Month: January 2024

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has announced the nomination of a new Chinese bishop, the third in less than a week. Bishop Peter Wu Yishun was consecrated bishop of Minbei in southeast China. The Vatican says all three nominations took place “within the framework” of the 2018 Vatican-China accord. The 2018 deal aimed to unite

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin has vowed to drive Ukrainian forces back to reduce the threat of attacks on Russian territory as he met with activists running his campaign ahead of the March presidential election that he’s all but certain to win. Asked Wednesday about plans for the military

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A panel of Supreme Court justices in Mexico has ruled against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s rules that favored the state-owned electrical power company over private power companies. The five-judge panel approved a resolution Wednesday saying the president’s approach violates constitutional guarantees of free competition in the power sector. Previously, power

By FLORENT BAJRAMI and LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo authorities say they will impose the use of the country’s currency, the euro, and abolish the use of neighboring Serbia’s dinar in the north where most of the ethnic Serb minority lives. Kosovo’s Central Bank Governor says new rules on local transactions

By HALELUYA HADERO and ALI SWENSON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A graphic video from a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web. Police said Wednesday

By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker behind a new law that allows public money to go to private school tuition is now targeting the petition referendum process that could see it repealed. Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan’s new bill would allow people who sign a referendum petition to

By JACK DURA Associated Press South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says her administration is considering boosting its support for Texas’ efforts to deter immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a speech to a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday, she mentioned sending more razor wire and exploring legal and personnel options for the border

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House has passed a bill instructing public schools to set aside time for a moment of silence at the start of each school day. The measure easily cleared the House on Wednesday. It moves on to the Senate. The moment of silence would last

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s attorney general has launched a go-it-alone legal fight accusing TikTok, Snapchat and Meta of creating what one lawsuit calls “an addiction machine” that exploits children too young to have self-control. Three lawsuits filed Tuesday in state court allege the platforms put children at risk of

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has hinted that the state may explore expanding its methods of executing people on death row. He says he is committed to upholding “contractual obligations” between the state and victims’ families after a death sentenced has been handed down in court.

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a rehearsal on a Western movie set in New Mexico. Court documents filed Wednesday show Baldwin entered the plea in state district court in Santa

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu toured a recreational complex Wednesday hours ahead of its opening as a temporary shelter site for families experiencing homelessness, including migrants. Healey says about 75 individuals are expected to arrive at the center on Wednesday. The complex can

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press The University of Idaho says a judge’s ruling helps it move closer to its planned affiliation with for-profit University of Phoenix in a nearly $700 million deal. The state attorney general characterizes it as a secret backroom deal and sued. In dismissing the lawsuit, an Idaho judge says Attorney

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Elections Commission argues that Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips’ challenge to being left off of Wisconsin’s ballot is too late and the state Supreme Court should reject his lawsuit. Phillips last week asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order that he be put on

MIAMI (AP) — The parents of a social media model charged with fatally stabbing her live-in boyfriend in South Florida have been arrested in Texas on charges related to the case, jail records show. Deborah Lyn Clenney, 57, and Kim Dewayne Clenney, 60, were taken into custody Tuesday in Austin, Texas, on an out-of-state warrant,

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Conspiracy theories seem to be everywhere these days. They’re found in American politics and on people’s social media feeds. The Associated Press has examined the role that conspiracy theories such as QAnon are playing in politics, culture and the world. The AP interviewed dozens of past and

LONDON (AP) — British police are hunting for a suspect after several people were injured with a corrosive substance in London. The Metropolitan Police force said nine people were injured after a man threw the substance at a woman and two children Wednesday in the Clapham area. Detective Superintendent Alexander Castle said nine people had

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi could start providing Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in a bid to improve health outcomes for moms and babies. The state is poor and has the worst rate of infant mortality in the nation. House Bill 539 passed the House with wide bipartisan support

By MELISSA GOLDIN Associated Press The budding love story featuring music superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce took an unexpected turn into the world of political conspiracy theories this week after the team advanced to the Super Bowl. Myriad baseless rumors emerged on social media — everything from claims that

By JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers is pushing into California, triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for potential flooding, heavy snow and damaging winds. Heavy rain and gusty winds began hitting the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday night and much

HONOLULU (AP) — A surge of earthquakes at Kilauea’s summit is prompting scientists to raise the alert level for the Hawaiian volcano. But any eruption is unlikely to threaten homes. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says it has detected 25 to 30 small earthquakes per hour since 3 a.m. Wednesday at the southern part of the

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a roughly $79 billion tax cut package expanding the child tax credit for millions of families and restoring three key tax breaks for businesses. Prospects for the measure becoming law are still uncertain, but for a House that has struggled to get bills

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled Californians don’t have to pay for and pass a background check every time they buy bullets. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled Tuesday the law is unconstitutional. His ruling took effect immediately. California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta has asked Benitez

BERLIN (AP) — A union has called on security staff at most of Germany’s major airports to stage a one-day strike on Thursday as it steps up pressure on employers in a pay dispute. The ver.di union announced the strikes on Tuesday. It said the strike will affect Germany’s busiest airport, Frankfurt, as well as

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A review of Kentucky’s juvenile justice system has found continuing use of force issues in its detention centers and a lack of progress on a previous state audit’s suggestions for improvement. The new report was released Wednesday by Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball. It says the state’s juvenile detention centers lack clear

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Fans have been wondering for days whether Taylor Swift will make it to the Super Bowl next week to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs and, if so, how many times she’ll show up on TV during the game. They can