Month: December 2023

By EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — Young people have been at the forefront of environmental and climate change movements in recent years: initiatives like school strikes for climate action, protests at United Nations climate talks and around the world, and local clean ups have often been youth-led. When it comes to waste

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nicki Minaj’s highly anticipated fifth studio album, “Pink Friday 2,” is here. Out Friday, on her 41st birthday, the 22-track “Pink Friday 2” is Minaj’s first full-length release in five years. The road to “Pink Friday 2” has been long, with the album initially teased

By KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, helped create a free grocery store in Nashville, Tennessee, their goal was to give families in need the ability to choose their own food in a place that felt like a normal store.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Can the U.S. economy achieve a much-hyped “soft landing”? Friday’s jobs report for November will likely provide some signs of whether that elusive scenario is coming into view. Many of the most recent economic figures have been encouraging. Companies are advertising fewer job openings, and Americans

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials on Friday released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s number is larger than previous studies have suggested, and is likely boosted by some of the patients

By ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A court hearing in suburban Detroit is likely to be tense and emotional as a judge hears from families and surviving victims of the Oxford school shooting, Ethan Crumbley could be sentenced to life in prison Friday. He also could receive a shorter term with an

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — In Florida, this year has been a tale of two states as far as rainfall totals, with the southeast coast deluged by sometimes-record rainfall and much of the Gulf of Mexico coast facing a drought. Counties up and down Florida’s west side are under new

By SETH BORENSTEIN and SIBI ARASU Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Nations climate conference is opening its final week with negotiators expected to zoom in on the future of fossil fuels on a dangerously warming planet. After a rest day Thursday, negotiators on Friday were working on finalizing a key

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi Royal Air Force F-15SA fighter jet has crashed, killing its two crew members on board. The state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, said the crash occurred Thursday during a training mission at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran in the kingdom’s east.

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Adele paid homage to the many women — including her mother, grandmother and aunts — who helped shape her world and personality since was a child. The superstar singer then praised actor Kerry Washington and found herself in awe while in the presence

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Four investment banks have announced during a meeting of leaders of trade bloc Mercosur they will put $10 billion for infrastructure works aiming to better connect South America. Potential projects that could receive funds include ports, airports, roads, electricity transmission lines, railways, and others. The “Routes

By The Associated Press It’s called “Article 99.” And it hasn’t been used for decades. Until this week. An Israeli offensive is intensifying and civilian casualties are escalating, so U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. He urged its members to

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — While Hong Kong’s government is working to spotlight its upcoming local elections, some district council members are preparing for their exits under the sharply shifting political landscape. New election requirements passed in July are creating obstacles that some would-be candidates say they can’t overcome. The candidate

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election. The new charges Thursday come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging

APOPKA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman whose 11-year-old is accused of shooting two teenagers at a football practice in October is now charged with a felony. Sharell Johnson was charged Thursday with negligence by leaving a loaded firearm within easy access of a child. Authorities say she left a loaded gun in a worn

By JILL COLVIN and BILL BARROW Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — As Donald Trump faces growing scrutiny over his increasingly authoritarian and violent rhetoric, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave his longtime friend a chance to assure the American people that he wouldn’t abuse power or seek retribution if he wins a second term.

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Transgender teenagers who are challenging a Utah law banning trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams can keep portions of their mental health records confidential after a state judge ruled Thursday that some details are irrelevant to the case. Two student-athletes whose families sued

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana county judge has ruled that a contested state law that stipulates candidates for a party must vote in two primaries with the party they are affiliated with is unconstitutional. An injunction was sought by John Rust, former chair of the southern Indiana egg producer Rose

BRUSSELS (AP) — The International Federation of Journalists says 2023 has been an unprecedented year for the number of media workers killed on the job. The organization that represents journalists worldwide said Friday that 94 media workers have been killed so far this year and almost 400 others are in jail. Deaths in Israel’s war

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday at the request of Guyana following Venezuela’s weekend referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ordered Venezuela’s state-owned companies to immediately begin exploration in the disputed region

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Masters champion Jon Rahm bolted for Saudi-funded LIV Golf on Wednesday for what’s believed to be more money than the PGA Tour’s entire prize fund, a stunning blow that deepens the divide in golf as the two sides were negotiating a commercial deal. Rahm confirmed the move in an

By ED WHITE Associated Press A judge has handed down the last sentences involving a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Shawn Fix of suburban Detroit was sent to prison for three years, while Brian Higgins of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, was put on probation. It was the climax to a remarkable investigation that became

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Levi Strauss & Co. says that its CEO will step down in January and hand over the reins of the jeans maker to his appointed successor. Chip Bergh will cede the CEO job to Michelle Gass, who left her CEO role at Kohl’s to become

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek policeman has been severely injured as a mob of volleyball fans poured out of an Athens arena and attacked riot police outside. State ERT television says a flare shot by a fan severed an artery in the thigh of the 30-year-old officer Thursday night. ERT says the officer is

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Black people make up about 38% of Mississippi’s population. But a new study says Black women were four times more likely to die of causes directly related to pregnancy than white women in the state in 2020. The study was done by a Maternal Mortality

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people _ three in the U.S. and five in Canada. Health officials in both countries also reported dozens of new illnesses on Thursday.  In the U.S., at least 230 people are sick and 96 have been hospitalized since

WASHINGTON (AP) — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, says American Jews are “feeling alone” and “in pain” as he denounces rising antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad, particularly amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Emhoff spoke Thursday at the lighting ceremony of a massive menorah in front of the White House to

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s recreational marijuana users are officially in a state of limbo. Growing and possessing cannabis became legal for adults in the state Thursday, but there’s still no legal way to buy it. That’s because Gov. Mike DeWine and state lawmakers

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Voting rights groups say election officials in Mississippi’s largest county have failed to provide enough information about the problems that led to polling precincts running out of ballots. The coalition of statewide and national civil rights organizations has requested meetings and more details about

DETROIT (AP) — More than 1,000 workers at Volkswagen’s Tennessee factory have signed cards authorizing a vote to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. It’s the first plant in the nation to reach that milestone in the UAW’s quest to organize more than a dozen nonunion factories. The union says in a statement

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer and a suspect were both injured in a shooting. The St. Paul Police Department said in a tweet that it happened near the intersection of Cretin and Marshall avenues around 2 p.m. Thursday. The department did not provide details on what happened

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press Gov. Andy Beshear says state-run disaster relief funds that funneled millions in charitable donations to tornado- and flood-stricken Kentucky can serve as models for getting aid to storm victims. Beshear commented Thursday in response to an auditor’s review of the funds. Beshear started the funds following tornadoes that ravaged parts

BERLIN (AP) — A union representing German train drivers is calling its members to strike for 24 hours this week, following the breakdown of talks with the main national operator in what is shaping up to be an unusually difficult dispute over pay and working hours. The GDL union said on Wednesday that the strike

By WAFAA SHURAFA, JACK JEFFERY and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has designated a small slice of mostly undeveloped land along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast as a safe zone — a place where waves of people fleeing the war can find protection from airstrikes and receive humanitarian supplies for their families.

By BERT WILKINSON GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government says five military officers aboard a military helicopter that crashed near the border with Venezuela have died and two others aboard survived. The helicopter found Thursday had vanished Wednesday during bad weather while transporting officers carrying out a routine inspection of troops. President Irfaan Ali says

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Hundreds of people have rallied in the Slovak capital against the new government’s plan to close the special prosecutors office that deals with major crimes, including high-profile murders, terrorism and graft. The protest in Bratislava on Thursday took place in front of the government building. The demonstrators — a crowd of

By DANIEL SHAILER Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Environmental watchdogs have accused a Mexico-based startup of violating international trade law that protects the endangered totoaba fish. A health company called The Blue Formula sells a powder containing collagen taken from the fish online to countries including the U.S. and China. The powder is designed

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Officials say a 28-year-old man is in police custody after allegedly firing two rounds from a shotgun outside a Jewish temple in Albany, New York. The episode took place Thursday afternoon, just hours before the start of Hanukkah. Gov. Kathy Hochul said no one was injured and police said they did

By JOHN RABY and AARON BEARD AP Sports Writers CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed by a group of states alleges the NCAA’s transfer rule for college athletes violates antitrust law. The lawsuit filed in West Virginia challenges the NCAA’s authority to impose a one-year delay in the eligibility of certain athletes who

By AVET DEMOURIAN Associated Press YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to exchange prisoners of war and work toward signing a peace treaty in what the European Union is hailing as a major step toward peace in the long-troubled region. The two countries said in a joint statement Thursday that they “share

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer The Paris 2024 organizing committee president says he still wants the surfing competition at next year’s Olympics to take place in Tahiti despite the controversy surrounding the construction of the judging tower at the site, where coral has been damaged. Tony Estanguet tells local media Polynesie La Premiere that

By JIM VERTUNO and ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A man suspected of killing six people earlier this week in a shooting rampage across central Texas was confronted by police in August. Officers encountered Shane James Jr. during a mental health crisis and could have arrested him on a violation for cutting

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A former California police chief has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for joining the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, with a hatchet in his backpack. Alan Hostetter represented himself in the case and spun conspiracy theories as he spoke to a judge