Skip to Content

AP National News

A New Zealander studied for a year to win the Spanish world Scrabble title. He doesn’t speak Spanish

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn’t speak, has won the board game’s Spanish-language world title. Nigel Richards is a professional player and won the Spanish world Scrabble championships in November, losing one game out of 24. He started

Continue Reading

Philippine vice president skips hearing into threats she made against the president

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine vice president has skipped the first hearing into threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she did not believe the investigation will be fair. Vice President Sara Duterte was subpoenaed to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday. Instead her lawyer denied she made any

Continue Reading

Australian police launch a special operation to investigate increased antisemitic attacks

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian federal police have launched a special operation to investigate an increase in antisemitic threats and violence since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year. Jewish leaders say prejudice against their community has reached unprecedented levels, with most incidents reported in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s largest cities

Continue Reading

What happens next with Alex Jones’ Infowars? No certainty yet after sale to The Onion is rejected

Associated Press The Onion’s rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory platform, which will remain in his control for at least the near future. What’s next for Infowars and the

Continue Reading

US defense chief observes drills with Japan, Australia, says he’s confident about greater capability

Assocaited Press CAMP ASAKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed confidence about enhanced military capabilities among the United States, Australia and Japan as he observed joint exercises showcasing their closer cooperation as tension in the region grow. Austin is in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington’s

Continue Reading

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 33 including children, Palestinian medics say

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday, with one attack ripping through a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north. The strikes killed at least 33 people including children, Palestinian health officials said. Violence also flared in outside Jerusalem, where an

Continue Reading

Brazilian beef and leather companies fall short in tackling deforestation, a study finds

Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The next United Nations climate conference will be held in Belem, the capital of an Amazon region where widespread deforestation has turned the surrounding rainforest from a vital carbon sink into a significant carbon source. Cattle farming remains the main driver of this destruction. Now a new report ahead

Continue Reading

US Biathlon officials ignored sexual harassment and abuse of female racers for decades, athletes say

Associated Press Sexual abuse and harassment by coaches and others who held positions of power over women on the U.S. Biathlon team have been dismissed, ignored or excused over decades by officials more concerned with winning medals than holding offenders accountable, according to a half-dozen former Olympians and other biathletes. And while the men involved

Continue Reading

Rights group demands probe of ex-governor, 2 army officers in Congo for possible humanitarian crimes

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Amnesty International has called for an investigation into a former governor and two top army officials in Congo for “possible crimes against humanity” during a deadly protest crackdown last year. The human rights group said in a report Wednesday that Congo’s security forces killed at least 56 people and

Continue Reading

Keynote Selena Gomez spotlights prioritizing mental health during Academy Women’s Luncheon

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — While surveying a room packed with Hollywood’s most influential figures, “Emilia Pérez” star Selena Gomez took center stage to spotlight a critical issue: Prioritizing mental health and supporting underserved communities often left behind in the conversation. “It’s about taking action to ensure that underserved communities have access to

Continue Reading

Ex-defense chief in South Korea tried to kill himself after being arrested over martial law

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s previous defense minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week’s martial law declaration, officials said Wednesday, as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party is pushing for a new motion

Continue Reading

San Diego sheriff defies new policy to limit cooperation with immigration officials

Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — The sheriff of the nation’s fifth-largest county on Tuesday defied a new policy to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, setting up a showdown over a new obstacle to President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans. Earlier Tuesday, San Diego County supervisors voted to prohibit its sheriff’s department from working

Continue Reading