Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A CIA employee accused of leaking classified information assessing Israel’s earlier plans to attack Iran has been ordered by a federal judge to face felony charges in Virginia. The FBI arrested Asif William Rahman this week in Cambodia, and he made his first court appearance Thursday in Guam. A judge
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MILAN (AP) — Global sales of personal luxury goods are forecast to shrink next year for the first time since the Great Recession in 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a new study by the Bain consultancy. It forecasts a 2% slowdown next year due to global turmoil and steep price
Continue ReadingAssociated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Hard-right Dutch political leader Geert Wilders has blamed “Moroccans” for attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam last week and recommended the deportation of people convicted of involvement if they have dual nationality. While lawmakers condemned antisemitism and agreed that perpetrators of the violence should be prosecuted and
Continue ReadingEdmunds The end of the year is often the best time to buy a car. To help get the best deal, Edmunds editors analyzed thousands of new-car transactions to find five of the vehicles most likely to produce great deals at the end of 2024. They include the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford Edge, GMC Terrain,
Continue ReadingDETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling nearly 462,000 pickup trucks and big SUVs with diesel engines because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall in the U.S. covers certain Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2020 through 2022 model years. Also
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that he will ask for a vote of confidence on Dec. 16, paving the way for early parliamentary elections in February. He declared his plans during a speech in parliament, a week after his three-party coalition government collapsed. Germany has been governed since 2021
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ROME (AP) — Italy’s president has sharply rebuked Elon Musk. President Sergio Mattarella issued an unusually piqued statement on Wednesday following Musk’s weighing in on Italian court rulings that have stymied the government’s plans to process some asylum-seekers in Albania. Musk wrote earlier that the court rulings were unacceptable and that “these judges
Continue ReadingBANGKOK (AP) — In case you can’t get enough of the little pygmy hippo Moo Deng from Thailand, there’s now an official song featuring the internet’s favorite baby animal — released in four languages for her global fans. The upbeat 50-second song “Moodeng Moodeng,” available in Thai, English, Chinese and Japanese versions, features simple lyrics
Continue ReadingBONNYRIGG, Scotland (AP) — A lowly Scottish soccer club which once had “James Bond” actor Sean Connery on its books has been given a six-point deduction for having a sloping field. Now Bonnyrigg Rose is calling on its fans to help raise more than $127,000 to level out the playing surface and ensure the team
Continue ReadingCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A court in Greenland has again decided to extend the custody of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson, until Dec. 4, while Denmark considers a Japanese extradition request. The Canadian-American citizen is a former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has had high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels. Watson was arrested in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government says its law enforcement agencies will be obliged to cooperate if the International Criminal Court seeks the custody of former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of an investigation into thousands of deaths during his crackdown on illegal drugs. The Hague-based court has been investigating the widespread
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIT EL, West Bank (AP) — Advocates of Jewish settlement in the West Bank believe they have reason to celebrate after Donald Trump’s election win. Not only did settlement building surge during Trump’s first term, but his administration took unprecedented steps to support Israel’s territorial claims, including recognizing Jerusalem as its capital and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — For years, neighbors who lived near a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, complained amongst themselves and to local officials about a variety of strange smells coming from the plant, which produces colorings for food and drinks. Some described it as an ammonia-like smell, while others said it was more like
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan, who helped bring the first-ever FIFA World Cup tournament to Africa in 2010, has been arrested on fraud and theft charges. Jordaan is accused of using about R1.3 million ($72,372) of SAFA funds to hire a PR firm and a private security company
Continue ReadingSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas “Moon Embracing the Sun” and “Queen Woo,” was found dead at his home in capital Seoul. He was 39. Officials at Seoul’s Seongdong district police station didn’t immediately comment Wednesday on the cause of death. South Korea’s Yonhap
Continue ReadingAssociated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Artifacts and human remains taken by a Norwegian explorer and anthropologist in the late 1940s are being returned by a museum in Oslo to Chile’s remote territory of Easter Island in the mid-Pacific, the Kon-Tiki Museum said Wednesday. In 1947, explorer Thor Heyerdahl sailed on a log raft named
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CAIRO (AP) — The United States has sanctioned a commander of Sudan’s paramilitary forces, saying he played a leading role in the ongoing violence against civilians in West Darfur. The U.S. Department of Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday that Abdel Rahman Juma Barakallah led the Rapid Support Forces campaign in West
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s nuclear watchdog has formally disqualified a reactor in the country’s north-central region from starting. It’s the first rejection under safety standards that were reinforced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster and a setback as Japan seeks to accelerate reactor restarts to maximize nuclear power. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday
Continue ReadingBRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration intends to bolster its military support to Ukraine. Blinken was at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday for planned meetings with allied envoys and Ukrainian officials. He said that the U.S. will “continue to shore up everything we’re doing for Ukraine to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is determined in its final months to help Ukraine keep fighting its war with Russia next year. Blinken said Wednesday in Brussels that the U.S. is sending Ukraine as much aid as possible so that it might hold Russian
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