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Nevada and South Carolina next month, two of the earliest states on the Democratic presidential calendar. There she’ll court voters she and President Joe Biden hope to win over. The White House says Harris will meet in Las Vegas with

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Colombian government said Thursday it will try to raise objects from the 1708 shipwreck of the galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of dollars. The 300-year-old wreck, often called the “holy grail of shipwrecks,” has been controversial, because it is both an archaeological and

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Comedian and actor Jo Koy has been tapped to host the Golden Globes, picked by producers for his “infectious energy and relatable humor.” Koy last year saw his “Easter Sunday” become the first big studio movie with an all-Filipino ensemble. He has released five stand-up

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homebuilders are stepping up construction of single-family homes following a steady decline in mortgage rates and broad expectation among economists that home loan borrowing costs will ease further next year. Builders broke ground on single-family homes in November at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the kidnapping of a British businessman and former honorary consul, who was rescued by police after being abducted over the weekend. The prosecutors’ press office said that several units are following some leads after police arrested nine suspects linked to the kidnapping of Colin Armstrong, but it

NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit. The former New York City mayor listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts. Those included hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liabilities, money he owes his lawyers and many millions

BALTIMORE (AP) — Authorities say 15 people have pleaded guilty to participating in a state prison contraband scheme in Maryland. Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office announced this week that the scheme included the use of drones to smuggle drugs, cellphones and other items into the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland. In May, Brown announced

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that soccer’s governing bodies UEFA and FIFA acted contrary to EU competition law by blocking plans for a breakaway Super League. Emboldened by the ruling Thursday, organizers quickly revealed plans for the new competition designed

By SAM METZ and BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Russia is working to strengthen ties to North Africa and spread its narrative about Ukraine and Gaza as the United States’ popularity throughout the Arab World diminishes. As the two wars grind on, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Morocco and Tunisia

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press Initially unsure of which orangutan was the father of a new baby primate, the Denver Zoo decided to have a little fun and turned to former daytime talk show host Maury Povich. Just as he would do on his long-running show, Povich pulled the purported DNA results for 4-month-old

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple has been rebuffed in its latest attempt to untangle a patent dispute that is pushing the company into suspending sales of two popular Apple Watch models as the holiday shopping season wraps up. The International Trade Commission rejected Apple’s bid to get around a late October order revolving around the

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis police are pledging a thorough investigation after a police SUV slammed into a bar. But supporters of the bar question why one of the owners was arrested in the aftermath of the accident, while the officers in the SUV weren’t tested for intoxication. No one was hurt early Monday

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban official says Afghan girls of all ages are allowed to study in Islamic religious schools that are traditionally boys-only. The Taliban have been globally condemned for banning girls and women from education beyond sixth grade, including university. Madrassas are one of the few options for girls after sixth grade

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man with a history of mental health issues who was convicted of killing his wife with a meat cleaver and injuring his mother-in-law will serve at least 27 years in prison. Aita Gurung said it was an accident. A jury convicted him last year of killing his wife in

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFERY and LEE KEATH Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A report released Thursday by the U.N. finds that more than half a million people in Gaza are “starving” because of not enough food entering the territory since the outbreak of war more than 10 weeks ago. “It is a

LONDON (AP) — Angola says it’s leaving the OPEC oil producers cartel, coming after it battled with the group over lower production quotas this year. According to state news agency Angop, the African nation’s oil minister said Thursday that Angola “does not gain anything by remaining in the organization.” The country joined OPEC in 2007.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Workers using cranes have installed two more restored crosses on top of the domes of Kyiv’s 11th-century St. Sophia Cathedral as part of ongoing repair work at the landmark site. The seven golden crosses atop the iconic cathedral’s seven domes became corroded. Officials said they required urgent attention. The cathedral, which

By ELISE RYAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — This year has been good to Gracie Abrams. She released her debut album, opened for Taylor Swift, toured the U.S. and Europe and received her first Grammy nomination. The 24-year-old is up for best new artist. She tells The Associated Press that she wasn’t expecting the

By ADRIANA MORGA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time, but they can also be financially stressful. With gifts, social gatherings and plane tickets home, the costs can start piling up. Household expenses continue to rise and many Americans are expressing concern about their financial futures, according

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — NCAA President Charlie Baker is drawing on lessons learned during his eight years as a Republican governor in a Massachusetts dominated by Democrats as he tries to help the college athletic association navigate increasingly choppy political waters. Baker has floated a proposal that would require schools that

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right government says it will fulfill a commitment to legalize same-sex marriage, sidestepping political dissent and staunch opposition from the country’s influential Orthodox Church. A government spokesman said on Thursday that the legislation would be brought to parliament during the house’s current term, which ends

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer Two-time All-Star Ja Morant will have a chance Thursday night to try to top a perfect ending to the end of his 25-game suspension. The Grizzlies point guard plays his first game in Memphis since that suspension for his social media antics with guns. It’s his first game

By NATHAN GILLES, Columbia Insight PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — From June 25 to July 2, 2021, the Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking heat wave that sent the normally temperate region into Death Valley-like extremes that took a heavy toll on trees as well as people. Seattle and Portland, Ore., recorded their hottest-ever temperatures, reaching 108

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Florida State announces it will hold a board of trustees meeting on Friday and a person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the future of the athletic department and its affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference will be discussed. The person spoke on condition

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has visited Barcelona in an effort to show that his pledge to push through an amnesty for Catalonia’s separatists is paying dividends with the leaders of the politically restive region. Sánchez had to concede the controversial amnesty to win the key

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press The crew of a Philadelphia television news helicopter had filmed a Christmas lights display before crashing into the forest in southern New Jersey, an investigator said Thursday. Todd Gunther, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters near the crash site that WPVI’s Chopper 6 took off from

NEW YORK (AP) — Honda Motor’s American arm is recalling more than 2.5 million vehicles in the U.S. due to a fuel pump defect that can increase risks of engine failure or stalling while driving. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the fuel pump impeller used for in 2017-2020 Acura

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — The human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Myanmar military of indiscriminate killings and using banned cluster munitions in response to the offensive launched by a coalition of ethnic militias in the northeast and and the west of the country. Amnesty says the military should be investigated for war

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ interior minister says the east Mediterranean island nation is the first European Union member country to repatriate more migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected than have arrived in a single year. Constantinos Ioannou told the state broadcaster Thursday that over 11,000 migrants have been repatriated so far this year.

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech police say a shooting in downtown Prague has killed an unspecified number of people and wounded others. Police gave no details about the victims or the circumstances of Thursday’s gunfire in the Czech Republic’s capital. They say officers were deployed due to a shooting at a school in Jan Palach Square.

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s leader has slashed the fees during the holiday season for several public transport routes in half and offered free train rides, hoping to temporarily ease some of the economic hardship caused by his government’s austerity measures. The measures start on Thursday and will last through

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump touts his transformation of the U.S. Supreme Court as one of his presidency’s greatest accomplishments. Now his legal and political future may lie in the hands of the court he pushed to the right. With three Trump-appointed justices leading a conservative

LONDON (AP) — High winds from Storm Pia have disrupted holiday travel in northern areas of the U.K. Flights were grounded, train service was suspended and ferries stopped running to islands off Scotland’s west coast on Thursday. A gust of 115 miles per hour (185 kilometers per hour) was recorded on a summit in the

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer In “Occupied City,” a young woman with an even voice narrates Nazi encounters and crimes throughout Amsterdam during World War II. The accounts go address by address, and so does director Steve McQueen’s camera. Only the images that play throughout “Occupied City” are of modern day Amsterdam. In the

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Zach Robinson spent decades trying to fight off nightmares about being raped as a child at New Hampshire’s youth detention center. He died last month, still waiting for accountability for his alleged abusers. “I know that I’ll never forget about what happened,” he said in early

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank has cut its key interest rate to help the country’s struggling economy. The drop by a quarter of a percentage point brought the interest rate to 6.75%. It was for the first time the bank dropped the rate since June 22 last year. After inflation in the

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says he accepted an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy to hold a bilateral meeting in the future. Speaking at a news conference in Budapest on Thursday,  Orbán said Zelenskyy requested discussions on Ukraine’s ambitions to join the European Union. Such

By ABBY SEWELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The World Bank says the ripple effects of the war in Gaza are likely to knock Lebanon’s fragile economy back into recession. Lebanon had been making a tepid recovery after years of crisis. Before the outbreak of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, the World Bank

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Women’s rights activists are criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for appearing to side with actor Gérard Depardieu by saying the film star who is facing sexual misconduct allegations “makes France proud.” Speaking on TV channel France 5, Macron described himself as a “big admirer” of a “great

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli police say 19 Israeli prison guards are under investigation in the death of a 38-year-old Palestinian security prisoner. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, says the prisoner was found with “severe signs of violence” on his body and died Nov. 18 at the Ketziot prison in the southern