Month: December 2023

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s National Theatre announced that Indhu Rubasingham will be the next artistic director of the United Kingdon’s pre-eminent public stage company. Rubasingham will be the first woman and first person of color to lead the National. She currently runs the small but influential Kiln Theatre in north London. She will join as

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police have arrested two people who jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the chamber of the lower house of Parliament. It was a major security breach on the anniversary of a deadly 2001 attack on the complex. Speaker Om Birla said Wednesday two accomplices also were arrested outside the chamber.

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say the suicide bomber who rammed his car into a police station’s main gate in Pakistan’s northwest used about 264 pounds of explosives. The attack — one of the deadliest in months — killed 23 officers and wounded 32 others on Tuesday. The assault — which also

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The International Monetary Fund executive board has approved the release of the second tranche of a bailout package to help Sri Lanka recover from the worst economic crisis in its history. The fund says that the approval Tuesday to release $337 million came after Sri

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A top Turkish referee has been discharged from a hospital days after he was punched by the president of a top-flight soccer club. The attack resulted in the Turkish Football Federation suspending all league games. Referee Halit Umut Meler was attacked by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca on Monday. Fans who

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s peace minister has been fired and arrested for having alleged links to an outlawed rebel group after he made a series of social media posts criticizing the government. Federal police released a statement Tuesday accusing Taye Dendea of “collaborating with anti-peace forces that are trying to destroy Ethiopia” and

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least seven Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush in Gaza City, Israeli media reported Wednesday, as the army continued to meet heavy resistance in an offensive against Hamas that has drawn international outrage and rare U.S. criticism over

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica of St. Mary Major, not in the grottoes of the Vatican like other popes. He says that is so he can be near his favorite icon of the Madonna. Francis, who turns 87 on Sunday, also said he never thought

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is hitting hundreds of people and firms around the globe with new economic and diplomatic sanctions as the U.S. targets third-country contributors that are equipping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions stretch from Russia to China to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been sworn in by the president in a ceremony where each of his ministers was also taking the oath of office. The swearing-in ceremony of the pro-European Union government on Wednesday morning marks the final step in a transition of power that has

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state news agency says authorities have executed a bank guard who was convicted of fatally shooting a senior cleric in April following months of unrest. Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was the most senior member of the clergy who was killed after protests and a bloody security crackdown on demonstrators. The

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday ahead of a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates. Benchmarks declined in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul but rose in Tokyo and Sydney. U.S. futures edged higher while oil prices slipped. The Bank of Japan’s quarterly “tankan”

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two missiles fired from territory held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels missed a commercial tanker near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, That’s according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. An American warship also shot down

By JERRY HARMER Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand has convicted and sentenced a recently elected lawmaker to six years in prison for defaming the monarchy under a controversial law that guards the royal institution. Rukchanok Srinork arrived Wednesday at the court building in the capital, Bangkok, while her fellow lawmakers were

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese aerospace company COMAC has showcased its domestically-developed C919 passenger jet in Hong Kong, giving officials and media a close-up look at the narrow-bodied aircraft. A welcome ceremony for the C919 and another Chinese-made jet, the ARJ21, was held at the Hong Kong international airport on

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has reached a solution to a budget crisis triggered by a court ruling last month. German news agency dpa reported that the leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition came to an agreement early Wednesday. They had been wrangling over money since Germany’s highest court annulled a decision to

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has met with Vietnam’s prime minister and the head of the country’s National Assembly on the second day of his visit to shore up Beijing’s relationship with Hanoi. Xi met with Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday, and they announced

By JUSTIN KABUMBA and KRISTA LARSON Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s presidential election is a week away, and the major issue is the deadly conflict in the nation’s east that has forced millions of people to flee their homes. There are concerns that the violence will affect election logistics, but electoral officials say

By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — In a bedroom in Malaysia that has become a prison, the 14-year-old girl wipes away tears as she sits cross-legged on the concrete floor. It is here, she says, where her 35-year-old husband rapes her nearly every night. Last year, the Rohingya girl sacrificed herself

By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — In a bedroom in Malaysia that has become a prison, the 14-year-old girl wipes away tears as she sits cross-legged on the concrete floor. It is here, she says, where her 35-year-old husband rapes her nearly every night. Last year, the Rohingya girl sacrificed herself

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A towering new tower aiming for the vibe of Miami Beach’s venerable Fontainebleau resort is opening on the Las Vegas Strip. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas opens to guests and gamblers just before midnight Wednesday after sitting unfinished for more than a decade. After starting it, losing

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is weighing whether to strike down local abortion bans and restrictions by conservative cities and counties at the request of the state attorney general. Oral arguments are scheduled for Wednesday at the high court. The state’s abortion laws are among

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is pushing toward a vote to authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden formally. This comes as Republicans rally behind the charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The Bank of Japan’s quarterly survey on business sentiment shows large Japanese manufacturers have grown more optimistic in the past several months. It was the third straight quarter of improvements even as the economy contracted in the July-September quarter. The BOJ’s “tankan” quarterly survey measured business

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — One of President Joe Biden’s favorite stories is about his first international summit after taking office, when he declared that “America is back” in the wake of Donald Trump’s erratic and isolationist leadership. “For how long?” responded one of the other leaders in the room. It’s a

By MATT BROWN and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — About 7 in 10 Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and only about 1 in 10 believe democracy is working “extremely” or “very” well, according to a new poll from AAPI Data

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli soldiers rummaging through private homes in Gaza. Forces destroying plastic figurines in a toy store, or trying to burn food and water supplies in the back of an abandoned truck. Troops with their arms slung around each other, chanting racist slogans as they dance in a

By CARA ANNA Associated Press Many sentiments are universal. Many words are not. As 2023 ends, The Associated Press reached out to colleagues around the world for terms that emerged this year and seized or crystalized the popular mood. Some were newsy, some cultural. A couple were kind of delightful. Whatever the language, the emotions

By JACK DURA Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Funeral services will be held Wednesday for a North Dakota sheriff’s deputy killed in a crash involving a U.S. senator’s adult son, who was having a mental health crisis. Deputy Paul Martin was 53 years old and leaves behind a wife, three children and four grandchildren.

BEIJING (AP) — Schools and highways have been closed and some train services suspended as a snowstorm hits parts of northern and central China for the second time this week. A steady, blowing snow began falling in the late morning on Wednesday in the Chinese capital, Beijing, where authorities closed schools and some scenic spots

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dengue is sweeping across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980 as experts warn that rising temperatures and rapid urbanization are accelerating the pace of infections. A record more than 4 million cases have been reported throughout the Americas

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Will the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate sometime next year — and, if so, by how much? Wall Street investors have been obsessed with such questions since a top Fed official hinted last month that rate cuts were at least possible as early as

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Donald Trump “flip-flipped” on abortion, overreached in response to COVID-19 and failed to uphold his campaign pledge to get Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern U.S. border. DeSantis stepped up his case against Trump during a CNN town hall in Iowa

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza is being dropped from a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged she was raped by San Diego State University football players in 2021, it was announced Tuesday. The woman agreed to dismiss Araiza from the lawsuit she filed last year while Araiza agreed to

By SETH BORENSTEIN, JON GAMBRELL, JAMEY KEATEN and SIBI ARASU Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A somewhat stronger and revamped proposal that calls for an eventual end to fossil fuel use was presented early Wednesday to negotiators at the United Nations climate summit known as COP28, after the conference presidency’s initial document

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — State media say senior North Korean economic officials have met with the governor of a Russian region along the Pacific coast for discussions on boosting economic cooperation between the countries. The meeting came as concerns have grown in South Korea that North Korea may be

BRISBANE, Austrtalia (AP) — Powerful winds have begun uprooting trees on the northeast Australian coast as Tropical Cyclone Jasper gathered strength while approaching. Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles says Jasper is forecast to intensify from a category 1 storm to category 2 on a 5-tier scale before it becomes the first cyclone of the

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A military-themed brewery will open in Virginia despite some community opposition. The pushback among some residents in Norfolk was over the alleged racist and homophobic remarks of a former Navy SEAL who has a small ownership stake in the business. Norfolk’s City Council voted Tuesday to

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor best known for his roles on the series “Homicide: Life on The Street” and “Brooklyn 99,” died Monday at age 61. Braugher’s publicist Jennifer Allen told The Associated Press the actor died after a short illness. The Chicago-born actor had his breakthrough role in 1989’s “Glory,”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Kyiv has resulted in multiple injuries and has damaged buildings. A series of loud explosions could be heard in Kyiv at 3 a.m. Wednesday as air defenses were activated in the city for the second time this week. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Kitschko says

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (AP) — A former Southern California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail after being accused of sexually abusing students has been acquitted of all charges. His attorneys say Pedro Martinez of Hesperia, who’s been jailed since January 2019, was found not guilty on Monday on all 10 counts against him.

NEW YORK (AP) — A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled. Cait Corrain’s novel “Crown of Starlight” had been scheduled to come out next year through Del Rey, a science fiction and

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five years after a fatal accident, federal officials are proposing modifications and additional inspections to the engine housing of nearly 2,000 Boeing jets in the U.S. The proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday largely follows recommendations that Boeing made to airlines in July. The FAA wants airlines to replace fasteners

By MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Lawyers for three Washington state officers charged in the death of a Black man say Manuel Ellis died from drugs, not excessive force. Wayne Fricke is a lawyer representing Tacoma police Officer Christopher Burbank. In his closing arguments Tuesday, he alleged that Ellis was addicted to

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that appeared to some to reference Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The images for a line of jackets included what the company called “unfinished sculptures” in an artistic context. But some online critics said an image depicting a model holding a

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Current and former inmates of the Alabama prison system have filed a lawsuit challenging the prison labor program. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court says prisoners are forced to work for little and sometimes even no pay in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. They called it a

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Mexican gray wolf that traveled far beyond the boundaries set in the Southwestern U.S. for managing the endangered species is back in captivity after being captured Saturday in northern New Mexico. And now U.S. wildlife managers are playing match maker. They’re hoping the female

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The people who sued to overturn Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are attacking plans that Republican state lawmakers claim cure illegal dilution of Black votes while preserving GOP power. The three sets of plaintiffs on Tuesday asked the federal judge overseeing the case to reject Georgia’s proposed