Month: January 2024

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu is leaving his post after two years and is expected to help push publicly for President Joe Biden’s reelection. The Democratic president tasked the former New Orleans mayor with setting up a system to spend more than $1 trillion over the

By MARK LEWIS Associated Press STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik, who murdered 77 people in a far-right terror attack in 2011, launches his second attempt at suing the state accusing the Justice Department of breaching his human rights. He claims that prison isolation since he was jailed in 2012 amounts to

BERLIN (AP) — The number of people applying for asylum in Germany rose to 351,915 in 2023, an increase of 51.1% compared with the year before. Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday that the largest number of asylum-seekers came from Syria, with 104,561 applications, followed by 62,624 Turkish citizens and 53,582 Afghans.

By ALI ZERDIN Associated Press LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenian rescuers are hoping to extract five people who have been trapped in a cave for two days because of high water levels. The rescue operation should be complete in mid-afternoon if everything goes as planned. A family of three adults and their two guides got

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — The slaying of a South Korean woman during an initiation process for a group that called itself Soldiers of Christ has shocked the large Korean American community in metro Atlanta. Community leaders say Korean Americans need to be more vigilant to protect against religious cults and

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Making decisions when you’re grieving isn’t ideal, but some money tasks are time-sensitive. Your income and expenses are likely to change, so drawing up a budget will be helpful. Consider talking to a tax professional since your filing status may change. Deal with the credit cards issued in your spouse’s

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An outspoken critic of Cambodia’s government who was badly hurt by assailants four months ago has been arrested on a defamation complaint brought by a Cabinet member for comments he posted on Facebook. The complaint filed by Minister of Labor and Vocational Training Heng Sour

By COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden wants Americans to know what he believes is at stake in this year’s presidential election. As part of that effort, the Democratic president is revisiting some of the nation’s worst traumas to highlight what happens when hate is allowed to

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and JIWON SONG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turns 40 on Monday with no announced public celebrations at home. He entered the new year with artillery barrages into the sea and vows to expand his nuclear arsenal. Since taking power in late 2011, Kim,

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The president of Cyprus has moved ahead with a considerable shake-up of his cabinet, replacing his ministers of defense, health, justice and environment as well as the deputy ministers of digital policy and European affairs in one fell swoop after just 10 months in power. Monday’s move comes after week-long speculation

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened his third day of meetings on an urgent Mideast diplomatic mission to prevent Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza from exploding into a broader regional conflict. Blinken was meeting on Monday with United Arab

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is calling for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood. He included what he called the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The speech listed the threats to global peace and human dignity, including

BEIJING (AP) — China says it has detained an individual accused of collecting state secrets on behalf of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6. The Ministry of State Security posted on social media Monday that Britain had been cooperating since 2015 with the person, who it said was a citizen of a third nation and had

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese automaker VinFast plans to spend up to $2 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in India, the world’s third-largest auto market by sales. The factory in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state will be the company’s first foray into India. It said it is committing

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Medics, patients and displaced people are fleeing from the main hospital in central Gaza as the fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants draws closer, witnesses said Monday. Losing the facility would be another major blow to a health system shattered

BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) — A former interior minister of Gambia is going on trial in Switzerland on charges including crimes against humanity for his alleged role in years of repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator. Advocacy groups hailed the trial of Ousman Sonko, who held the post

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer They may not have had lukewarm chardonnay on the tables, as nominee Jennifer Lawrence had predicted. But the 81st Golden Globes had a bit of everything else: Some silliness, some seriousness, a bit of history, a few good jokes and many bad ones, loads of stars — and one

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine came under strong Russian missile attacks that struck near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country. The assault early Monday killed one person and injured at least 30. The heaviest toll was in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where a

BERLIN (AP) — Farmers are blocking highway access roads in parts of Germany and gathering for demonstrations, launching a week of protests against a government plan to scrap tax breaks on diesel used in agriculture. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpopular three-party coalition infuriated farmers last month by drawing up plans to abolish a car tax exemption

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has swept to power for a fourth consecutive term in Bangladesh following an election on Sunday that was boycotted by opposition parties and roiled by protests and international scrutiny. Her Awami League party won 224 seats out of 299, according to local

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years rocketed toward the moon Monday, launching private companies on a space race to make deliveries for NASA and other customers. Astrobotic Technology’s lander caught a ride on a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s

By ANWARULLAH KHAN Associated Press KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb has exploded near a van carrying police assigned to protect workers in an anti-polio immunization campaign in restive northwestern Pakistan, killing at least six officers and wounding 10 others. Officials say the attack happened in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold bordering Afghanistan. Police

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court has restored life prison sentences for 11 Hindu men who raped a Muslim woman during deadly religious rioting two decades ago. The Supreme Court in its judgement Monday asked the released convicts to surrender to authorities within two weeks. The men were convicted in 2008 of gang raping

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press In the last week alone, Israel has killed a senior Hamas militant in an airstrike in Beirut, Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets into Israel, the U.S. has killed a militia commander in Baghdad and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have traded fire with the American Navy. Each strike and counterstrike

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate their homes on Monday after parts of Victoria state were inundated by flooding as wild weather continues to batter Australia’s southeast. The order was issued for parts of small regional towns north of Melbourne. Residents and tourists were told to leave immediately as floodwaters

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s General Assembly begins its 2024 regular session Monday and the top intrigue is whether Republicans may agree to a further expansion of health care under the state’s Medicaid program. Another key issue is whether the state will create new educational vouchers. It’s an election year for

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The Golden Globe Awards likes to think of itself as the party of the year, but instead of a debauched, champagne-fueled romp, it can sometimes feel more like a strange high school reunion for the extremely famous. Some are catching up with old friends

BANGKOK (AP) — The electric vehicle unit of troubled Chinese property developer China Evergrande says its executive director has been detained by police on “suspicion of illegal crimes.” China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle announced the detention of Liu Yongzhuo in a notice to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after its shares were suspended from trading

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican Party of Florida will vote on removing Chairman Christian Ziegler and select a new leader as police investigate a rape accusation against him. Monday’s vote comes a week before Gov. Ron DeSantis competes in Iowa’s first in the nation presidential caucuses. Ziegler denies the

By JACK DURA Associated Press South Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature convenes Tuesday in Pierre for its annual session, expected to last into early March. Second-term GOP Gov. Kristi Noem gave her budget address in December. She pitched a nearly $7.3 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 and advocated tighter spending to lawmakers, with 4% increases for

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates for gun rights are urging the New Mexico Supreme Court to block emergency orders by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that temporarily ban firearms at public parks and playgrounds by treating gun violence as a public health crisis. The state Supreme Court was scheduled Monday

PHOENIX (AP) — A steep budget deficit caused by plummeting tax revenues and escalating school voucher costs will be top of mind as Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature return for a new session at the state Capitol. Hobbs and lawmakers are sscheduled to return Monday to the state Capitol for the

By STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — When Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, his trajectory was something of a mystery. But seven days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses, his standing among the GOP faithful is hardly in doubt. Voters, campaign operatives

Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A defendant whose attack on a judge was captured in a wild courtroom video is scheduled to appear before her again. Deobra Redden is scheduled to appear before Judge Mary Kay Holthus again on Monday. Redden grabbed the Holthus’ hair after hurling himself over the judge’s bench, setting off

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Judges in England and Wales have been given approval to use artificial intelligence to help writing legal opinions. The judiciary issued its first guidance last month on the use of AI. The step puts the courts at the forefront of legal systems grappling with how to regulate

By STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — When Donald Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans, his trajectory was something of a mystery. But seven days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses, his standing among the GOP faithful is hardly in doubt. Voters, campaign operatives

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Josh Allen threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Dawson Knox midway through the fourth quarter, and the Buffalo Bills won their fourth straight AFC East title, rallying past the Miami Dolphins 21-14 on Sunday night. Allen made things difficult for the Bills with three

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Lily Gladstone has made Golden Globes history. She became the first Indigenous person to win an award for best actress in a drama on Sunday night. She dedicated her award to “every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who

By ZIMO ZHONG AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — Major Asian stock markets retreated on Monday after Wall Street logged its worst week since Halloween. U.S. futures were lower even after Congressional leaders reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo’s Haneda airport is almost back to normal operations a week after a fatal collision suspected to have been caused by human error. Japan’s transport ministry said the runway reopened early Monday and the airport is ready for full operations. The collision occurred when a Japan Airlines

By HIRO KOMAE, AYAKA MCGILL and YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of people made homeless overnight are living in weariness and uncertainty on the western coast of Japan a week after a powerful earthquake caused at least 161 deaths and left dozens missing. The rescue effort since magnitude 7.6 New Year’s

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Barack Obama has won his second Emmy at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Obama won the Emmy on Sunday for best narrator for his Netflix documentary series, “Working: What We Do All Day.” He previously won in the category for narrating a Netflix series on

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence called his own number on fourth-and-goal at the 1, stretching the ball out with the right arm that had him questionable for a game the Jacksonville Jaguars had to win to reach the playoffs for a second straight season. Tennessee stopped

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pastor Charles Hundley opened his worship service on a cold Sunday in northeast Des Moines with a prayer that made it clear one endorsement above all will matter in Iowa’s caucuses eight days away. “We thank you for the upcoming election, Lord — or