Month: December 2023

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but still remained at historically low levels despite high interest rates. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims were up by 2,000 to 205,000 the week that ended Dec. 16. The four-week average

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has spoken with his Chinese counterpart. It is the first of what officials say will be renewed talks between the two nation’s senior military leaders, as the Biden administration works to thaw relations with Beijing. The

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Employees at a Wells Fargo bank in New Mexico have voted to unionize, the first time that workers at a major U.S. bank have attempted to organize in the modern era. The vote comes after a series of extraordinary gains for unions in the U.S., with organized labor sealing

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press HOMESTEAD, Florida (AP) — Snuggling on the sofa across from the Christmas tree, Sol proudly showed off the dog her foster parents gave her for earning all A’s even though she crossed the southern U.S. border knowing very little English. “They helped me a lot,” said the 14-year-old eighth grader.

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has paid the final tranche of a multibillion-euro support package to Ukraine to help keep its war-ravaged economy afloat this year. It’s unclear what financial help the EU might provide the country from January almost two years into the war. Hungary is blocking a

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — A Dutch man who was convicted in British Columbia of charges including extortion and harassment related to a Canadian teenager who took her own life after he blackmailed her online has had his sentence cut by an Amsterdam court from 13 years to six. Aydin Coban wasn’t

BERLIN (AP) — Martin Scorsese will be honored for his lifetime achievement at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Organizers said Thursday that the 81-year-old director will be given an honorary Golden Bear on Feb. 20. Scorsese’s extensive work ranges from decades-old classics such as “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” to this year’s “Killers

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s main opposition group has urged the European Union to help open an international investigation into reported irregularities during last weekend election which have caused political tensions in the troubled Balkan nation seeking EU membership. The Serbia Against Violence group said in a letter sent Thursday

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank has hiked its key interest rate by 2.5 percentage points as part of its efforts to combat high inflation that has left many households struggling to afford essential items. The bank raised its benchmark rate to 42.5% on Thursday. It was its seventh interest rate hike in a

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Human rights activists say Pakistan’s police used water cannons, swung batons, and arrested dozens of activists overnight when they tried to enter Islamabad for a protest. The police action started before dawn Thursday when the protesters completed a nearly 1,000-mile-long convoy and tried to enter the capital

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican leader of Wisconsin’s Assembly who had threatened possible impeachment of a new liberal state Supreme Court justice over her views on redistricting now says such a move is “super unlikely.” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos originally threatened to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she did

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says Republicans plan to unveil a proposal soon to legalize medical marijuana in the state and could vote on it sometime in 2024. Republicans have been working behind closed doors for years on a medical marijuana bill. Along the way, they

By HARM VENHUIZEN Associated Press/Report for America MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s top Republican wants to let voters decide whether to shorten the length of time that pregnant women can legally seek abortions. Current state laws allow abortions up until 20 weeks of pregnancy. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Wednesday that he wants to

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years. Before the two-way superstar signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers this month, he put together another incredible season for Japan’s national team at the World

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — America’s automakers have staked their futures on the notion that electric vehicles will dominate sales in the coming years, spurred by buyers determined to reduce carbon emissions and save on fuel. But so far, while EV sales are growing, their pace is falling well short of

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has urged Vatican bureaucrats to avoid “rigid ideological positions” that prevent them from understanding today’s reality. Francis gave his annual Christmas greeting on Thursday just days after he formally allowed priests to bless same-sex couples in a radical change of Vatican policy. He encouraged the

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 accused of corruption. Opposition lawmakers inside the hall boycotted the vote and tried to disrupt the session by collecting chairs and flares, but

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenian police say a passenger train has struck a group of maintenance workers on the tracks and killed two of them injured four others. The official STA news agency said that the collision happened near the southwestern town of Postojna at around 9 a.m. Wednesday. The report says the injured workers

BEIJING (AP) — Hundreds of temporary housing units are being set up in northwest China for survivors of an earthquake that destroyed more than 14,000 homes and killed at least 135 people. State broadcaster CCTV showed footage Thursday of cranes lifting white, box-like housing units and lining them up in an open field in a

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. says fighting between Sudan’s military and a notorious paramilitary group forced up to 300,000 people to flee their homes in a province that had been a safe haven for families displaced by the country’s devastating conflict. The fighting erupted in the city of Wad Medani

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo is entering its second day of voting after a chaotic rollout and lengthy delays forced the election’s extension. Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote for Congo’s next president. But many, including several million displaced by conflict in

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top court has ruled in a landmark decision for the future of soccer’s club competitions that UEFA and FIFA acted contrary to EU competition law in blocking plans for the breakaway Super League. The case was heard last year at the court after Super League failed at a launch in April

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — You found the perfect holiday gift online. You ordered it. A notification arrived on your phone, showing the package had arrived. But when you open your doors, the parcel is nowhere to be found. If this happened to you, then count yourself as part of

By The Associated Press Asian shares fell Thursday after Wall Street hit the brakes on its big rally following disappointing corporate profit reports and warnings that the market had surged too far, too fast. U.S. futures rose while oil prices dipped as data showed an unexpected increase in U.S. inventories. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index fell

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Dozens of opposition lawmakers suspended from Parliament by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for obstructing proceedings have held a protest accusing the government of throttling democracy in the country. They briefly marched outside the Parliament building in New Delhi on Thursday behind a huge “Save

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the country will maintain military pressure on the Philippines amid a dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea that could involve U.S. forces defending their treaty partner. In a phone conversation with his Philippine counterpart Enrique A. Manalo, Wang “warned that if the

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media are reporting that an accident in a coal mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province has left 12 people dead and 13 injured. The coal workers were in a mining cart underground that ran off the tracks, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday afternoon in Jixi city in

By JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — A Texas prosecutor says a criminal investigation into police failures during the Uvalde school shooting will continue into 2024. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell’s remarks earlier this week pushed back expectations that a grand jury would convene before the end of the year. Mitchell says her

PERTH, Australia (AP) — A wildfire burning out of control on the outskirts of the Australian west coast city of Perth appears to have destroyed or damaged a number of homes. An emergency warning was issued for the eastern suburb of Parkerville where the fire started on Thursday morning. The alert warned that the fire

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top court has ordered two Japanese companies to financially compensate more of their wartime Korean workers for forced labor. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel Corp. must give compensation to a total of 11 workers who were

By PATRICK ORSAGOS Associated Press TROY, Ohio (AP) — More than five years ago, someone left a kitten with twisted back legs at a Missouri animal shelter. The cat was transferred to specialists in Iowa who amputated her left hind leg. She was soon after adopted by a woman who lost her left leg after

By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — To look is to be charmed. Amused. Saddened. Horrified. Amazed. Inspired. Photographers chronicling life in North America in 2023 captured images that evoked all the emotions, from the giddy silliness of people racing in inflatable dinosaur costumes to the wrenching sorrow of a vigil for victims

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has moved over 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelter in the last year. Dozens of drug-plagued street encampments have been cleared. But the encouraging data are just a start, and it’s possible the number of homeless people in the

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press The year started with high hopes for Ukrainian troops planning a counteroffensive against Russia. It ended with a disappointing stalemate on the battlefield, and anxiety about the future of Western aid for Ukraine’s war effort. In between, there was a foiled rebellion in Russia, a dam collapse in Ukraine, a

By YAYAN ZAMZAMI and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities have detected at least five boats packed tight with Rohingya refugees approaching the shores of Aceh province. The boats are the latest in a surge of vessels that have arrived in Aceh, most carrying Rohingya refugees from southern Bangladesh where

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A romance that united sports and music fans, a celestial wonder that drew millions of eyes skyward and a spiritual homecoming for some Native American tribes were just some of the moments that inspired us and brought joy in 2023. In a year that saw

By JOSH FUNK and MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press FORT CALHOUN, Neb. (AP) — Two brutal killings in four months have left 1,100 residents in a tiny corner of eastern Nebraska reeling. Many in Fort Calhoun are questioning whether they’re still insulated from the violence they see in the state’s largest city and elsewhere. But

By DEL QUENTIN WILBER, ED WHITE and MADDY PEAK Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — DeAngelo Martin killed four women and raped two others over a 16-month span before he was captured. Only now, a year after Martin was sent to prison, is it clear that police failed repeatedly to follow up on leads or take

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States, key allies and Arab nations are engaging in high-level diplomacy in hopes of avoiding another U.S. veto of a new U.N. resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza ahead of a long-delayed vote now scheduled for Thursday morning. The U.S. has been

By ED WHITE, DEL QUENTIN WILBER and MADDY PEEK Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The serial killer lured women one by one into vacant homes to be murdered, posing their nude or partially clothed corpses amid cheap booze pints, crumbling sheetrock and hypodermic needles. The slayings set Detroit on edge, prompting authorities to dispatch crews

By CHEVEL JOHNSON RODRIGUE and STEPHEN SMITH Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At 19 months old, Elijah Jack, born with no femur bone in one leg and a short femur in the other, is unable to walk on his own like most toddlers his age. Another 19-month-old, Freya Baudoin, born prematurely at 28 weeks

By ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press TUNJA, Colombia (AP) — Mikhail Krasnov, a Russian-born professor of economics, this year became the mayor of Tunja, a city in Colombia’s Andean highlands. The 45-year-old blond and green-eyed professor prevailed in the elections by promising to stamp out corruption and embrace more meritocracy in the city government, where jobs

By BILL BARROW Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Some top Democrats are worried that a dip in Black voter turnout, along with other challenges, could doom President Joe Biden and his party in 2024. A group of Democrats is offering a new analysis of the most recent campaigns in Georgia and Michigan. They say Democratic

By TRISHA THOMAS Associated Press POMPEII, Italy (AP) — A new project inside the Pompeii archaeological site is reviving ancient textile dyeing techniques to show another side of daily life before the city was destroyed by a volcano in 79 A.D. The inspiration comes from frescoes unearthed inside the archaeological site that show winged cupids

By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid grueling negotiations between senators and the White House, the contours of a bipartisan border security and immigration deal are beginning to take shape. The package is central to unlocking stalled aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities. Among the

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer Holiday travel is expected to hit its peak right around now. Airlines are confident they can handle the crowds, but it could come down to the weather. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the government will be holding the airlines accountable to operate smoothly and treat passengers well if there

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles says his government will send 11 military personnel to support a U.S.-led mission to protect cargo shipping in the Red Sea but will not send a warship or plane. The United States has announced that several nations are creating a new

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Three trafficked Sumatran orangutans have been sent back from Thailand to Indonesia as part of a joint effort between the countries to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. Nobita and Shizuka, both 7 years old, and Brian, 5 years old, had been living at a wildlife sanctuary in

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has heard diverging arrguments over a request to block what would be the nation’s first execution by nitrogen gas. Attorneys for Alabama inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith asked for a preliminary injunction stopping his Jan. 25 execution by nitrogen hypoxia. They say the method

CHICAGO (AP) — Hundreds of migrants and other people have turned out for a vigil held for a 5-year-old migrant boy who died after becoming ill in a Chicago shelter. Jean Carlos Martinez was a resident at a shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood when he suffered a medical emergency. He was pronounced dead shortly after