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Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. Doctors were still fighting for his life...
Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks. The...
Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday fended off criticism that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, saying it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas is defeated. Netanyahu...
Lies, loyalty and a gag order upheld: Tuesday's Trump hush money trial takeaways
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's attorneys started grilling prosecutors' star witness in his hush money trial Tuesday, portraying former attorney Michael Cohen as a media-obsessed liar who's determined to see the former president behind bars. Cohen endured intense questioning by...
On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. “We are open to a...
What is the celebrity 'blockout' over the war in Gaza?
NEW YORK (AP) — Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they've taken to a “blockout” to pressure the stars to take a stand. For the blockout, users put a block on seeing any and all...
Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final...
Pickup driver with lengthy record held in Florida bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured. Bryan...
Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. ...
United Methodists scrap their anti-gay bans. A woman who defied them seeks reinstatement as pastor
Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier...
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Yemeni security forces deploy in Aden as anger simmers over lengthy power outages
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni authorities deployed security forces and armored vehicles across the port city of Aden Wednesday, as protesters were expected to take to the streets in the latest in a series of protests over hours-long electricity outages caused by a shortage of fuel for power...
Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. Doctors were still fighting for his life...
Canadians are hopeful shifting winds may push wildfire away from the oil sand hub of Fort McMurray
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Favorable winds are expected to push an “out of control” wildfire away from Canada’s oil sand hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, officials said Wednesday, a day after thousands were evacuated. Wildfire season has started early in Canada this year with...
Barge hits a bridge in Galveston, Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. ...
Shopping complex fire inflicts tragedy on Vietnamese community in Poland
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Nguyen Van Son struggled to hold back tears as he stood outside the vast burnt carcass of a shopping complex that was engulfed in flames three days earlier in Warsaw. The 42-year-old Vietnamese trader had his entire livelihood inside — unsold clothing in...
In first AI dialogue, US cites 'misuse' of AI by China, Beijing protests Washington's restrictions
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. officials raised concerns about China's “misuse of AI” while Beijing's representatives rebuked Washington over "restrictions and pressure" on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately Wednesday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology. ...
The Latest | Palestinians mark 76 years of their dispossession as more catastrophe looms in Gaza
Palestinians are marking 76 years of dispossession on Wednesday, commemorating their mass expulsion from what is today Israel, as a potentially larger catastrophe unfolds in Gaza where more than half a million of people have been displaced in recent days by fighting. Israel has been...
Slovak interior minister: Initial investigation shows political motivation in assassination attempt on prime minister
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovak interior minister: Initial investigation shows political motivation in assassination attempt on prime minister.
Defendants unmasked in court face cost of damage for allegedly felling famous 150-year-old tree
LONDON (AP) — Two men accused of cutting down the majestic Sycamore Gap tree concealed their faces from cameras as they arrived at court Wednesday but inside the courtroom they couldn't hide from the cost of the damage they allegedly caused. A prosecutor said the value of the...
Slovak defense minister says doctors are fighting for the life of prime minister who was shot multiple times
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovak defense minister says doctors are fighting for the life of prime minister who was shot multiple times.