Month: December 2024

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors have told the International Criminal Court that they are confident that two alleged leaders of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic are guilty of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Former CAR football federation president Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom,

MILAN (AP) — Italian authorities say at least two people have been killed in a fuel depot explosion in the central region of Tuscany. Fourteen people were injured and three others were believed missing in a building that collapsed nearby. Italy’s ENI oil company said the cause of the explosion Monday at the depot in

AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations’ top human rights official has pledged to try to ensure migrant labor standards in Saudi Arabia are “properly respected” around soccer’s 2034 World Cup. FIFA will confirm the kingdom on Wednesday as the 2034 host. Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for the decision by FIFA’s

Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt.” Meanwhile, streams

BEIJING (AP) — China’s military appears to be preparing for widely anticipated drills in response to a recent visit by Taiwan’s president to Hawaii and Guam. Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday that it has detected Chinese naval and coast guard ships entering the Taiwan Strait and the western Pacific and that China had restricted airspace

Associated Press More than three-quarters of the land on Earth is permanently drying, primarily due to climate change, according to a report released Monday at a United Nations summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nations at the conference on combating desertification — the process of once-fertile lands turning arid because of hotter temperatures, lack of water

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced a multimillion-dollar agreement with Nauru that gives Australia a veto right over a range of pacts the tiny Pacific atoll might want to enter with third countries including China. Australia on Monday offered $89 million over five years to the remote nation’s population of 12,000 under

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as he wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. Netanyahu

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Empress Masako says the Nobel Peace Prize for an organization of atomic bombing survivors was a key event that impressed her this year and reminded her of the importance of global peace efforts. Her remarks were in a palace statement for her 61st birthday Monday. They came a day

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A fishing boat capsized after colliding with a sand barge in waters off South Korea’s southeastern coast, leaving seven crew members dead and one missing, according to local coast guard and fire departments. The 29-ton fishing boat, which had eight passengers, three South Koreans and five Indonesian nationals, capsized after

The silent black-and-white surveillance camera video of the Russian missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was brief but chilling: Six huge fireballs pierced the darkness and slammed into the ground at astonishing speed. Within hours of the Nov. 21 attack on the military facility, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the rare step of

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As California’s newest senator, Democrat Adam Schiff says he’s not going to shy away from familiar territory — opposing Donald Trump when he feels it is necessary. But he’s also hoping to be known for bipartisanship, as well, after campaigning in Republican areas of his state and working to learn

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In the history of American politics, there’s no shortage of presidents who promised to shake up Washington once they got to the White House. But Donald Trump may prove to be in a class of his own, and he appears more interested in beating the federal government into submission than

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The trial of two men charged with cutting down the majestic Sycamore Gap tree last year along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England has been postponed until next year. The case was postponed Monday until the week of Jan. 6 in Newcastle Crown Court after a defense lawyer said one defendant

Associated Press The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world — or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is “polarization”? “Polarization means division, but it’s a very specific kind of division,”

Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Tens of thousands of people held in Syria’s notorious prisons have been freed in the 10 days since the insurgents began their lightning advance across the country that ended with the toppling of President Bashar Assad. Human rights groups, whistleblowers, and former detainees say torture has been systematic, while

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A Marine veteran who used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider was acquitted on Monday in a death that became a prism for differing views about public safety, valor and vigilantism. A Manhattan jury cleared Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely ’s 2023 death. A

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has abruptly quit his post in parliament ahead of a planned confidence vote in his leadership, capping a period of fraught relations between his government and Tonga’s king. Sovaleni took office in 2021. He did not give a reason for his departure on

Associated Press TAMESNA, Morocco (AP) — After African countries struggled to get testing kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials vowed to make the continent less dependent on imported medical supplies. Now, in a first for Africa, a Moroccan company is filling orders for mpox tests as an outbreak grows. Moroccan startup Moldiag began developing mpox

Associated Press Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. One of her potential next steps is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Donald Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would choose who would serve for two years until the

Associated Press Earth just experienced its second-warmest November on record — second only to 2023 — making it all but certain that 2024 will end as the hottest year ever measured, according to a report Monday by European climate service Copernicus. Last year was the hottest on record due to human-caused climate change coupled with

AP Baseball Writer DALLAS (AP) — Having waited for the call from Cooperstown for nearly three decades, Dave Parker burst into tears Sunday when he was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame along with the late Dick Allen. “Yeah, I cried,” Parker said after receiving the news from Hall chair Jane Forbes Clark. “It only

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Justice Ministry has imposed an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol as authorities investigate allegations of rebellion and other charges in connection with his short-lived declaration of martial law last week. Yoon’s martial law decree brought special forces troops onto Seoul’s streets. And it

AMCHITKA ISLAND, Alaska (AP) — A series of moderate to strong earthquakes that have struck Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands and offshore areas comprise what scientists call a “swarm,” but the state’s earthquake monitors say the seismic events should not cause residents to worry. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the area

Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he is appointing one of his defense attorneys in the New York hush money case as counselor to the president. Alina Habba, 40, defended Trump earlier this year, also serving as his legal spokesperson. Habba has been spending time with the president-elect

The first 12-team College Football Playoff field has been revealed. Undefeated Oregon earned the top seed, while SMU beat out Alabama for the 12th and final spot. Oregon has the best odds to win the national title on BetMGM Sportsbook. The Ducks have plus-325 odds. Georgia has the second best odds, followed by Texas, Ohio

REFORM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the family of former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr., who died in law enforcement custody in Alabama, can pursue a lawsuit alleging his death was the result of excessive force. Foster, a former New Orleans Saints defensive end, died in December 2021, three days after

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — After days of searching, police have announced the arrest of a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel last week. The hunt began in the hours after Brian Thompson was gunned down on the sidewalk early Wednesday morning, with the suspected shooter slipping away

Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people joined an 11th straight day of protests in Georgia on Sunday after the governing party moved to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union. Meanwhile, a separate rally decried violence against Georgian journalists covering the demonstrations. Police have been cracking down with increasing force