Month: December 2024

Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A storm that swept up the East Coast that brought torrents of rain and high winds caused some misery for New England ski resort operators. But unseasonable cold returned Thursday to the Upper Midwest. Powerful winds Wednesday into Thursday caused power outages in Maine, and ski resort operators had

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is seeking to drastically reduce the amount of plastics and other packaging material that’s tossed out once a package is opened. Lots of packaging that keeps items safe during shipping routinely ends up in landfills or as environmental pollution. Among that packaging is bubble wrap, air-filled plastic

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, committed abuses against civilians since the withdrawal of a U.N. peacekeeping mission late last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday. Malian armed forces and the Russia-backed Wagner Group deliberately killed at least 32 civilians, including seven in a

Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators have approved permits for underground carbon dioxide storage for a massive pipeline proposed for the Midwest. The approval Thursday is another victory for Summit Carbon Solutions, whose project has faced fierce opposition from landowners. The proposed 2,500-mile, $8 billion pipeline would transport carbon dioxide emissions from

Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is considering charging fees on producers of fossil fuels to help the state that is home to several oil and gas facilities fight the effects of climate change. The bill aims to create a Climate Superfund similar to the pot of money assembled by the federal government

Associated Press THOMASTON, Maine (AP) — Kaja Veilleux has been hunting New England attic treasures for more than 50 years. He once found a copy of the Declaration of Independence sitting on a pile of trash, and he made headlines this year when he stumbled upon a million-dollar portrait gathering dust in an old farmhouse

Associated Press ROVANIEMI, Finland (AP) — Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle. They frolic in the snow, take a reindeer sleigh ride, sip a cocktail in an ice bar or even

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The Biden administration has announced it is raising tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products from China to protect U.S. clean energy businesses. The notice from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon will rise to 50% from 25% and 25% duties

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific. The Australian government will spend $380 million over a decade to add a team from its nearest neighbor to the National Rugby League

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The government of Argentina has accused its Venezuelan counterpart of continually harassing six members of the political opposition who have been sheltering for months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in Caracas. The government of President Javier Milei on Wednesday also urged the Organization of American States to pressure Venezuela to allow

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gunmen have shot to death a state judge outside a court building in the violence-wracked Pacific coast resort of Acapulco in Mexico. The prosecutors’ office in the southern state of Guerrero said they were reviewing security camera footage to try to identify the killers. The attack on Wednesday killed Edmundo Román

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats failed in their bid to confirm a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board after the Senate rejected a razor-thin vote that hinged on the pivotal rejections of independent Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. If the nomination had been successful, the

SYDNEY (AP) — A team from rugby league hotspot Papua New Guinea will enter the National Rugby League from 2028 after officially being granted a license. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape met in Sydney on Thursday to shake hands over the deal, the culmination of two years

Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach has died at age 82. He served 30 years as a politician from eastern Iowa. He later headed the National Endowment for the Humanities. His death Wednesday was confirmed by an Iowa City funeral home. He represented Iowa as a moderate Republican until

Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Facebook’s parent company Meta says it will build a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana. Meta’s largest-ever data center is expected to transform an economically neglected part of the state. But it has also raised concerns over its planned energy usage. And in Memphis,

Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A southeast Louisiana official allegedly committed perjury by failing to disclose information related to a controversial grain terminal, according to a motion filed as part of a federal lawsuit brought by a prominent local climate activist. The dispute is part of a broader clash pitting officials eager

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — A woman serving time at a federal prison in Connecticut managed to escape for about 45 minutes before being captured. Federal prison officials said Wednesday that the FBI is investigating the episode. The 30-year-old woman is a Chinese national who was serving time for a gun charge and setting fire to

Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed to hold “technical talks” to resolve a dispute sparked by Ethiopia’s deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland. A joint declaration by the two was released in Turkey on Wednesday after the leaders had separate meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip

Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban. The votes Wednesday culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group

ATLANTA (AP) — The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has promised to pay a private security company $1.4 million after some of its employees walked out of the jail in August. The office announced Wednesday it will send the payments electronically by the end of the week. Strategic Security Corporation ended its contract with the county

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s elections board has dismissed protests filed by several Republican candidates trailing narrowly in their races last month who have questioned well over 60,000 ballots cast this fall. The Democratic-majority board agreed Wednesday to throw out the protests of GOP Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin and three legislative

AP Sports Writer ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament as well as the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by

Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by media outlets challenging a new Louisiana law that makes it a crime to approach within 25 feet of a working police officer after being ordered or asked to step back. Proponents of the law argue it creates a

Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican state lawmakers in Florida have filed two bills that would roll back gun control measures passed in the wake of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The proposals would repeal the state’s red flag law and another preventing people under the

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s parliament has approved legislation drafted by the government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico that could effectively ban doctors from protesting against low pay. The law was adopted as the government’s response to a move by more than 3,000 doctors in the country’s hospitals, a majority, to quit  their job

AP Film Writer The new film “September 5″ is a fictionalized account of ABC’s live coverage of the hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics. The film, rated R and opening in theaters this week, stays in the newsroom where the sports broadcasters attempt to follow the quickly escalating story. Associated Press Film Writer Lindsey

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The Paris Olympics says it was far less polluting than recent Games but is not claiming to have been “carbon neutral” despite funding projects to compensate for its emissions. Organizers said Wednesday that this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics generated 1.59 million tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide. That’s including everything from