Top General News

Israel presses on with bombarding Gaza, including areas it has called safe zones for Palestinians

Dec. 09, 2023 15:06 PM EST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli warplanes on Saturday struck parts of southern Gaza it had described as safe zones when telling Palestinians to evacuate, while displaced residents said the constant bombardment left many families without food and sleeping outside in the cold. ...

‘Shadows of children:’ For the youngest hostages, life moves forward in whispers

Dec. 09, 2023 15:33 PM EST

HERZLIYA, Israel (AP) — After seven weeks held hostage in the tunnels of Gaza, they are finally free to laugh and chat and play. But some of the children who have come back from captivity are still reluctant to raise their voices above a whisper. In theory, they can eat what they...

It's taking longer to schedule abortions in the US. Doctors fear riskier, more complex procedures

Dec. 09, 2023 10:37 AM EST

A woman whose fetus was unlikely to survive called more than a dozen abortion clinics before finding one that would take her, only to be put on weekslong waiting lists. A teen waited seven weeks for an abortion because it took her mother that long to get her an appointment. Others seeking the...

New US aid for Ukraine by year-end seems increasingly of out reach as GOP ties it to border security

Dec. 09, 2023 14:01 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing...

With Putin's reelection all but assured, Russia's opposition still vows to undermine his image

Dec. 09, 2023 00:11 AM EST

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Behind bars in penal colonies or in self-exile abroad, Russian opposition figures vow they will still put up a fight against President Vladimir Putin as he seeks yet another term in office in an election in March. Although they believe Putin will be declared...

GOP presidential candidates share stories of family and faith. Offstage, their sharp edges reemerged

Dec. 09, 2023 15:27 PM EST

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) — A trio of Republican presidential candidates shared stories of family and faith before hundreds of voters in northwest Iowa on Saturday, in congenial individual conversations with their hosts not long after the campaign's latest fractious debate. But off the stage at a...

Protests at UN climate talks, from cease-fire calls to detainees, see 'shocking level of censorship'

Dec. 09, 2023 12:00 PM EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Activists designated Saturday a day of protest at the COP28 summit in Dubai. But the rules of the game in the tightly controlled United Arab Emirates at the site supervised by the United Nations meant sharp restrictions on what demonstrators could say, where...

Polish truck drivers are blocking the border with Ukraine. It's hurting on the battlefield

Dec. 09, 2023 16:20 PM EST

KORCZOWA, Poland (AP) — Pickup trucks and tourniquets bound for Ukraine’s battlefield are among items stuck in a mileslong line at the border with Poland. Components to build drones to fight off Russian forces are facing weeks of delays. Ukrainian charities and companies...

Texas Supreme Court pauses lower court's order allowing pregnant woman to have an abortion

Dec. 09, 2023 10:10 AM EST

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday night put on hold a judge's ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis, throwing into limbo an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. The order by...

Shohei Ohtani agrees to record $700 million, 10-year contract with Dodgers

Dec. 09, 2023 15:55 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani agreed Saturday to a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was announced after days of speculation over where the two-way star would continue his career after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. ...

Latest General News

Polish truck drivers are blocking the border with Ukraine. It's hurting on the battlefield

Dec. 09, 2023 16:20 PM EST

KORCZOWA, Poland (AP) — Pickup trucks and tourniquets bound for Ukraine’s battlefield are among items stuck in a mileslong line at the border with Poland. Components to build drones to fight off Russian forces are facing weeks of delays. Ukrainian charities and companies...

Thousands of revelers descend on NYC for annual Santa-themed bar crawl SantaCon

Dec. 09, 2023 16:06 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Here come Santa Clauses. Again. Throngs of people dressed as jolly Old St. Nick descended on New York City for the annual SantaCon charity pub crawl on Saturday. The booze-fueled stroll, which included no shortage of Grinches, elves and other...

Live updates | Gaza death toll tops 17,700 as Yemen rebels threaten ship traffic to Israel

Dec. 09, 2023 16:00 PM EST

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 17,700, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. Israel’s ground offensive in southern Gaza Strip intensified on Saturday with...

Shohei Ohtani agrees to record $700 million, 10-year contract with Dodgers

Dec. 09, 2023 15:55 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani agreed Saturday to a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was announced after days of speculation over where the two-way star would continue his career after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. ...

Wisconsin university regents reject deal with Republicans to reduce diversity positions

Dec. 09, 2023 15:51 PM EST

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Universities of Wisconsin regents narrowly rejected a deal Saturday reached with Republicans that would have given employees a pay raise and paid for construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and...

New York's governor calls on colleges to address antisemitism on campus

Dec. 09, 2023 15:48 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — New York's governor has called on the state's colleges and universities to swiftly address cases of antisemitism and what she described as any “calls for genocide” on campus after Ivy League presidents faced backlash for not adequately condemning threats of violence against...

Consumer product agency issues warning on small magnetic balls linked to deaths

Dec. 09, 2023 15:44 PM EST

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning about the danger of high-powered, pea-sized magnets found in toys, announcing one company's recall of a set containing them and saying it was aware of seven deaths linked to their ingestion. The federal agency estimated that...

‘Shadows of children:’ For the youngest hostages, life moves forward in whispers

Dec. 09, 2023 15:33 PM EST

HERZLIYA, Israel (AP) — After seven weeks held hostage in the tunnels of Gaza, they are finally free to laugh and chat and play. But some of the children who have come back from captivity are still reluctant to raise their voices above a whisper. In theory, they can eat what they...

Ukraine says any Russian presidential voting in its occupied regions would be 'null and void'

Dec. 09, 2023 15:31 PM EST

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Saturday condemned Russia’s intention to organize presidential election voting in occupied Ukrainian territory next year. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said any such balloting held in the occupied regions in the country would be “null and...

Regulators' recommendation would mean 3% lower electric rates for New Mexico residential customers

Dec. 09, 2023 15:31 PM EST

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Staff for New Mexico's utility regulators have recommended new rates for the state's largest electric provider that would result in about a 3% decrease for residential customers instead of the 9.7% increase Public Service Co. of New Mexico was seeking. The...