Month: December 2024

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott J. Nord approved the agreement Tuesday, a day after Jolie and Pitt

Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — People in Zimbabwe are shunning traditional grocery stores to do their shopping at informal and illegal markets that pop up at night to avoid police raids. The government had hoped the introduction of a new currency in April would resolve a money crisis that has seen southern African countries

HONG KONG (AP) — China has reported its factory activity expanded at a slower pace in December, despite recent stimulus measures and in the face of increasing trade risks. the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday that the official Purchasing Managers’ Index, based on a survey of factory managers, slipped to 50.1 from 50.3 in

AP Business Writer Stock indexes closed mostly lower Tuesday as the market delivered a downbeat finish on the final day of another milestone-shattering year on Wall Street. The S&P 500 gave up an early gain to finish down 0.4%. The benchmark index, which set 57 record highs in 2024, racked up a 23.3% gain for

WASHINGTON (AP) — Funeral services honoring former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, will be held in Georgia and Washington, D.C., beginning Saturday, Jan. 4, and concluding Thursday, Jan. 9. The schedule includes a service at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta; public viewings in Atlanta and Washington; a service at the

Associated Press Her greatest fear, dormant for decades, came rushing back in an instant: had she adopted and raised a kidnapped child? Peg Reif’s daughter, adopted from South Korea in the 1980s, had sent her a link to a documentary detailing how the system that made their family was rife with fraud: documents falsified, babies

NEW YORK (AP) — Police say six people have been shot at a New York City convenience store as attackers followed their targets inside. They ended up wounding bystanders including a woman and her 12-year-old daughter. It happened Monday evening in the Bronx. Police interim Chief of Department John Chell says one of the targets

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors say a man who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a Northern California woman in what became widely known as the “Gone Girl” kidnapping after police initially called it a hoax has been charged with two 15-year-old home invasion sexual assaults. Prosecutors announced Monday that Matthew Muller has been charged with

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A suburban New York prosecutor says a reinvestigation has identified two suspects in a notorious 1996 double killing. And she says the probe found no connection to the man her predecessors tried five times before he ultimately was acquitted in 1996. Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced the

Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s Supreme Court has issued a $10 million fine against TikTok for “not implementing measures” to prevent viral video challenges that have allegedly led to the deaths of three Venezuelan children recently. The ruling was handed down on Monday. Judge Tania D’Amello said TikTok had acted in a negligent

MARCY, N.Y. (AP) — A New York prison where a man was beaten by correctional officers while handcuffed then died this month will get a new superintendent. Gov. Kathy Hochul made the announcement Monday after visiting the Marcy Correctional Facility. Body camera video had been released days earlier showing officers pummeling the incarcerated man on

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Actors Carey Mulligan and Stephen Fry and author Kazuo Ishiguro have been awarded New Year Honors that celebrate artists, athletes, politicians and others who make notable contributions to British society. Mulligan, a three-time Oscar nominee, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to

NEW YORK (AP) — The crystal-covered ball that descends down a pole in Times Square to ring in the new year was taken for a test run Monday, as New York City officials laid out their plans for the iconic New Year’s Eve event. Officials flipped a switch to light up the dazzling geodesic sphere

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Indiana National Guard says a 34-year-old soldier serving in Iraq has died in a non-combat incident. Capt. Eric Richard Hart of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Saturday. The incident is under investigation. The 34-year-old was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion of Indiana’s 38th Infantry Division. While all combat operations

The FBI is warning sports leagues about crime organizations targeting professional athletes following a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL and NBA players. The athletes’ homes are targeted due to the perception they may contain high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash, the FBI said in a Liaison Information Report

Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Johnny Jones found out about Jimmy Carter’s death within a matter of minutes. That’s how it works in a small town, even for a former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner known throughout the world. “Somebody texted my wife and told her about it — that’s when I

NEW YORK (AP) — The final viewership numbers are in for the NBA’s five games on Christmas Day and they were even better than first thought, the league and ESPN announced Monday. An average of 5.335 million viewers tuned in for the five games that spanned 13 hours on ESPN platforms, according to Nielsen, up

Associated Press NEW CANEY, Texas (AP) — Cleanup was underway Monday after a strong storm system spawned hail, rain, high winds and tornadoes across the southern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least four people. As of Monday afternoon, over 30 tornadoes had been confirmed as crews worked through about 50 reports of tornado damage

Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Following Florida Democrats’ losses on Election Day, a second state lawmaker has announced she’s switching her party affiliation and joining the Republican caucus. In a post on social media, Rep. Hillary Cassel said Florida Democrats are out of touch with voters and that she has a better

Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will start requiring property insurers to increase coverage in wildfire-prone areas after homeowners across the state increasingly struggle to find policies. The state’s new rule announced Monday requires insurers to start increasing their coverage by 5% every two years until they hit the equivalent of 85% of their

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Officials in Rhode Island say cybercriminals who hacked the state’s system for health and benefits programs have released at least some of the files to a site on the dark web. Gov. Daniel McKee said Monday that the state has been preparing for this scenario, after a major cyberattack hit RIBridges

South Korea’s worst aviation disaster in decades also was the year’s deadliest plane crash worldwide, and time is running out on 2024. A Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air slammed into a concrete fence at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea, killing 179 people. Two crew members survived. The

Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from her planned role debut in Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” at the Vienna State Opera and been replaced by Lise Davidsen in a switch of star sopranos. Netrebko says ill health had compromised preparation time ahead of rehearsals. Davidsen made her Ariadne role debut at England’s Glyndebourne Festival in 2017. She

Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. official says arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in December are little changed from a month earlier. They are hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020, indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president hasn’t happened. There were about 44,000

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation. He also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from “a few dozen to a few hundred.” Bayrou’s

AP Basketball Writer Tennessee remains No. 1 after a quiet holiday week in the AP Top 25. The Volunteers received 41 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday. No. 2 Auburn had 20 first-place votes, with Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounding out the top

Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine. Carter was not misquoted. But he was certainly misunderstood, as his thoughts in