Month: February 2024

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says recognizing a Palestinian state is not a ‘’taboo’’ for France, as international frustration grows with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. France and the EU have long supported a two-state solution in the Mideast, but as part of a negotiated settlement. With talks long stalled and Israel’s

By WAFAA SHURAFA and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Talks on a potential cease-fire deal in Gaza “have not been progressing as expected” in the past few days after good progress in recent weeks, key mediator Qatar said Saturday, as Israel’s prime minister accused the Hamas militant group of not changing

By GEIR MOULSON and KERSTIN SOPKE Associated Press MUNICH (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned allies that an “artificial deficit” of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space. after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka. Zelenskyy spoke Saturday to the Munich Security Conference

By EMMA BURROWS Associated Press Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition leader had died at a remote Arctic penal colony, saying he was “murdered,” but it was unclear where his body was as his family and friends searched for answers. Navalny’s death at age 47 has deprived the Russian opposition of its

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A 30-year-old man gunned down 12 of his relatives Saturday in a remote rural area in southeast Iran, the deadliest shooting reported in decades. Head of the justice department of the province of Kerman, Ebrahim Hamidi, told the semiofficial ISNA news agency the gunman opened fire on his father, brother and

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. mission in Afghanistan says women are scared to leave the home alone because of Taliban rules on clothing and male guardians. The Taliban have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They are also restricting women’s access to

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians are facing one of the West African nation’s worst economic crises in years. It was triggered by surging inflation, the result of monetary policies that have pushed the currency to an all-time low against the dollar. The situation has provoked anger and protests across the

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — After World War II, the U.S. Army’s art experts set out to find and return millions of works stolen by the Nazis. Known as the Monuments Men, they included Mary Regan Quessenberry, who from her base in Berlin traveled to examine stolen works, tracked looting cases and

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Some state governments and federal regulators were already moving to keep individuals’ reproductive health information private when a U.S. senator’s report last week offered a new jolt, describing how cellphone location data was used to send millions of anti-abortion ads to people who visited Planned Parenthood offices. Federal law bars

By MATT BROWN and JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is used to prosecuting high-profile, challenging cases. But as she parried questions about her own personal conduct from the witness stand against the legal teams for defendants her office has accused of election interference, many Black women recognized a dispiriting scene.

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Michael Thurmond thought he was reading familiar history at the burial place of Georgia’s colonial founder. Then a single sentence on a marble plaque extolling the accomplishments of James Edward Oglethorpe left him stunned speechless. Within a lengthy tribute to the Englishman who died in 1785,

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press CRESTLINE, Ohio (AP) — Just in time for the 2024 presidential election, a new book chronicles the storied history of whistle-stop campaign trains, from the earliest days of rail travel through to today. Author Edward Segal spent decades researching and cataloging the phenomenon, which he calls a uniquely “American

By BERNARD CONDON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump won’t face the corporate death penalty after all. A New York judge on Friday spared the ex-president that worst case punishment as he ruled in a civil case alleging Trump fraudulently misrepresented financial figures to get cheaper loans and other benefits. Still, Trump got

By ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The dim lighting and vacant offices were the first clues. Other changes struck Nina Washington, a senior at the University of Texas, when she returned to her favorite study spot from winter break. The words “Multicultural Center” had been taken off the wall, erasing an effort

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. aid for Ukraine is teetering in Congress, and it’s up to House Speaker Mike Johnson to decide what happens next. The Republican’s leadership will determine whether the House will agree to approve more assistance for its ally or allow the U.S. commitment to wither. When

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Democrats’ reframing of the immigration debate risks straining President Joe Biden’s support from immigrants and their advocates who campaigned for him in 2020. But it appears to be working for Democrats after they won a special election in New York.

STERLING, Va. (AP) — One firefighter is dead after an explosion in a Washington, D.C., suburb leveled a home. Nine firefighters were injured where they were investigating a gas leak on Friday evening. Two other people were also injured in the blast. Officials say firefighters were called to the home in Sterling, Virginia, by a

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer MUNICH (AP) — The State Department says the top U.S. and Chinese diplomats held a “candid and constructive” discussion on issues including Taiwan, Russia’s war against Ukraine and synthetic opioids. The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi marks the latest and

CHICAGO (AP) — The cause of death for a 5-year-old Venezuelan boy who died in December after becoming ill at a temporary shelter for migrants in Chicago was sepsis and a bacterial infection that causes strep throat, an autopsy released Friday shows. Jean Carlos Martinez died Dec. 17 as a result of sepsis due to

By JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seven of nine Los Angeles firefighters injured when a truck’s fuel tank exploded have been released from a hospital. Fire Capt. Erik Scott says the two most seriously injured remain hospitalized Friday. One is in stable but critical condition at Los Angeles General Medical Center’s burn

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s legal debts might now exceed a half-billion dollars. A New York judge ordered Trump and his companies Friday to pay $355 million in fines, plus interest, after ruling that he had manipulated his net worth in financial statements. The stiff penalty comes on top

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday