AP-National

Associated Press The tradition of Watch Night services in the United States dates back to Dec. 31, 1862, when many Black Americans gathered in churches and other venues, waiting for President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation into law, and thus free those still enslaved in the Confederacy. It’s still being observed each New

BY AYANNA ALEXANDER and GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — This year’s elections in Louisiana didn’t go the way that voting rights advocate Ashley Shelton had hoped, with the far-right conservative attorney general replacing a term-limited Democratic governor and consolidating Republican control in the state. Turnout was just 37%, despite the efforts of activists

BY AYANNA ALEXANDER and GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — This year’s elections in Louisiana didn’t go the way that voting rights advocate Ashley Shelton had hoped, with the far-right conservative attorney general replacing a term-limited Democratic governor and consolidating Republican control in the state. Turnout was just 37%, despite the efforts of activists

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani election officials have rejected former Prime Minister Imran Khan as a candidate in the country’s February parliamentary election. His lawyers have said they will appeal. Khan is the country’s most popular opposition figure but he’s in prison serving a three-year sentence for corruption. That disqualifies him from running for national

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A court in Albania on Saturday ordered house arrest for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being investigated for possible corruption. Judge Irena Gjoka of the First Instance Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which covers cases involving

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press. The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied in Serbia’s capital on Saturday, chanting “Thieves!” and accusing the populist authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic of orchestrating a fraud during a recent general election. The big rally in central Belgrade capped nearly two weeks of street protests against reported widespread irregularities

By SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s presidential candidates expressed desire for peaceful relations with Beijing, which has described Jan. 13 elections on the self-ruled island as a choice between war and peace and stepped up harassment of the territory that China claims as its own. William Lai, the front-runner and currently

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The holiday travel plans of hundreds of people were upended Saturday after Eurostar canceled train services to and from London because a tunnel under the River Thames became flooded. Large crowds of travelers trying to get across the English Channel were stranded at London’s St. Pancras International

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — Climate activists blocked part of the main highway around Amsterdam near the former headquarters of ING bank for hours on Saturday to protest its financing of fossil fuels. Dozens of Extinction Rebellion protesters were detained by police late in the afternoon after ignoring orders to end their

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Flash floods killed over a dozen people in the small town of Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province, South African officials said Saturday. “As of Friday, 29 December 2023, a total of 21 bodies have been recovered,” said police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda. The floods hit the town on

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Three overnight airstrikes on eastern Syria near a strategic border crossing with Iraq killed six Iran-backed militants Saturday, two members of Iraqi militia groups told The Associated Press. The strikes on the border region of Boukamal came hours after an umbrella group of Iran-backed

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza will continue for “many more months,” pushing back against persistent international cease-fire calls after mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass displacement in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu

By The Associated Press Shelling in the center of the Russian border city of Belgorod Saturday killed 21 people, including three children, local officials reported. A further 110 people were wounded in the strike, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Russian soil since the start of Moscow’s invasion

By RADUL RADOVANOVIC Associated Press BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Bosnian Serbs’ separatist leader vowed to carry on weakening his war-scarred country to the point where it will tear apart, despite a pledge by the United States to prevent such an outcome. “I am not irrational, I know that America’s response will be to

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook part of Indonesia’s Aceh province Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake was centered 362 kilometers (225 miles) east of Sinabang, a coastal town in Aceh province at a

By MATTHEW BROWN and JOHN FLESHER Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Since passage of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago, more than 1,700 plants, mammals, fish, insects and other species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered with extinction. Yet federal government data reveals striking disparities in how much money

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa frenzy is typically in full force by now. With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses formally usher in the presidential nomination process, White House hopefuls are usually in a heated competition. They fan out across the state and pack as many

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A chaotic year for the House is coming to a close with more Democrats than Republicans deciding to leave the chamber, a disparity that could have major ramifications in next year’s elections. About two dozen Democrats have indicated they won’t seek reelection, with half running for another

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than 700,000 immigrants living illegally in California will gain access to free health care starting Monday under one of the state’s most ambitious coverage expansions in a decade. It’s an effort that will eventually cost the state about $3.1 billion per year and inches California