Month: December 2023

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A Rwandan doctor has been sentenced by a Paris court to 24 years in prison for his role in the 1994 genocide in his home country. Sosthene Munyemana has been found guilty on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and helping prepare a genocide. His lawyers said

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union negotiators have clinched a deal on the main parts of an overhaul of the bloc’s outdated asylum rules. Wednesday’s breakthrough paves the way for a definitive agreement to be reached before EU-wide elections in June. After a night of negotiations, the EU’s Spanish presidency said that envoys from member countries,

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the U.K. as measured by the consumer prices index has eased back to its lowest level in more than two years. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that inflation dropped to 3.9% in the year to November, its lowest level since Sept. 2021, from

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Filmmakers and movie festival organizers from around the world have called on Iranian authorities to drop all charges against two Iranian film directors and lift their travel ban. According to PEN America, Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha had planned to travel to Paris in September for post-production on their

By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks in the U.S., Japan and Germany have risen 20% or more. The U.S. economy grew by more than 5% over the summer. Bitcoin recovered from its “crypto winter” and rose above $40,000. But for all those big numbers, one shrinking number

By PAUL WISEMAN and KEN SWEET AP Business Writers The tide turned against inflation. Artificial intelligence went mainstream — for good or ill. Labor unions capitalized on their growing might to win more generous pay and benefits. Elon Musk renamed and rebranded the social media platform Twitter, removed guardrails against phony or obscene posts and

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The electric car maker’s CEO Elon Musk is staunchly anti-union. The showdown pits Musk against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries. None of Tesla’s workers anywhere in the world

By The Associated Press Asian shares mostly advanced on Wednesday after Wall Street ticked higher amid hopes that Japan’s moves to keep interest rates easy for investors could augur similar trends in the rest of the world. U.S. futures rose while oil prices were virtually unchanged after two days of gains. Building on gains from

Abortion is going to be a major issue in the U.S. again in 2024, the second full year after the nation’s top court ended a right to abortion and making it largely a state issue. After prevailing on seven straight statewide ballot questions, abortion rights supporters are looking to ask voters to enshrine abortion rights

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More than 300 firefighters are battling a blaze on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa for a second day. Emergency services said five firefighters had been injured and two were taken to the hospital. Residents were evacuated from at least one neighborhood overnight into

BY ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian court has ordered Airbnb to pay a 15 million Australian dollar ($10 million) fine, and the accommodation rental company could pay as much again in compensating customers who had been unaware they were being charged in U.S. rather than Australian dollars. Airbnb admitted making

By TAIWO ADEBAYO Associated Press OMO FOREST RESERVE, Nigeria (AP) — Men in dusty workwear trudge through a thicket, making their way up a hill where sprawling plantations lay tucked in a Nigerian rainforest whose trees have been hacked away to make room for cocoa bound for places like Europe and the U.S. Kehinde Kumayon

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press It’s clear when states ban abortion. But in the heart-wrenching situations in a fraction of pregnancies, women and their doctors can be confused about whether exceptions apply. Women who have been denied abortions despite serious health threats or carrying fetuses that were not expected to survive are

By TAIWO ADEBAYO Associated Press OMO FOREST RESERVE, Nigeria (AP) — Habitat for a dwindling population of critically endangered African forest elephants is under threat, a casualty of the world’s appetite for chocolate. Deforestation driven by planting cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, is whittling down Omo Forest Reserve, a protected rainforest in southwestern Nigeria

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press One of Pennsylvania’s leading natural gas companies is poised to drill and frack in the rural community where it was banned for a dozen years for polluting the water supply. Coterra Energy Inc. has won permission from state environmental regulators to drill 11 gas wells underneath a 9-square-mile rectangle in

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press MENANDS, N.Y. (AP) — Kaine is a big, buoyant dog looking for a home. But lately, he’s spending a lot of time at the office. Animal shelters around the U.S. are bursting at the seams amid the rising cost of living, so the gray and white 7-year-old has been staying

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Authorities from Minnesota to Maine are adding Native American language translations to road signs and building facades. The push is part of an effort in some places to revitalize Native languages and draw attention to the fact that Native communities live in these places or have

By JENNIFER PELTZ and DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Some states that stockpiled millions of masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic are now throwing the items away. An Associated Press investigation found that at least 15 states have tossed out some of the PPE items because they are expiring or have

By JENNIFER PELTZ and DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Some states that stockpiled millions of masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic are now throwing the items away. An Associated Press investigation found that at least 15 states have tossed out some of the PPE items because they are expiring or have

By VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press McALLEN, Texas (AP) — How far can a state go to keep migrants out of the U.S.? The answer may soon come out of Texas, where a new law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this week will allow police to arrest migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and

By DÉBORA REY and ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Just days after right-wing populist Javier Milei became Argentina’s president, his government not only announced drastic economic measures that immediately drew criticism, but also warned that it would crack down on any protest blocking the streets. Milei is about to face the

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo is heading to the polls to vote for president as authorities scramble to finalize preparations in an election facing steep logistical and security challenges. Some 44 million people, or almost half the population, are expected to vote. But many including several million displaced by conflict

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has reported its exports fell slightly in November from a year earlier while imports declined nearly 12%. Exports to the rest of Asia were down 4%, while exports to the U.S. rose more than 5%. Shipments to China, Japan’s biggest single overseas market, fell more than 2%. Tepid global demand has

By The Associated Press After blunting Ukraine’s counteroffensive from the summer, Russia is building up its resources for a new stage of the war over the winter, which could involve trying to extend its gains in the east and deal significant blows to the country’s vital infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be hoping

By SHARON JOHNSON Associated Press DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Historic Black communities have dwindled from their once-thriving existence in the United States and efforts to preserve what’s left encounter complicated challenges. The incorporated towns were founded by formerly enslaved people and often had their own churches, schools, stores and economic systems. A decrease in

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Security Council’s adoption of a new U.N. resolution to spur desperately needed aid to Gaza has been bogged down by two issues: a reference to a cessation of hostilities, which the U.S. has opposed, and putting the U.N. in charge of inspecting trucks to

YANGWA, China (AP) — Surrounded by destruction, the relatives of an earthquake victim are mourning her death in temporary shelters and frigid temperatures high in the mountains of northwest China. Ma Lianqiang stood next to the body of his deceased wife, wrapped in blankets, in a tent-like temporary shelter lit by a single overhead light.

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China’s Alibaba Group says its CEO Eddie Wu will head its core e-commerce business, as the company seeks to drive growth and fend off fast-growing online shopping rivals like Pinduoduo. Wu is replacing Trudy Dai, a longtime Alibaba executive who was one of the founding

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A 2021 federal raid on Rudy Giuliani’s home and office was spurred by suspicions that the former New York City mayor had illegally acted as a foreign agent by seeking the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine at the request of

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — An ethnic armed group in northeastern Myanmar has seized a major crossing point for trade along the Chinese border. The border gate in Laukkaing township, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in the northern part of Shan state, became the fifth crossing seized by the group since it launched

By JERRY HARMER and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Naphat Krutthai and Rasithaya Jindasri have been in a committed relationship for eight years, but only now they can consider getting married. Naphat, a transgender man and rights activist, and Rasithaya, a woman, want to formalize their union, as Parliament is set to debate

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former New York Giants running back Derrick Ward has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of robbery. Police say the 43-year-old was arrested Monday in the North Hollywood area. He’s jailed on $250,000 bail. Police haven’t released other details. Ward had an eight-year NFL career. It started with his 2004

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A body found in an open field in 1979 near what is today a busy intersection of the Las Vegas Strip has been identified as a teenager from Ohio. Las Vegas police announced Tuesday that she was 19-year-old Gwenn Marie Story. She was known only as

By HANNAH FINGERHUT and ALI SWENSON Associated Press WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is defending his comments about migrants crossing the southern border, who he had said are poisoning the blood of America. He said at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday that he had not read “Mein Kampf,” referencing

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s attorney general will not seek criminal charges against a Vallejo police officer who fatally shot a man, even though it turned out the gun he carried was fake. Thursday’s announcement by Attorney General Rob Bonta ends his first such review under a new California

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say two Southern California brothers who ran a heroin-delivery operation that took telephone orders from customers using code words like “taco” have been sentenced to 24 years each in federal prison. Julio and Victor Martinez were sentenced Monday for conspiracy to distribute heroin. They pleaded guilty in August

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the public disclosure of the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in a mountain of court documents related to the late-financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying that most of the names were already public and that many had not objected to the release. The order signed Monday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A New York man who served 37 years in prison for the shooting deaths of two people in the 1980s has been released from prison after his conviction was overturned. The Democrat and Chronicle reports Michael Rhynes left the Attica Correctional Facility on Tuesday afternoon following a court appearance in Rochester.

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea and Russia have clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called “a warning counter-measure” to threats from the U.S. and other hostile forces. North

By JOHN HANNA Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says the owner of a Kansas company has pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to illegally export aviation-related technology to Russia. Court records show Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S.

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The mother of a 10-year-old child who was sentenced by a Mississippi judge to three months of probation and a book report for urinating in public has refused to sign his probation agreement and has asked for the charge against her son to be

NEW YORK (AP) — Southwest Airlines and its pilots reached a tentative labor agreement after three-and-a-half years of negotiations, the last of the four major airlines to reach a deal with pilots. The Dallas-based carrier said Tuesday it was pleased to reach the agreement in principle, which it called a “key milestone.” Specific terms of

By MANUEL RUEDA and ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian authorities say two children from the West African nation of Guinea were abandoned in Bogota’s airport and taken into government custody this week after spending several days on their own in the international departures terminal. Colombia’s national immigration department said the children,

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a man accused of slashing people with a large knife while riding a bicycle on a rail trail in Philadelphia is now a person of interest in the cold-case slaying of a medical student that occurred among a series of high-profile sexual assaults two decades ago. Forty-six-year-old Elias Diaz is

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Migrant families and their advocates marched outside New York City Hall on Tuesday to demand Mayor Eric Adams end his plan to limit the number of days newly arrived immigrants can remain in city-run shelters. The late afternoon demonstration at City Hall Park was in response

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Survivors of a massacre in central Mexico told investigators that a group of people turned away from a holiday party returned later with gunmen who killed 11 and wounded 14. Navigio Agustín Gallardo Romero, a Guanajuato state prosecutor, said Tuesday that nine men and two women were killed in the attack

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis says a Federal Elections Commission complaint filed against his presidential campaign is “a farce.” A campaign watchdog group accused DeSantis’ campaign of coordinating in violation of federal law with an outside super PAC. The group Never Back Down is responsible for millions of

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has unanimously confirmed 11 top-ranking military officers. The quick move late Tuesday ends a months-long blockade staged by a single Republican, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Without debate, the Senate swiftly confirmed the officials, including four-star generals. Their promotions had been held up by Tuberville’s protest of the Defense Department’s

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Two former youth counselors charged in the death of a teenager more than three years ago who was restrained at a Michigan youth home have been sentenced to 18 months probation. Battle Creek residents Michael Mosley and Zachary Solis pleaded no contest in March to involuntary manslaughter in the May 1,

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE, Associated Press and RUBENS VALENTE, Agencia Publica JACI-PARANA, Brazil (AP) — Authorities in a western Brazil state are taking aim at deforestation of the Amazon with a slew of lawsuits against slaughterhouses and farmers accused of illegally raising cattle in a protected area. The lawsuits seek millions of dollars for environmental damage

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner

WASHKISH, Minn. (AP) — A light plane carrying ice anglers broke through thin ice as it tried to land on a large lake in northwestern Minnesota. Upper Red Lake is considered one of Minnesota’s premier ice fishing lakes, but the ice remains thin amid warm weather. It’s the same lake where authorities had to rescue