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AP National News

A power grab by Republicans in North Carolina becomes a referendum on democracy in the states

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democrats in North Carolina were celebrating big wins in the swing state after the November election, including victories for governor and other top statewide offices. But the political high didn’t last long. Republican lawmakers are stripping away these newly elected officials’ powers through a series of wide-ranging changes while

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US applications for unemployment benefits come back down after last week’s big rise

AP Business Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell markedly last week following a big increase the week before. Jobless claim applications declined by 22,000 to 220,000 for the week of Dec. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 229,000 analysts were forecasting. Continuing claims, the total number of

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German lawmakers back plan to protect supreme court against meddling by authoritarians, extremists

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved legislation designed to protect the country’s highest court against possible future manipulation or obstruction by authoritarian or extremist politicians. Officials have cited experiences in Poland, Hungary and elsewhere as illustrating the need to bolster the Federal Constitutional Court. The measure was drawn up by the three parties in

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EU leaders insist no decisions can be taken about Ukraine without Ukraine, or behind their backs

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders insist no decisions can be taken about the future of Ukraine without its consent or behind their backs. Demonstrations of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are mounting barely a month before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Zelenskyy attended an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine’s position

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Italy’s Salvini faces verdict for blocking migrants at sea. Case weighs limits of stemming migration

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italy’s deputy premier, Matteo Salvini, is sounding defiant as he awaits a verdict in Sicily for preventing some 100 migrants from disembarking a rescue boat in 2019 when he was interior minister. Salvini, who leads the Euroskeptic, anti-migrant League, told a rally last week that “defending the borders, the dignity,

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Romania’s political tumult continues as leftist party leaves talks to form pro-European coalition

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s leftist Social Democratic Party has withdrawn from negotiations to form a pro-European coalition government, extending political turmoil that has gripped the European Union country after a top court annulled a presidential election. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the PSD, said Thursday that his party was abandoning negotiations with three traditional

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Human Rights Watch says Israel’s restriction of water supply in Gaza amounts to acts of genocide

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of causing the deaths of thousands of Palestinians by systematically restricting and targeting Gaza’s water supply in a campaign that amounted to “acts of genocide.” The group alleged that countless infants, children and adults have died from malnutrition, dehydration and illness as a

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Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo chokes on toxic air as a thick blanket of winter fog rolls over the city

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Flights have been grounded and people told to stay indoors as a thick layer of smog has engulfed Bosnia’s capital of Sarajevo. Thursday’s fog had residents virtually choking on toxic air. The Swiss air quality technology company IQAir put Sarajevo’s air quality index, or AQI, at a “very unhealthy” 225, ranking

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Bank of England warns of ‘heightened uncertainty’ as it keeps interest rates on hold

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K.’s central bank has warned about “heightened uncertainty” as it kept interest rates on hold after inflation moved further above target even at a time when the British economy is flatlining at best. The Bank of England’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee kept its main interest rate unchanged at 4.75%

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US ambassador to Vietnam says US arms manufacturers could help boost Vietnam’s military capabilities

Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam says U.S. arms manufacturers could help the southeast Asian country build up its armed forces. Ambassador Marc Knapper said at a press briefing during an international arms expo in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday that U.S. and Vietnamese companies could work together to

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Putin boasts of gains in Ukraine at annual news conference meant to reinforce his authority

Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow’s prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted for about

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France’s Macron says tour of cyclone-devastated Mayotte is a day he won’t forget

Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte to survey Cyclone Chido’s destruction and was immediately confronted with a first-hand account of devastation across the French territory. “Mayotte is demolished,” Assane Haloi, a security agent, told Macron after he stepped off the plane. Macron

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Pakistan denounces US sanctions on its missile program as biased and putting regional peace at risk

Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has denounced U.S. sanctions on its ballistic missile program as biased and putting regional peace at risk. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the “discriminatory” sanctions not only undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes but also endanger regional and international peace and security. The sanctions freeze

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Middle East latest: Israeli strike on a Gaza school kills 17 people sheltering there

Israeli airstrikes slammed into two schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, a Health Ministry official said, killing at least 17 people including five children in one of the schools. Rescue workers said at 30 people were also wounded across both locations. Israel said Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters, without providing

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