Top General News
Palestinians across the Middle East mark their original 'catastrophe' with eyes on the war in Gaza
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians across the Middle East on Wednesday are marking the anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel with protests and other events at a time of mounting concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Nakba, Arabic for...
Biden challenges Trump to 2 debates but won’t participate in nonpartisan commission's debates
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he will not participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades and instead proposed two debates with former President Donald Trump to be held earlier in the...
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...
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 are facing....
India's parliament has fewer Muslims as strength of Modi's party grows
MALAPPURAM, India (AP) — Preventing Muslim migrants from gaining citizenship. Revoking the semi-autonomy of the country’s only Muslim-majority region. Building a Hindu temple where a violent mob razed a mosque. These were political triumphs for Prime Minister Narendra Modi over...
French president is considering imposing a state of emergency in the territory of New Caledonia
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is considering imposing state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia to curb spiraling violence, the presidency said Wednesday. At least three people were killed and four others, including a gendarme, were...
70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn't
WASHINGTON (AP) — Seventy years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands. But for decades,...
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...
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...
Latest General News
Chinese coast guard shadows Filipino activists sailing toward disputed shoal
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard ships shadowed a group of Filipino activists and fishermen sailing on wooden boats towards toward a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, which Beijing has fiercely guarded from what it regards as intruders. The Philippine coast guard...
Massive manhunt in France for prison-break gang that gunned down officers
PARIS (AP) — A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing two prison officers, seriously injuring three others and springing the inmate they were escorting. The prime minister vowed the gang would be caught, saying, “They will...
German court convicts a man of murder over a fatal stabbing on a train last year
BERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany convicted a man of murder and sentenced him to life in prison Wednesday for carrying out a fatal stabbing on a train last year. The state court in Itzehoe convicted the 34-year-old, who has been identified only as Ibrahim A. in line with German...
Nepal's top cricket star has his 8-year sentence for rape thrown out and is cleared of all charges
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A high court in Nepal on Wednesday overturned an eight-year prison sentence for rape for the country's star cricket player and former captain of the national team, and cleared him of all charges. A two-judge panel of the Patan High Court ruled that Sandeep...
Retail sales were unchanged in April from March as inflation and interest rates curb spending
NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales in April were unchanged from March as inflation continued to sting and elevated interest rates made taking on debt more burdensome. The number following a revised 0.6% pace in March, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday. It rose 0.9%...
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...
French president is considering imposing a state of emergency in the territory of New Caledonia
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is considering imposing state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia to curb spiraling violence, the presidency said Wednesday. At least three people were killed and four others, including a gendarme, were...
Biden challenges Trump to 2 debates but won’t participate in nonpartisan commission's debates
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he will not participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that has organized them for more than three decades and instead proposed two debates with former President Donald Trump to be held earlier in the...
Yemen's Houthi rebels acknowledge attacking a US destroyer that shot down missile in the Red Sea
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed targeting a U.S. Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea. However, the attack on the warship apparently happened nearly two days earlier and saw the vessel intercept the missile targeting it. ...
Retail sales unchanged in April from March as inflation and higher interest rates curb spending
NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales unchanged in April from March as inflation and higher interest rates curb spending.