Month: December 2023

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Security Council has voted unanimously to start the withdrawal of the U.N. peacekeeping force from Congo before the end of the year as the conflict-ridden country prepares to elect its next president on Wednesday. The council resolution adopted Tuesday orders “the gradual, responsible and

By MOHAMMED JAHJOUH and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza (AP) — She was born amid war, in a hospital with no electricity in a southern Gaza city that has been bombarded daily. Her family named her al-Amira Aisha — “Princess Aisha.” She didn’t complete her third week before she died, killed in an Israeli

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit police officer has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a 71-year-old man who fell to the ground after he was punched in the face. Daryl Vance of Detroit died in September after three weeks in a hospital. The prosecutor’s office says Vance was punched during a “verbal confrontation”

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Kalen DeBoer landing the job at Washington two years ago seemed to be an unheralded transaction at the time. It has turned out to be a shrewd decision by the Huskies. One might say it’s been perfect. DeBoer was named The Associated Press coach of the

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with murder in the killing of hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas is seeking to be released to house arrest ahead of his trial in June. A Nevada judge on Tuesday set a Jan. 2

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An orange tabby cat named Taters stars in the first video transmitted by laser from deep space, stealing the show as he chases a red laser light. The 15-second video was beamed to Earth from NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, 19 million miles (30 million kilometers)

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says it’s going to waive penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes that total less than $100,000 a year for tax years 2020 or 2021. The agency says nearly 5 million people, businesses and tax-exempt organizations will be eligible for the relief,

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge is expressing strong misgivings about extending a restraining order that is blocking Arlington National Cemetery from removing a century-old memorial there to Confederate soldiers. Judge Rossie Alston said at a hearing in federal court Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia, that he issued the temporary

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Tesla’s recall of more than 2 million of its electric vehicles — an effort to have drivers who use its Autopilot system pay closer attention to the road — relies on technology that research shows may not work as intended. Tesla, the leading manufacturer of EVs,

PENDLETON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina couple has been charged with killing four older family members in a gory 2015 Halloween attack in the victims’ home. Amy and Rosmore “Ross” Vilardi remained jailed Tuesday in Anderson County on four counts of murder each. The case hadn’t been added to the state’s online court records

By SOPHIA TAREEN and CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The death of a 5-year-old migrant boy and reported illnesses in other children has raised fresh concerns about the living conditions and medical care provided for asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago. Four more people living in the same shelter — mostly children — were hospitalized

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Texas man who was part of a romance scam that bilked a Missouri woman out of $1.2 million has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay back a portion of the money. Rotimi Oladimeji of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced Tuesday, one year after he pleaded

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican lawmaker who forced the Universities of Wisconsin to reduce its diversity positions called Tuesday for an in-depth review of diversity initiatives across state government. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos withheld millions of dollars from campuses until regents last week agreed to freeze diversity hires and

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer Aaron Rodgers’ quest to make an improbable return this season for the New York Jets appears over. The 40-year-old quarterback said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday he’s not yet 100% healthy in his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon and

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More than 2,000 workers remain underground for a second day in a protest over pay and benefits at a platinum mine in South Africa. The mine is owned by Implats, which is one of the world’s biggest platinum miners. The firm has suspended work at the mine and calls

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The grand jury indictment of a man charged with killing four University of Idaho students was conducted properly and will stand, a judge has ruled. Bryan Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison

MILAN (AP) — A court in northern Italy has convicted the parents and an uncle of an 18-year-Pakistani woman of murdering her after she refused her family’s demands to marry a cousin in their homeland. The parents were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, and the uncle was handed a sentence of 14 years

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The super PAC supporting Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has launched a television ad targeting Nikki Haley, a move her campaign called a signal that the GOP front-runner is seeking to blunt her rise, particularly in New Hampshire. Haley’s super PAC responded with a New Hampshire ad

By BROOKE SCHULTZ Associated Press/Report for America HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new law taking aim at Philadelphia’s progressive prosecutor creates a new position that diverts some authority from the twice-elected district attorney. The measure creates a new special prosecutor role that has the authority to investigate and prosecute crimes that occur on the city’s

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis political leaders and people connected to a shuttered nursing home are calling for accountability after the facility’s sudden, unannounced closure. Northview Village Nursing Home shut down on Friday, with shuttle buses brought in to take residents to more than a dozen other St. Louis-area

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has protested to Iran after a court ruling implicated the Islamic republic in a plan to attack a synagogue last year. The Duesseldorf state court convicted a German-Iranian man of attempted arson and agreeing to commit arson and sentenced him to two years and nine months in prison. Judges found that

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A state panel says Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right. The commission picked it Tuesday as a replacement for an older design that many Native

By ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Civil rights organizations on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging a new Texas law that would allow police to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally and permit local judges to order them to leave the country. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Austin, came less

MILAN (AP) — An Italian fashion blogger-turned-businesswoman has apologized after being fined 1 million euros by Italy’s anti-trust authority for improperly communicating a charitable contribution tied to sales of a traditional Christmas cake sold with her logo. Chiara Ferragni said she would donate 1 million euros to a hospital in Turin to give “concreteness” to

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group has been sentenced to more than three years behind bars for joining a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol nearly three years ago. Charles Donohoe was the second Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiring with other

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands have returned after a week to the streets in a dozen of major cities across Slovakia to keep protesting a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code. The changes proposed by the coalition government include a proposal to abolish the special

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that prosecutors in Las Vegas can proceed with their criminal case against “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse. Prosecutors accuse Chasing Horse of taking underage wives as the leader of a cult known as The Circle. The 18-count indictment

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor says Republican Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant language is dangerous and dehumanizing. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear says the rhetoric makes it more difficult for Congress to reach a U.S. border security deal. Beshear’s reelection last month in solidly Republican Kentucky raised his national profile. In a

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Advocacy groups say thousands of struggling families in New York City are waiting unacceptably long times to receive emergency food and cash aid. The groups, including The Legal Aid Society, filed a contempt motion Monday in federal court in Manhattan asking a judge to order the city to reduce backlogs

By GISELA SALOMON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami has sentenced a former Haitian senator to life in prison for conspiring to kill Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation. John Joel Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s first provincial elections in a decade saw a relatively low turnout and largely benefitted traditional parties, according to results announced by the country’s election authorities. The Independent High Electoral Commission has said that some 41% of registered voters turned out in Monday’s general voting and special

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the U.S. this year. New estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday show that the South dominated population gains in 2023. The United States added another 1.6 million people, of which more than two-thirds

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Regulators have unanimously approved an additional 6% rate increase to pay for remaining costs at Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Vogtle. The rate increase approved Tuesday is projected to add $8.95 a month to a typical residential customer’s current monthly bill of $157. It would take effect in

BERLIN (AP) — A Syrian man has been convicted of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm over two knife attacks in Germany this year. He was convicted of stabbing a 35-year-old man to death in the western city of Duisburg in April, and attacking four people at a gym nine days later. The court said

By MELINA WALLING Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — For decades, Christmas tree growers and breeders have been preparing for a future of hotter weather and warming soil. People buying their trees may not have noticed a difference in availability this year and may not even in the next couple. But the trees being grown right

PERRY, Ga. (AP) — A man serving prison time for concealing the death of Georgia teacher Tara Grinstead has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in two unrelated rape cases. Houston County court records show that Bo Dukes made a deal with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to two counts of aggravated assault

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press A woman who bought a vase for $3.99 at a Virginia thrift store recently sold it for $107,000. Jessica Vincent said he bought it at a Goodwill outside Richmond and thought it would look nice in her house. But she soon learned the vase was extremely rare. It came from

YORK, Pa. (AP) — A former Pennsylvania death row inmate who spent more than two decades locked up has been released from prison following the dismissal of murder charges in two 1998 killings that he blamed on his brother, who died in prison. Noel Montalvo, who turned 59 Tuesday, was freed Monday after York County

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s military wants to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops to fight Russia’s invasion. But Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he has asked them to spell out their plans in detail on what is “a very sensitive matter.” Only then will Zelenskyy decide

PARIS (AP) — France’s interior minister says parliament members from French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority and a conservative party have found agreement on a divisive immigration bill. The proposed law is meant to strengthen the country’s ability to expel foreigners who are considered undesirable. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised it “an important text which

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company has launched for the first time since a crash in 2022. The New Shepard rocket soared from West Texas on Tuesday, lifting a capsule full of experiments but no people. This time, the capsule made it to the fringes of space, exposing the

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE, Associated Press and RUBENS VALENTE, Agencia Publica Associated Press JACI-PARANA, Brazil (AP) — In an unusual series of legal actions, Brazilian prosecutors have sued multinational meatpacker JBS and three smaller slaughterhouses for allegedly buying cattle directly from illegal ranches in a protected area. The lawsuits include a type of evidence that is

By BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS AP Education Writer ATLANTA (AP) — It’s unclear to Tameka how — or even when — her children became unenrolled from Atlanta Public Schools. But it was traumatic when, in fall 2021, they figured out it had happened. After more than a year of online learning, students were all required to

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A federal scientific agency says the lone remaining offshore wind project in New Jersey with preliminary approval is likely to “adversely affect” whales and other marine mammals, but not seriously harm or kill them. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the Atlantic Shores project,