Month: December 2023

by The Associated Press Australians and New Zealanders are making final preparations to become among the first nations to ring in 2024 as ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza cast a pall over celebrations. Rain in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland is expected to ease by midnight when downtown Sky Tower erupts with fireworks as

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s Republican leaders are calling for a short 2024 session focused on “fine-tuning” policy. But with the approaching 2024 general election and following landmark conservative legislation in recent years that included a near-total ban on abortion and a law that restricts the use of students’ preferred pronouns

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois will usher in 320 new laws on New Year’s Day. The production or purchase of a semi-automatic weapon will be prohibited, and employers will be required to allow paid vacation for any reason. Other laws include a prohibition on libraries banning books, bans on

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage showing a deputy fatally shooting a 27-year-old Black woman in her apartment. The woman called authorities to report a domestic violence incident. Deputies later arrived at her apartment building in Lancaster. Police say that as the woman let deputies

By RICHARD VOGEL and SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press/Report for America VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Southern California’s Ventura County issued a temporary evacuation warning for some residents living along the coast due to high surf. Officials warned that powerful waves, expected to reach up to 20 feet (6 meters) high, were forecast near a stretch of

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists as the Detroit Pistons ended their NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. The Pistons, who hadn’t won since Oct. 28, matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28,

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will launch three additional military spy satellites and build more nuclear weapons. North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said Sunday that Kim made the comments during a key ruling party meeting meant to set state objectives

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paula Abdul has filed a lawsuit accusing former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the reality competition show. The lawsuit also accuses Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul after she left the show and became a judge in 2015

MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and Venezuela say they have restarted repatriation flights of Venezuelans migrants in Mexico. Saturday’s announcement is the latest move by countries in the region to take on a flood of people traveling north to the United States. It also comes as a migrant caravan of thousands

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press A fake swatting call was made Friday night to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. The Maine Department of Public Safety says a man called emergency services saying he broke into a house in Manchester, which turned out to be Bellows’ home. No one was home at

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s chancellor is using his New Year’s speech to call on his country’s citizens not to lose confidence in the future as they adapt to a world experiencing multiple crises and changing at an ever-faster pace. In the prerecorded speech to be broadcast Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York police sergeant is believed to have fatally shot his wife and two sons before taking his own life inside their suburban home. Police say they discovered the bodies of Watson Morgan, Ornela Morgan and their two sons, ages 10 and 12, while carrying

MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela says it will continue to deploy nearly 6,000 troops until a British military vessel sent to neighboring Guyana leaves the waters off the coast of the two South American nations. It is the latest in mounting tensions between Venezuela and the former British colony. The century-old

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna is heading to UAB in an attempt to resurrect his football career. Kitna has been admitted to the school after serving six months of probation as part of a plea deal that included dismissal of five felony child pornography charges. Kitna received six months of probation

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith is urging a federal appeals court to reject former President Donald Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution. His team says in a brief filed Saturday that the idea that Trump cannot be held to account for crimes in office “threatens the

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard said a large cargo ship with an active fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames. There were no injuries to the 19 crew members

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley finally got her wish to see Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark, catching the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes in between campaign stops. Haley walked into the Iowa City arena on Saturday alongside her son, Nalin, and was wearing an Iowa button on her

Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Court records show that Indianapolis Colts tight end Drew Ogletree was arrested Friday on domestic violence charges. The 25-year-old Ogletree was charged with domestic battery committed in the physical presence of a child less than 16 years old and domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury. Both are felonies. The

China will soon ease visa restrictions for people visiting from the United States. Starting Jan. 1, American tourists can visit the country without submitting round-trip air tickets, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China. The move is the latest effort by China to attract foreign travelers since reopening its borders earlier this year.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli woman who recently returned from captivity in Gaza says she was groped by her Palestinian kidnapper and lived in constant fear for weeks. Mia Schem, a 21-year-old dual citizen of Israel and France, had been attending a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants burst across

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A powerful earthquake has shaken Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake early Sunday was centered 162 kilometers (101 miles) northeast of Abepura, a subdistrict in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. It

LONDON (AP) — Tom Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in “The Full Monty,” “Michael Clayton” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” has died, his family said. He was 75. A statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said Wilkinson died suddenly at home on Saturday. It didn’t provide

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press CHRISTIANSTED, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — The top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East says Yemen’s Houthi rebels are showing no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. But Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview on Saturday

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Consulting firm McKinsey and Co. has agreed to pay $78 million to settle claims from insurers and health care funds that its work with drug companies helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis. The agreement was revealed late Friday in documents filed in federal court in San Francisco. The settlement

NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of thousands of New Yorkers, tourists and celebrities are expected to pack into Times Square on Sunday for the annual New Year’s Eve bash. In recent days, organizers have readied heaps of confetti, the giant 2024 sign, and the glittering ball that will descend from its pole as the clock

By The Associated Press Texas and Washington will meet in the Sugar Bowl for a chance to play in the national championship game. The unbeaten and second-seeded Huskies are Pac-12 champions and led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback. Quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns won the Big 12 title. The two

MILAN (AP) — The Italian city of Venice has announced new limits on the size of tourist groups. Starting in June, groups will be limited to 25 people. The city also is banning the use loudspeakers. The moves are the famed canal city’s latest efforts to reduce the pressure of mass tourism. The local government

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat in Poland says Moscow won’t provide any explanations about an unidentified object that briefly entered Poland’s airspace until it receives evidence that shows the object was a Russian missile. Poland’s defense forces said an unknown object traveled 40 kilometers (24 miles) into the country’s airspace Friday from the

BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government says that it is giving the country’s world-famous Vienna Boys Choir 800,000 euros ($884,000) to help it out of severe financial difficulties. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Saturday that “it goes without saying that we will rescue them from their financial plight.” The choir had been struggling with rising

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer The New Year is almost upon us. And as the world prepares to ring in 2024, many are winding down from the holidays and getting back into their regular routines (give or take some fresh resolutions). If you’re planning on grabbing groceries or doing some other shopping to kick

Associated Press The tradition of Watch Night services in the United States dates back to Dec. 31, 1862, when many Black Americans gathered in churches and other venues, waiting for President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation into law, and thus free those still enslaved in the Confederacy. It’s still being observed each New

BY AYANNA ALEXANDER and GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Activists who engage with voters of color are finding lackluster enthusiasm after disappointments on some issues such as voting rights and student loan forgiveness during President Joe Biden’s term. And that could have consequences in competitive states in the 2024 election. So voting advocacy

BY AYANNA ALEXANDER and GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Activists who engage with voters of color are finding lackluster enthusiasm after disappointments on some issues such as voting rights and student loan forgiveness during President Joe Biden’s term. And that could have consequences in competitive states in the 2024 election. So voting advocacy

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani election officials have rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan as a candidate in the country’s February parliamentary election. His lawyers have said they will appeal. Khan is the country’s most popular opposition figure but he’s in prison serving a three-year sentence for corruption. That disqualifies him from running for national

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court has ordered house arrest for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being investigated for possible corruption. The judge at the Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which covers cases involving senior officials and politicians, accepted prosecutors’

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes. But industry data shows thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China. The rise in new products continues despite a record number of vaping shipments seized at U.S. ports in recent months.

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people have rallied in Serbia’s capital, chanting “Thieves!” and accusing the populist authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic of orchestrating a fraud during the recent general election. The big rally in central Belgrade on Saturday capped nearly two weeks of street protests against reported widespread

By SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s presidential candidates have expressed desire for peaceful relations with Beijing, which has described Jan. 13 elections on the self-ruled island as a choice between war and peace and stepped up harassment of the territory it claims as own. William Lai, the frontrunner and currently Taiwan’s

LONDON (AP) — Eurostar services to and from London have been canceled after a tunnel under the River Thames became flooded due to heavy rain, disrupting festive travel plans for scores of people. Dozens of travelers trying to get across the English Channel were stranded at London’s St. Pancras International station and the Gare du

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Climate activists have blocked part of the main highway around Amsterdam near the former headquarters of ING bank. They’re protesting the bank’s financing of fossil fuels. Amsterdam Municipality says that traffic authorities closed part of the road early Saturday afternoon and diverted traffic “to prevent a life-threatening situation.” It’s the latest road