Month: December 2024

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that released hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards — along with two

Associated Press STANTON, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge has sentenced the adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer to serve 28 years in prison in connection with a wild chase in which he fled from a hospital and drove into a deputy’s vehicle, killing the deputy. A judge sentenced 43-year-old Ian Cramer on

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — If you think your Spotify playlist is getting a little too long, consider the one shared by the members of Khruangbin. It’s got 51 hours of songs. “I’m trying to listen to as many different things as possible before they all start to sound kind of the same,”

AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — If you’re making New Year resolutions, experts say keep them small and focused on specific goals. Psychologists recommend starting small so new changes aren’t overwhelming. By breaking a larger goal into smaller steps, the more ambitious goal may seem achievable. Experts also say enlisting family and friends may help

Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine judge confirmed charges against five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction, and ordered preventive prison for two of them for having supplied him with drugs. A judicial officer confirmed Monday the judge’s decision and said

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson, providing crucial backing for the Louisiana Republican as he prepares for what is expected to be another contentious speakership race this week. Trump said in a post on his social media platform that Johnson “is a good,

Associated Press The world population increased by more than 71 million people in 2024 and will be 8.09 billion people on New Year’s Day, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Monday. The 0.9% increase in 2024 was a slight slowdown from 2023, when the world population grew by 75 million people. In January 2025,

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Six former Florida State basketball players are suing Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton and alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation. Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley filed suit Monday

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion more in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kyiv fight off Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The package includes $1.25 billion in

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury’s finding in a civil case that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist in an upscale department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written opinion upholding the $5 million award that the

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 23 Congolese soldiers are facing the death penalty or 10 to 20 years in prison following their arraignment for alleged rape, desertion and other crimes amid the fighting in the country’s conflict-battered east. That’s according to Congo’s army on Monday. Security forces have been fighting more than

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s state media say an Italian journalist has been arrested on charges of violating the Islamic Republic’s laws. The state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday that the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which oversees media activity, said in a statement that Cecilia Sala traveled to Iran on Dec.

Associated Press By now you may have found uses for many of the holiday leftovers. But what about that bottle of eggnog in the fridge? Milkshakes! There are a number of flavor variations, and you can go boozy or not. It’s easy to make an eggnog shake. A basic vanilla one requires just vanilla ice

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An opposition politician and several other protesters have been arrested in Kenya during street demonstrations calling for an end to alleged abductions, that have recently targeted young government critics. Senator Okiya Omtatah on Monday had joined hundreds of protesters who sat down in the streets of the capital, Nairobi

AP Technology Writers If 2023 was a year of wonder about artificial intelligence, 2024 was the year to try to get that wonder to do something useful without breaking the bank. There was a “shift from putting out models to actually building products,” said Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton University computer science professor and co-author of

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has sought to downplay efforts by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to get involved in the country’s general election campaign by repeatedly endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party. Government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said Monday that “freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense.” Musk caused an uproar

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials are looking for the cause of a passenger jet crash that killed 179 people, in one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s aviation history. Authorities plan to investigate along with U.S. aviation giant Boeing, which produced the aircraft involved in Sunday’s crash, and also

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jimmy Carter’s memorial journey will end at his house in the tiny town of Plains, Georgia, where he grew up on a peanut farm. That is where his wife, Rosalynn, was laid to rest last year in a burial plot that they chose years ago. But before Carter reaches his

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s federal prosecutor has charged an Iraqi couple with enslavement, torture and war crimes, alleging they kept two young Yazidi girls as slaves and sexually and physically abused them. The man and the woman were arrested in Bavaria in April. According to the prosecutor, they were members of the Islamic State group

AP Business Writers Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. Well-heeled customers traded down to Walmart and Aldi. Diners opted for fast food or home cooking instead of sit-down restaurants.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Authorities say 18 passengers have been killed in two separate road accidents in Pakistan. Police say the first accident happened on a highway Monday in eastern Punjab province when a speeding passenger bus overturned. Local media reported eight other people died when a passenger van collided with a truck on a highway

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A lawyer for the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot says he won’t appeal his 20-year sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The case revolted France and triggered calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture. Lawyer Béatrice

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Linda Lavin, a Tony Award-winning stage actor who became a working class icon as a paper-hat wearing waitress on the TV sitcom “Alice,” has died. She was 87. Lavin died in Los Angeles on Sunday of complications from recently discovered lung cancer, her representative, Bill Veloric, told The

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials said Monday they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines, as they struggle to determine what caused a plane crash that killed 179 people a day earlier. Sunday’s crash, the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades, triggered an

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A fire broke out at a hotel near Bangkok’s Khao San Road, a popular tourist destination, killing three foreigners and injuring several other people, Thai police said Monday. The three who died in the fire on Sunday night were all foreign tourists, Police Colonel Sanong Saengmanee told The Associated Press.

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa’s largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya’s capital. Steve Collins, 74, was born and raised in western Kenya. By the age of 5, he was fascinated by butterflies and started

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian-made dramas rarely last long in local cinemas. But, nearly two months after its release, “I’m Still Here,” a film about a family torn apart by the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for more than two decades, has drawn millions of moviegoers across the South American country. The film’s