Month: January 2024

By IGNATIUS SSUUNA Associated Press KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwandan authorities accused Burundi’s leader of making “incendiary allegations aimed at inciting division among Rwandans,” raising tensions that persist after Burundi closed all border crossings with Rwanda earlier this month. Relations between Rwanda and Burundi have deteriorated in recent weeks after Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye renewed

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Thousands of artworks have been destroyed in a fire that swept through the main art gallery in Abkhazia in a severe blow to the cultural heritage of the separatist Georgian region. The blaze swept through the Central Exhibition Hall on Sunday in the city of Sukhumi, where the gallery was located

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss Sweden’s accession into the NATO military alliance. The invitation comes as Hungary and Turkey remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden’s bid

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — A long-delayed trial has started in Amsterdam for nine suspects accused of involvement in the fatal shooting in 2021 of a prominent Dutch investigative reporter. The suspects on trial on Tuesday are accused of gunning down Peter R. de Vries in broad daylight. He died nine days

PARIS (AP) — Spreading demonstrations by French farmers against low wages and other grievances were hit by tragedy when a woman was killed and her husband and daughter injured in a traffic collision at a protest barricade. A prosecutor told public radio France Bleu Occitanie that the three were hit by a car. Investigators are

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A study issued Tuesday by researchers collecting evidence of war crimes in Myanmar supported reports that air strikes by the military government damaged churches in the Buddhist-dominated country’s sole Christian-majority state. The 10 reported attacks on churches in the western state of Chin examined by the researchers

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO has signed a $1.2-billion contract to make tens of thousands of artillery rounds to replenish the dwindling stocks of its member countries. Those stocks are being drained as allies supply shells to Ukraine to help it defeat invading Russian forces. NATO hopes the contract will allow for the purchase of 220,000

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has hanged another prisoner over crimes committed during nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of a young woman detained for improperly wearing her headscarf. Iran’s state television said on Tuesday that the suspect was executed after being sentenced to death for killing a policeman and

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The upper house of Britain’s Parliament has urged the Conservative government not to ratify a migration treaty with Rwanda. It’s a largely symbolic move, but signals more opposition to come for the contentious plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to the African nation. Members of the

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The women work hard, sleeping only a few hours a night, as they juggle the demands of caring for their children and doing housework — all while suffering from poverty. The award-winning independent documentary film “The Ones Left Behind,” released last year, tells the story of such

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say 20 people are confirmed dead and 24 remain missing after a landslide in a remote, mountainous part of the southwestern province of Yunnan. The disaster struck just before 6 a.m. on Monday in the village of Liangshui in the northeastern part of Yunnan. Authorities resumed search and rescue

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Tuesday, led by sharp gains in Hong Kong and Shanghai after a report said Beijing plans to put about 2 trillion yuan ($278 billion) into support to stabilize ailing Chinese markets. The unconfirmed report by Bloomberg cited unnamed sources.

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say a complex Russian missile attack has targeted the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, injuring several people and damaging residential buildings. Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko said seven people were wounded in Tuesday’s attack in the country’s capital, including a 13-year-old boy. In Kharkiv, the

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has resumed after they reopened a key northwestern border crossing shut for more than 10 days. Truckers for years have been able to cross the border without documents, so they generally do not have them. But Pakistan began mandating truck drivers have visas last

BANGKOK (AP) — Riot Games, the developer of the popular “League of Legends” multiplayer battle game is joining other tech companies that have been cutting back with a layoff of 11% of its staff. CEO Dylan Jadeja said the move was meant to “create focus and move us toward a sustainable future.” He said 530

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It’s Oscar nominations morning, which means it’s time for the year’s best movies and performers to find out if they’re headed to the Academy Awards or if they’re just Kenough. Nominations to the 96th Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. EST from

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and NAJIB JOBAIN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s army says a total of 21 soldiers were killed in an attack in central Gaza, making it the largest single loss of life for the military since the war began. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, made the announcement Tuesday, updating

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For almost 20 months the Pentagon has spearheaded a monthly gathering of about 50 allies where the U.S. has led the way in sending billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv. But on Tuesday, for the first time since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama, unless stopped by the courts, intends to strap inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith to a gurney and use a gas mask to replace breathable air with nitrogen, depriving him of oxygen needed to stay alive, on Thursday in the nation’s first execution attempt with the method.

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More than a dozen federal appellate judges are scheduled to hear arguments on whether Mississippi can continue to permanently strip voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies. The outcome of the case at the center of Tuesday’s hearing in New Orleans will likely determine whether

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Almost 80 years after the Holocaust, about 245,000 Jewish survivors are still living across more than 90 countries. A new report reveals that nearly half of them, or 49%, are living in Israel, 18% in Western Europe, 16% in the United States, and 12% in countries of

By NICK PERRY Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Immediately after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, the owners of the bowling alley and the bar in Lewiston where the gunman killed a total of 18 people were certain their doors were closed for good. Yet as time passed following the Oct. 25 shooting, they came to

By JEFF AMY and KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an affair with a special prosecutor she hired to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election have led to renewed calls to remove Willis from the case. Willis, an

By ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — The mother of a Michigan school shooter is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Prosecutors are trying to pin criminal responsibility on Ethan Crumbley’s parents in the deaths of four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are not accused of

By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was threatened with expulsion from a courtroom last week by a judge angry over the former president’s behavior in a defamation case brought by a writer who accuses him of sexual abuse. His lawyer didn’t fare much better.

By COLLEEN LONG and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will share the stage on Tuesday in Virginia as they campaign for abortion rights, a top issue for Democrats in an election expected to feature a rematch with Donald Trump, the former Republican president. Biden and

By HOLLY RAMER and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Donald Trump is aiming for a commanding victory in New Hampshire, securing a sweep of the first two Republican primary races and making a November rematch with President Joe Biden look more likely than ever. The biggest question is whether Trump’s last major

GENEVA (AP) — China will face international scrutiny Tuesday over domestic polices in places like Hong Kong, Tibet and the western Xinjiang region as the global power receives its latest U.N.-backed review of its human rights record. An extraordinarily high number of more than 160 countries have registered to take part in a discussion around

By NICK PERRY Associated Press DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. (AP) — In tiny Dixville Notch, the six registered voters who were preparing to cast their primary ballots at midnight Tuesday were outnumbered more than 10 to one by reporters and at least four to one by freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The New Hampshire resort community

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A tropical low strengthening over the Coral Sea is forecast to be the second cyclone is as many months to bring destructive winds and more flooding to Australia’s northeast coast. The storm system expected to be named Tropical Cyclone Kirrily later Tuesday or Wednesday morning was tracking west toward the Queensland

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — The three Republicans vying to take on Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown this fall in Ohio’s competitive U.S. Senate race clashed bitterly in their first statewide debate, lobbing personal attacks and accusing each other of shifting political positions aimed at wooing GOP primary voters. Facing off Monday

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked for now a new law approved by North Carolina legislators that tightens a rule on when a ballot cast by someone who is simultaneously registering to vote is removed from election counts. The preliminary injunction from Judge Thomas Schroeder over

SYDNEY (AP) — A Russian national has been sanctioned by the Australian government for his role in a cyber attack which compromised the personal details of more than 10 million Australians. In October 2022, client data from Medibank, Australia’s largest health insurer, was released by an extortionist after the company refused to pay a ransom

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman charged with killing a high-profile entertainment marketing consultant in his Los Angeles home has pleaded not guilty. Jameelah Elena Michl entered the plea Monday in a Los Angeles court to charges of murder and burglary. Prosecutors allege the 36-year-old Michl forced her way into the home of Michael Latt

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green used his annual State of the State address to lead lawmakers and guests in a moment of silence for victims of the Lahaina wildfire. He’s also proposing aggressive steps to shift more vacation rentals into residential use to meet both Maui and the

Astrid Suarez and Manuel Rueda Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A spokesman for Colombia’s navy said the South American country has intercepted its first narco-submarine of the year, as drug traffickers in the country produce record amounts of cocaine destined for Europe and the United States. The submersible was intercepted on Saturday morning off

SEATTLE (AP) — The last known set of remains linked to the Green River serial killer in Washington state belonged to a teenage girl who had previously been identified as a victim, authorities confirmed on Monday. The remains were identified as those of 16-year-old Tammie Liles, the King County Sheriff’s Office said in a news

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A trial underway in U.S. court is providing a possible glimpse into Hawaii’s underworld. Prosecutors say Honolulu businessman Michael Miske Jr. led a violent organized crime ring responsible for killings, kidnappings, drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering and chemical weapons attacks. They say Miske killed the best

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal by New Mexico’s governor to underwrite the treatment and recycling of oil-industry wastewater is being denounced by environmentalists as a handout to the petroleum industry that will only facilitates more fracking. A proposal from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would underwrite development of a strategic new source

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A bill to define antisemitism in Georgia law stalled in 2023 over how the measure should be worded. But now it’s moving ahead, backed by a heavy Republican push to support Israel in its war with Hamas and Jewish Georgians reporting a surge in bias incidents. The