Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian state government on Tuesday proposed new restrictions on protesters in response to rising antisemitism, including a ban on demonstrations outside places of worship. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan proposed the new laws after arsonists damaged a Melbourne synagogue this month and protestors kept fearful worshippers trapped inside a
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — At least 14 people are dead and hundreds more are injured after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Vanuatu, causing widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation. The Red Cross reported the toll on Tuesday, citing information from the government. Widespread damage to communications and other infrastructure
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden has closed the book on her teaching career at a Virginia community college. The first lady, who has spent the past 40 years teaching in classrooms, announced Monday that she had taught her final class at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria last week. The surprise announcement came
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A judge Monday refused to throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Notorious drug lord Osiel Cárdenas has been returned to Mexico after serving a U.S. sentence and was quickly re-arrested and sent to a maximum security prison to face Mexican charges. There had been nervousness about the impending return of Cárdenas, who once led the feared Gulf cartel in northeastern
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in two states in southern Mexico have arrested more than 100 local police officers for various abuses and offenses. In the largest of the two incidents, 92 municipal police in southern Chiapas state were arrested after they tried to stop state authorities from assuming command of a police
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he might reverse President Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump on Monday called the move by Biden “stupid.” He also criticized the current administration for not consulting him before the decision
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An attorney defending Jay-Z against the rape allegation brought against him last week by an unnamed woman outlined a range of evidence Monday that he said showed the accuser’s account to be “provably, demonstrably false.” The woman told NBC News last week that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Up in the sky, is that a drone, a plane or a helicopter? Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues. A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted, according to John
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has swept onto Capitol Hill. The anti-vaccine health guru from the famous political family is reintroducing himself to senators as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s Health and Human Services Department. His arrival Monday was the start of a long process to win over
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOSTON (AP) — Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other servicemembers. Officials said the pair were arrested after
Continue ReadingLA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Prosecutors in Bolivia on Monday sought the arrest of former President Evo Morales in connection to a sexual abuse investigation involving his alleged fathering of a child with a 15-year-old girl. The arrest warrant, which still must be approved by a judge, was issued after Morales defied an order to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a ceasefire to end their 14-month war. Top officials from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts in recent weeks and reported greater willingness by the warring sides to wrap up a deal. In a key concession,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A man who spent more than 20 years behind bars before he was exonerated of robbing a Memphis music club is suing the city and 10 police officers, alleging they made up evidence that led to his wrongful conviction and a lengthy prison sentence. The lawsuit filed Dec. 12
Continue ReadingRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina reached its Medicaid expansion enrollment goal of 600,000 people just over a year since the program rolled out. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper called the enrollment numbers a “monumental achievement” that is “life-changing” for people in need of health insurance. Medicaid expansion received bipartisan support in its passage through the
Continue ReadingALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — The longtime pastor of the Auburn University football team has died after falling into the water on Lake Martin in central Alabama. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says the accident occurred Sunday evening. Officials say the Rev. Chette L. Williams fell into the water from his pontoon boat. The accident
Continue ReadingATHENS, N.Y. (AP) — Efforts to save an imperiled 150-year-old lighthouse in New York are getting a boost with federal officials announcing new funding to study ways to protect the structure. New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding a study on how to restore the Hudson-Athens
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it counts international migration in its annual population estimates. Officials said Monday that the bureau will add a large share of humanitarian immigrants to its calculations to better reflect the influx of refugees to the United States this decade. The change will be incorporated into 2024
Continue ReadingHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut has become the latest state to begin notifying its eligible citizens that some or all of their medical debt will soon be paid off. State officials announced Monday that nearly 23,000 residents with debt totaling $30 million are expected to be informed by mail beginning Dec. 23. Connecticut has been
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Interpol says a crackdown on suspected illegal deforestation in South America has netted 26 arrests. The agency says the operation in mid-October relied on Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina sharing key information in what’s called the Tri-Border area. That included satellite imagery and intelligence on high-value targets, as well as
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