Top General News
AI is helping shape the 2024 presidential race. But not in the way experts feared
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the 2024 election looming, the first since the mass popularization of generative artificial intelligence, experts feared the worst: social media flooded with AI-generated deepfakes that were so realistic, baffled voters wouldn’t know what to believe. So...
Court rules nearly 98,000 Arizonans whose citizenship hadn't been confirmed can vote the full ballot
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court unanimously ruled Friday that nearly 98,000 people whose citizenship documents hadn’t been confirmed can vote in state and local races, a significant decision that could influence ballot measures and tight legislative races. The court’s...
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israel strikes Beirut after Hezbollah rockets land in northern Israel
An Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more, Lebanese health officials said. It was the first such Israeli attack on Lebanon’s capital in months and came shortly after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets. In Gaza, Palestinian...
The US is more hands-off than usual in the Middle East. It fears making things worse
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking a more hands-off approach than usual during a week of dramatic escalation between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, with top U.S. officials holding back from full-on crisis diplomacy for fear of making matters worse. ...
Did Middle East device attack violate international law? Advocates want an investigation
GENEVA (AP) — Human rights advocates are calling for an independent investigation into the deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon and Syria, suggesting the blasts may have violated international law if the devices were fashioned as booby traps. The explosions...
Shocking rape trial highlights the systematic struggles French sexual abuse victims face
AVIGNON, France (AP) — The trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose husband repeatedly drugged her over the course of nearly a decade has highlighted the difficulties that sexual violence victims can face in France. Dominique Pelicot, 71, and his 50...
Sri Lankans vote in a presidential election that will decide how it recovers from economic crisis
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans began voting Saturday in a presidential election that will determine the course of the country's recovery from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval. The election, contested by 38 candidates, is largely a three-way race...
Separatist rebels release New Zealand pilot after 19 months in Indonesia's Papua region
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region has been freed by separatist rebels, Indonesian authorities said Saturday. Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the pilot from Christchurch who was working for Indonesian...
South Carolina inmate dies by lethal injection in state’s first execution in 13 years
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina put inmate Freddie Owens to death Friday as the state restarted executions after an unintended 13-year pause because prison officials couldn’t get the drugs needed for lethal injections. Owens was convicted of the 1997 killing of a Greenville...
Tiny Kentucky town is rocked as their sheriff is jailed in the killing of a prominent judge
WHITESBURG, Ky. (AP) — Residents of a tiny Appalachian town struggled Friday to cope with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers and a local sheriff charged with his murder. “It’s just so sad. I just hate...
Latest General News
Heavy rain pounds northcentral Japan which is still recovering from deadly quake
TOKYO (AP) — Heavy rain pounded Japan’s northcentral region of Noto on Saturday which triggered landslides and swollen rivers to overflow, flooding homes and stranding some residents in the region still recovering from a deadly earthquake earlier this year. The Japan...
Gucci touts 'casual grandeur,' Tod's focuses on Artisanal Intelligence and Versace plays it safe
MILAN (AP) — The fashion palate cleanser of the season: white. Milan fashion houses, more often than not this season, are opening their runway preview shows for next spring and summer with all-white looks. Tod’s put the emphasis on white with tables of artisans constructing white...
Oktoberfest is almost open. Beer lovers are lining up in Munich ahead of the ceremonial keg-tapping
MUNICH (AP) — Thousands of beer lovers lined up early Saturday to be among the first to clink their mugs in an Oktoberfest tent as they waited for the world's largest folk festival to begin for the 189th time. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will officially open Oktoberfest at noon when...
Separatist rebels release New Zealand pilot after 19 months in Indonesia's Papua region
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region has been freed by separatist rebels, Indonesian authorities said Saturday. Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the pilot from Christchurch who was working for Indonesian...
Sri Lankans vote in a presidential election that will decide how it recovers from economic crisis
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans began voting Saturday in a presidential election that will determine the course of the country's recovery from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval. The election, contested by 38 candidates, is largely a three-way race...
Sri Lanka has more women voters than men but no female presidential candidates
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Women make up more than half of the voters in Sri Lanka, but not a single one will be on the ballot in Saturday’s presidential election. The island nation of more than 22 million people is voting for a president to take its economy forward after it went...
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday. California follows New York state, which...
Separatist rebels free New Zealand pilot who's been held hostage for over a year in Papua, Indonesian authorities say
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels free New Zealand pilot who's been held hostage for over a year in Papua, Indonesian authorities say.
The Midwest could offer fall’s most electric foliage but leaf peepers elsewhere won’t miss out
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fall is back, and bringing with it jack-o'-lanterns, football, pumpkin spice everything and — in some parts of the country — especially vibrant foliage. Leaves around the northern U.S. are starting to turn orange, yellow and red, inspiring legions of leaf...
Shocking rape trial highlights the systematic struggles French sexual abuse victims face
AVIGNON, France (AP) — The trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose husband repeatedly drugged her over the course of nearly a decade has highlighted the difficulties that sexual violence victims can face in France. Dominique Pelicot, 71, and his 50...
