AP National

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive. Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine. Around 32.5% of the budget has been allocated for national defense amounting to over $145 billion, up from a reported 28.3% this year. New European Council

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Voters in Iceland have joined a global trend and punished incumbents in the country’s parliamentary election. The center-left Social Democratic Alliance won the biggest share of votes in the North Atlantic island nation. It took 15 seats in the 63-seat parliament, the Althingi, and secured more than 21% of votes. The

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian tycoon Gautam Adani says his conglomerate is committed to “world-class regulatory compliance” after being indicted in the U.S. on fraud charges and an alleged bribery scheme worth millions of dollars, his first remarks since the accusations surfaced. Adani is a major power player in India and is perceived as close to

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Sunday it is halting aid deliveries through the main cargo crossing into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip because of the threat of armed gangs who have looted convoys. It blamed the breakdown of law and order in large part on Israeli

Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — A twice-yearly shot that prevents HIV infections will be available at low cost in 120 poor countries. But nearly all of Latin America was excluded from the deal with drugmaker Gilead, sparking concern the world is missing a critical opportunity to stop AIDS. The shot was 100% effective in

Associated Press ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Lake-effect snow blanketed swaths of the U.S. as Thanksgiving travelers journeyed home this holiday weekend, with more snow expected to fall over the Great Lakes region through the week. While the weather event dumped dozens of inches of snow in upstate New York, including nearly 4 feet (1.22

AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — In the long and storied history of New York City basketball, nobody wore it quite like Lou Carnesecca. The excitable St. John’s coach whose outlandish sweaters became an emblem of his team’s rousing Final Four run in 1985, died at 99 on Saturday, just a few weeks shy

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Alfredo Santiago has a unique job in Peru’s capital city of Lima: he’s a bee rescuer. The 35-year-old began as a beekeeper but added rescuing the stinging insects to his services. He removes hives from house windows, playgrounds and even graveyards. He does the job for free. Once he

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning announcement that he will nominate Kash Patel as FBI director sets the stage for a fresh round of turbulence at a law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the homeland and investigating federal crimes. Patel, a steadfast Trump ally with plans to shake up the bureau, is

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s Social Democratic Party looks set to win the most votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election, electoral data shows, while far-right populists are on track to make significant gains in the country’s legislature. The voting suggested widespread anti-establishment sentiment in the European Union and NATO member country. Incomplete electoral data

Associated Press NANYUKI, Kenya (AP) — The biracial children of Kenyan women and visiting British soldiers have long lived uncomfortable lives in Kenya. Now a local lawyer is taking some of the children to Britain to confront authorities over hundreds of such cases reported over the years. He also wants to find the fathers and

Associated Press THIAROYE-SUR-MER, Senegal (AP) — Biram Senghor regularly pays his respects at a military cemetery in Thiaroye, a fishing village near Senegal’s capital Dakar, bowing in front of a different grave each time. The 86-year-old has no way of knowing which grave belongs to his father, M’Bap Senghor, one of the hundreds of West

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court will take up the largest case in its history on Monday, when it opens two weeks of hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact. After years of lobbying

Associated Press Kash Patel has called for radical changes at the FBI and was a fierce and vocal critic of the bureau’s work as it investigated ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Now the steadfast Trump ally has been tapped to lead the federal law enforcement agency he’s pushed to overhaul. Patel

Associated Press BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution are drawing to a close as nations continue debating whether part of that should be putting limits on plastic production. Negotiators spent all of Saturday trying to reach agreement behind closed doors, but the latest draft of the treaty, released

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, turning to a fierce ally to upend America’s premier law enforcement agency and rid the government of perceived “conspirators.” It’s the latest bombshell Trump has thrown at the Washington establishment and a test for how far

AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday when Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag on the OSU logo and were confronted by the Buckeyes. Police used pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves

AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left and Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10, ending the Buckeyes’ hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game. Kalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines at Ohio State’s 17-yard line

Associated Press THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — The metro system in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki has opened featuring driverless trains. Tens of thousands of people Saturday braved blustery, rainy weather to wait outside the stations to try them out. The single 13-station subway line was jammed with passengers eager to get a taste of

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards have marched in the streets of Valencia a month after devastating floods to demand the resignation of the regional officials who bungled the emergency response. The protest on Saturday is the second major march of its kind asking for Valencia regional president Carlos Mazón to step

Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry says police have arrested a Macedonian national suspected of intending to join the Russian army and fight in Ukraine. It is the first case of a Macedonian national being hit with the specific charge. The man, identified only by his initials as J.K. was

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Fire officials say a house has exploded in Missouri’s capital city, injuring six people. The explosion happened at 2:44 a.m. Saturday. A statement from the Jefferson City Fire Department says the cause of the explosion is under investigation. Authorities say the home was so damaged that the fire department’s Special

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the

GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (AP) — Police in Massachusetts are seeking to charge three teenagers in connection with an attack on a transgender boy in August. The Gloucester Police Department said Friday that it has filed applications for criminal complaints seeking assault and battery charges against two 16-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy. The teens will next

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot

Southwest Airlines says it is ending cabin service earlier on flights, requiring passengers to do the usual pre-landing procedures such as ensuring their seatbelts are fastened and returning their seats to an upright position earlier than before. Beginning on Dec. 4, a company spokesperson said, flight attendants will start preparing the cabin for landing at

Associated Press ARUSHA, Tanzania (AP) — East African heads of state have made another push for peace in eastern Congo but its prospects remained bleak following a regional summit that was marked by the Congolese president’s absence and an early departure of his Rwandan counterpart. A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting

LONDON (AP) — Pooches in pullovers have paraded past Buckingham Palace in a charity walk of dogs in Christmas sweaters. About 130 pets, and their owners, walked from St. James’s Park and along the Mall, the wide boulevard that leads to the royal palace. Participants included canine Santas, puppy elves and a French bulldog dressed

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is returning home after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump says the dinner talks Friday night at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida  were

Associated Press NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — Joe Biden is on Nantucket, wrapping up his final Thanksgiving holiday as president. It’s a family tradition that this year seems to be part of a broader farewell to his time in the White House. The Democrat’s four years as president will be bookended by Republican Donald Trump. The

AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans swept to power on Election Day and now control the House, the Senate and the White House, with plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda come January. Their to-do list includes extending tax breaks, cutting social programs, building the border wall to stop immigration and rolling back President Joe

Associated Press LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian fishermen have rescued 116 Rohingya refugees, mostly hungry and weak women and children, after their rickety boat sank. Police say the group had sailed from the Cox Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh hoping to reach to Indonesia or Malaysia in search of a better life, when it became

Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — While retailers hope to go big this holiday season, customers may notice that the catalogs arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were scaled down to save on postage and paper. Some gift purveyors are sending out postcards. In

LONDON (AP) — Former “Harry Potter” film actor Rupert Grint faces a 1.8 million-pound ($2.3 million) bill after he lost a legal battle with the tax authorities. Grint was ordered to pay the money in 2019 after the U.K. tax agency said he had wrongly classed 4.5 million pounds in residuals from the movies as

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed five people, including employees of World Central Kitchen. The charity said it was “urgently seeking more details” after Israel’s military said it targeted a WCK worker who was part of the Hamas attack that

Associated Press DABROWKA, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister has traveled to his country’s border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad to inspect progress in the construction of military fortifications. Donald Tusk called the fortifications “an investment in peace” as he briefed reporters standing in front of concrete anti-tank barriers. Tusk’s visit comes a month

Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has approved the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital Hanoi in the north with the financial capital of Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is expected to cost $67 billion and will stretch 1,541 kilometers (957 miles). The new train is expected to travel at

Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has arrived in Hawaii for a two-day transit in the U.S. as part of a trip to the South Pacific. The stopover in Hawaii and one planned for the territory of Guam have drawn fierce criticism from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. China

Associated Press PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — A powerful explosion has damaged a water canal and temporarily cut water and power supply to Kosovo’s cities. Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed groups supported by Serbia, a charge denied by Belgrade. Kurti said the explosion on Friday disrupted water supply to some cities and main power plants. It

Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Protesters gathered across Georgia on Saturday night in a third straight night of demonstrations against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested as crowds clashed with police Friday night, the country’s Interior Ministry said. The Associated Press saw protesters

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, establishing positions in the country’s largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province. They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists. A war monitor, the Syrian

AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — One art critic compared the new Harry Kane bronze statue to a bulging-jawed comic strip character. The infamous Cristiano Ronaldo bust in 2017 gave the chiseled soccer star a chubby face and goofy smile. Sculptors are offering tips to avoid pitfalls. London-based Hywel Pratley says sculptors must first get

Associated Press REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This will be Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the

Associated Press VIACHA, Bolivia (AP) — In the huddled market stalls, sprawling farms and pulsing parties of Viacha, a scrappy town southeast of Bolivia’s capital, it’s typical for women to sport bowler hats, tiered skirts and fringed shawls. What’s less typical is for these outfits — worn by “Cholas,” Andean Indigenous women from the highland

Associated Press BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — The world’s nations will wrap up negotiating a treaty this weekend to address the global plastic pollution crisis. Their meeting concludes Sunday or early Monday in Busan, South Korea, where many environmental organizations have also flocked to push for a treaty to address the volume of production and

Associated Press TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah brought hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon on Friday, including fishermen who long launched their wooden-hulled single-engine boats into the Mediterranean at dawn. During the last two months of its year fighting Hezbollah, Israel imposed a siege on southern Lebanon

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hundreds of protesters gathered in Bucharest after a far-right populist unexpectedly won the first round of a presidential race, plunging Romania into turmoil just days before the country holds parliamentary elections. “Better to be dead than a fascist,” one placard reads. Sunday’s ballot will determine a new government and

Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The first big snowfall of the season blanketed towns along Lake Erie on Saturday in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, and numbing cold and heavy snow were forecast to persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions.

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police in late November formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of planning a coup to keep him in office. The agency described a multi-step scheme, substantiated by evidence and testimony, in an 884-page report. The plan included systematically sowing distrust of the electoral

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Beijing on Friday sentenced a prominent Chinese journalist to seven in years in prison for espionage, his family said. Dong Yuyu, a commentator and editor, was taken away by police while meeting a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant in February 2022. He has been in police custody

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country will “invariably support” Russia’s war in Ukraine as he met Russia’s defense chief, the North’s state media reported Saturday. A Russia military delegation led by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concern

AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actor Hailee Steinfeld are engaged. The couple posted a photo to their Instagram followers on Friday of Allen on one knee proposing marriage. Allen and Steinfeld were first linked in the spring of 2023. They kept their romance relatively quiet for

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say three people have been wounded in a shooting at an Arkansas mall on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Little Rock police say the Black Friday shooting at Park Plaza in Little Rock was an isolated incident rather than an active shooter situation. Chief Heath

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — National security adviser Jake Sullivan; Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Gov.-elect Josh Stein, D-N.C. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sullivan; Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn. ___ CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sullivan; Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md. __ CBS’ “Face the

Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Black Friday is giving way to a white weekend in parts of New York state. The first big snow of the season has the potential to bury towns along lakes Erie and Ontario during a hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend. Forecasters warn 4 to 6 feet of blowing

Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with rebels’ surprise capture of Aleppo, one of the country’s largest cities and an ancient hub of Middle East culture and commerce. The rebel advances are among the largest in years in a war whose destabilizing effects have

Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican attorney general says he still considers it illegal to provide abortions after fetal viability, despite a newly approved state abortion rights amendment. Attorney General Andrew Bailey writes in an opinion that his office will also continue to enforce a law requiring parental permission for minors to get

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut NAACP says that former Hartford Mayor Thirman Milner has died. He was 91. Milner was the first popularly elected Black mayor in New England. He served as Hartford’s Democratic mayor from 1981 to 1987. The Connecticut NAACP says in a statement that “His tenure was marked by significant strides

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cruise ship industry players are up in arms after the lower house of Mexico’s Congress voted this week to charge a $42 immigration levy for every passenger on cruise ships that dock in Mexico. Two-thirds of the money raised, moreover, would go to the Mexican army, not to improve port facilities.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have seized more than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars shipped from Asia at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say that had the guitars been authentic, they would have been worth $18 million. The agency says Gibson

BOLT, W.Va. (AP) — Authorities say a West Virginia sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a person on Friday who fired at him as he was responding to a 911 call. The individual who died hasn’t been identified by the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. Officials say law enforcement responded to a residence in Bolt at around

AP National Writer BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders set Colorado’s all-time single-season passing record, surpassing Koy Detmer’s 28-year-old mark. The senior quarterback came in needing 40 yards to surpass Detmer’s record of 3,527 yards. He got there by hitting LaJohntay Wester for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the regular-season finale

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A coalition of Canadian news publishers, including The Canadian Press, Torstar, Globe and Mail, Postmedia and CBC/Radio-Canada, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for using news content to train its ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence system. The outlets said in a joint statement on Friday that OpenAI is regularly breaching copyright by

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities are investigating after a Russian national who did not have a ticket boarded a Paris-bound Delta flight at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport this week and was arrested when the plane touched down. Delta Flight 264 took off Tuesday night from Kennedy and landed at Charles de Gaulle

AP Business Writer Russia’s ruble is sagging against other currencies, complicating the Kremlin’s efforts to keep consumer inflation under control with one hand even as it overheats the economy with spending on the war against Ukraine with the other. Over time a weaker ruble could mean higher prices for imports from China, Russia’s main trade

Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s election commission leader has quietly certified Donald Trump’s victory in the battleground state, a departure from the chaos that surrounded the 2020 election results. Commission Chairperson Ann Jacobs certified results during a Zoom meeting on Friday that show Trump won the state with 1,697,626 votes compared to Democrat

Associated Press KIBBUTZ MALKIYA, Israel (AP) — Even after a tenuous Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire took hold this week, the mood among residents of northern Israel is far from celebratory. Few are returning immediately to homes near the border with Lebanon. They say they don’t trust that Hezbollah’s fire is really over. Many do not trust that

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The United Nations refugee agency has voiced concern at the rise in deaths of migrants trying to reach Greece by sea in small boats from Turkey, following two fatal shipwrecks this week. The UNHCR said in a statement on Friday that 17 people have died in that way this month, while

Sabrina Carpenter hosting a holiday variety music special on Netflix and Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw playing a spy and an assassin in the TV series “Black Doves” are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases. Spider-Man, Black Panther and Captain America are some of the heroes who can join forces in the video

AP Health Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Libraries around across the U.S. are helping people get healthier. They offer fitness classes, food pantries, cooking classes, conversations about loneliness and mental health, and even blood pressure monitors that can be checked out just like books. The programs leverage libraries’ reputation as sources of reliable information and their

Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The outgoing head of Ohio’s troubled teacher retirement system said she’s leaving the fund in strong fiscal condition despite turmoil at the top that her successor will inherit. Lynn Hoover retires as acting executive director and CFO of the $94 billion State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio said Sunday.

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The stress of Thanksgiving is over. Now it’s time to heat up leftovers, relax on the couch and enjoy the smooth sounds of a wrongly mocked music genre: yacht rock. The late-’70s music of Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross takes center stage Friday in the well-crafted

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Five years after a catastrophic fire reduced Notre Dame Cathedral to a smoldering shell, journalists entered the Gothic masterpiece for a first glimpse of its fully restored interiors during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The transformation is nothing short of breathtaking: light dances across brilliant stone, gilded accents