Month: December 2023

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African police spokesperson says flash floods killed 21 people in the small town of Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province. The floods hit the town on Christmas Day, destroying about 1400 homes, with the death toll expected to rise as an unconfirmed number of people are still

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Two members of Iraqi militia groups have told The Associated Press that three overnight airstrikes on eastern Syria near a strategic border crossing with Iraq killed six Iran-backed militants, The strikes early Saturday on the border region of Boukamal came hours after an umbrella

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli warplanes struck two urban refugee camps in central Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration approved a new emergency weapons sale to Israel despite persistent international cease-fire calls over mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the enclave. Israel

By The Associated Press Russian officials say 32 Ukrainian drones were detected over Russia, a day after Moscow’s 18-hour aerial barrage of Ukraine killed at least 30 civilians. Drones were seen in the skies over Russia’s Moscow, Bryansk, Oryol, and Kursk regions, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement. It did not report any

By RADUL RADOVANOVIC Associated Press BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Bosnian Serbs’ separatist leader is vowing to keep weakening his war-scarred country until it tears apart, despite a pledge by the United States to prevent that. Over 100,000 died in the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995 when Belgrade-backed Bosnian Serbs tried kill and

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — A strong and shallow undersea earthquake has shaken part of Indonesia’s Aceh province, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said Saturday the magnitude 5.9 earthquake was centered 225 miles east of Sinabang, a coastal town in Aceh province at a depth

By MATTHEW BROWN and JOHN FLESHER Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Since passage of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago, more than 1,700 plants, mammals, fish, insects and other species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered with extinction. Yet federal government data reveals striking disparities in how much money

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa frenzy is typically in full force by now. With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses formally usher in the presidential nomination process, White House hopefuls are usually in a heated competition. They fan out across the state and pack as many

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A chaotic year for the House is coming to a close with more Democrats than Republicans deciding to leave the chamber, a disparity that could have major ramifications in next year’s elections. About two dozen Democrats have indicated they won’t seek reelection, with half running for another

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than 700,000 immigrants living illegally in California will gain access to free health care starting Monday under one of the state’s most ambitious coverage expansions in a decade. It’s an effort that will eventually cost the state about $3.1 billion per year and inches California

By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Fuzzy dice finally will be free to dangle in Illinois. Starting Monday, police there no longer will be allowed to pull over motorists solely because they have something hanging from the rearview mirror of the windshield. That means air fresheners, parking placards and, yes, even those

RED LAKE, Minnesota (AP) — Authorities say more than 100 people stranded while fishing on an ice chunk that broke free on a Minnesota river have been rescued. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says the anglers were on an ice floe on Upper Red Lake, northwest of Minneapolis, when they became stranded Friday evening. The

By VINEETA DEEPAK Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Bollywood has made a financial comeback this year worthy of one of its traditional singing-on-top-of-the-hills moments. India’s Hindi language movie industry made an impressive recovery after a pandemic-driven slowdown, audience fatigue with big studio productions and Bollywood megastars, and streaming platforms taking away a large chunk

By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has again vetoed legislation that would have changed the state’s wrongful death statute by letting families recover damages for emotional suffering from the death of a loved one. Hochul declined Friday to sign the Grieving Families Act for the

By JACK DURA Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Local Republican Party leaders of a North Dakota lawmaker’s own district joined calls on Friday for him to step down after his vulgar comments to police earlier this month during his traffic stop and arrest on a charge of drunken driving. In a Facebook statement, the

By The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use. The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 410-foot cargo vessel in the North Pacific Ocean has reported a fire in its cargo hold. The U.S. Coast Guard says the fire is contained but ongoing. They have ordered the Genius Star XI to continue its journey to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The ship was about 225 miles southwest of

A 14-year-old California boy who told police an intruder attacked his family has been arrested on suspicion of killing his parents and severely wounding his 11-year-old sister. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni announced the arrest Friday. He says the boy is suspected of killing his father, Lue Yang, and mother, Se Vang, at the family’s

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Afghan Air Force pilot training for a commercial license in Oregon ignored his flight instructor’s advice to not return to a small airport because of low visibility. The plane later crashed, killing the pilot and the other two passengers on board, according to a preliminary federal report of the

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have told a New York judge that they will not proceed with a second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on charges not in the case presented to a jury that convicted him in November. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland police officer was shot and killed Friday while answering a report of a burglary at a marijuana dispensary, authorities said. The officer was one of several who responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the cannabis business near Jack London Square at about 4:30 a.m., about

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Singer Shirley Bassey, director Ridley Scott and Mary Earps, the goalkeeper for England’s women’s soccer team, have been recognized in the U.K.’s New Year Honors list. The annual announcement celebrates the achievements and services of more than 1,000 people across the country. Other well-known names on the

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Prosecutors are telling a Nevada judge that witnesses may be at risk in the case of a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with killing hip-hop music icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is citing an October jail

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Iowa law banning some books from school libraries and forbidding teachers from discussin LGBTQ+ issues. Judge Stephen Locher granted a preliminary injunction Friday. The law was approved by Iowa legislators and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds early in 2023. It was

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon weekly newspaper has had to lay off its entire staff and halt print after 40 years because its funds were embezzled by a former employee, its editor said, in a devastating blow to a publication that serves as an important source of information in

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Supreme Court of the Canadian province of British Columbia has blocked new provincial laws against public consumption of illegal substances. The ruling imposes a temporary injunction until March 31, with the judge saying “irreparable harm will be caused” if the laws come into force. The Restricting Public Consumption of

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio; former Trump White House staffers Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Govs. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Spencer Cox, R-Utah. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Chicago Mayor

STANFORD, Ky. (AP) — Police in Kentucky found a missing 16-year-old North Carolina girl under a trap door in the bedroom of a 34-year-old man after the man’s mother called authorities to report a domestic dispute between the two. That is according to arrest reports filed by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. When deputies arrived

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump say he may testify at a mid-January trial set to decide how much he owes a columnist for defaming her after she said he sexually abused her three decades ago in a Manhattan department store. The lawyers filed papers in

NEW YORK (AP) — Visitors to Times Square got a small preview of New York City’s famed New Year’s Eve party as the event’s organizers heaved handfuls of colored paper skyward in a promotional event to test their confetti. The actual New Year’s confetti release sees an estimated 3,000 pounds of paper trucked into Midtown,

By The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered a recall of toys sold at Walmart.com containing powerful magnetic balls that could pose a hazard to children if swallowed. The agency said Friday that the balls, which are 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter, exceed federal standards for magnetic

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia is issuing the first checks from a fund established up by the settlement of opioid lawsuits. The Kanawha County Commission says it received a $2.9 million check and plans to discuss how it will be spent at its next meeting on Jan. 11. Last

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s governor is standing firm on his plans to reject $18 million in federal funding to help feed children who might otherwise go hungry while school is out. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen issued a statement Friday defending his decision not to allow the state to

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a U.S. citizen living in Egypt sought to join the al Shabaab terrorist organization and wage violent jihad against America and its allies in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Karrem Nasr, 23, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, was arrested Dec. 14 after flying from Egypt

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s top election official could face an impeachment attempt in the state Legislature over her decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the Republican primary ballot. At least one Republican lawmaker has vowed to pursue impeachment against Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows despite long

DETROIT (AP) — A pair of former Detroit Tigers scouts sued the team, alleging age discrimination over their terminations after the 2020 season. Gary Pellant and Randall Johnson filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit, claiming a shift toward analytics was accompanied by a “false stereotype” that older scouts lacked acumen for newer

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The judge handling the fallout over Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions plans to hold an evidentiary hearing next month. According to a tentative schedule shared by a media liaison for former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal, a three-day hearing is expected to begin