Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 29 political prisoners amid what human rights groups describe as renewed oppression in the country. Belarusian officials did not provide the names of those released on Monday, but said that the group included 11 women and 18 men. More than half of
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The Golden Globes nominated more than 40 individual films Monday and yet still managed to overlook quite a bit. That may just be the brutal truth of awards season. The field narrows and suddenly great performances and wonderful films are simply left in the dust. Excluded were actors like Danielle Deadwyler, June
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Boston parents who claimed a temporary admissions policy for the city’s elite high schools discriminated against white students and those of Asian descent. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from their colleagues’ decision to leave in place lower court rulings in favor of
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour brought in approximately $2.2 billion in its nearly two-year run, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time for a second year in a row. That’s according to Pollstar estimates from data collected across 149 shows and provided to The Associated Press on Monday.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An alleged drug trafficker wanted for his role in an international cocaine smuggling operation through the port of Antwerp, in Belgium, had been arrested in Dubai. Police said Monday that Othman El Ballouti was detained under an international arrest warrant issued by Belgian authorities. El Ballouti, who
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AP Business Writer TikTok asked a federal appeals court on Monday to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge to the statute. The legal filing was made after a panel of three judges on the same court
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Wisconsin parents who wanted to challenge a school district’s guidance for supporting transgender students. The justices, acting Monday in a case from Eau Claire, left in place an appellate ruling dismissing the parents’ lawsuit. Parents with children in Eau Claire public schools
Continue ReadingAssociated Press OSLO, Norway (AP) — Terumi Tanaka, a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan and the representative of an organization that won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop making nuclear threats. The 92-year-old spoke at a news conference in Oslo, Norway, a day before
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PHOENIX (AP) — A polygamist religious leader who claimed more than 20 spiritual “wives” including 10 underage girls was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Monday for coercing girls as young as 9 years old to submit to criminal sex acts with him and other adults, and for scheming to kidnap them
Continue ReadingNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus and the U.S. say they’re doubling down on a joint effort to crack down on illicit finance with additional training of Cypriot law enforcement authorities to identify, investigate and prosecute financial crimes. According to a joint statement issued Monday, an “ambitious” plan for next year will involve 21 weeks of
Continue ReadingKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he’s open to the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security as part of a broad effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia. The deployment would be a step toward Ukraine joining NATO, Zelenskyy said in a
Continue ReadingMANILA, Philippines (AP) — A large volcano eruption in the Philippines sent a plume of ash and gases up to 1.8 miles high following a powerful blast that sent villagers fleeing to emergency shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the latest explosion on Monday of Mount Kanlaon, on central Negros island, but
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HOMUN, Mexico (AP) — A huge poplar tree stands proud in Maribel Ek’s courtyard, adorned with a sign that reads: “Florece desde adentro” (“It blooms from within”). Deep underground, the tree’s long roots search for the water that makes this land special: a sinkhole lake, known as a cenote. Cenotes provide an important
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer Omnicom is buying Interpublic Group in a stock-for-stock deal that will create an advertising powerhouse with combined annual revenue of almost $26 billion. The companies have had a hand in iconic marketing campaigns like “Got Milk” for the California Milk Processor Board, “Priceless” for Mastercard, “Because I’m Worth It” for L’Oreal and
Continue ReadingAssocaited Press CILVEGOZU BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — Hundreds of Syrian refugees have gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey, eagerly anticipating their return to Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government. Assad’s fall has sparked widespread joy among Turkey’s 3 million Syrian refugees. Turkish officials have not said how many Syrians have
Continue ReadingAssociated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors have told the International Criminal Court that they are confident that two alleged leaders of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic are guilty of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Former CAR football federation president Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom,
Continue ReadingMILAN (AP) — Italian authorities say at least two people have been killed in a fuel depot explosion in the central region of Tuscany. Fourteen people were injured and three others were believed missing in a building that collapsed nearby. Italy’s ENI oil company said the cause of the explosion Monday at the depot in
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations’ top human rights official has pledged to try to ensure migrant labor standards in Saudi Arabia are “properly respected” around soccer’s 2034 World Cup. FIFA will confirm the kingdom on Wednesday as the 2034 host. Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for the decision by FIFA’s
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — China’s top leaders have pledged to loosen monetary policy and provide more support for the slowing economy. Shares in Hong Kong jumped Monday after state media released a report on the meeting by the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo. That gathering sets the tone for an annual economic planning meeting
Continue ReadingDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Trump Organization says it has leased its brand to two new real estate projects in Saudi Arabia just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. It said Monday it will partner with Dar Global, a London-based luxury real estate developer that will lease the Trump
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