BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s pro-European parties agreed to form a majority government made up of groupings that were traditionally on opposite sides and shutting out far-right nationalists who made significant gains in the election on Dec. 1. The leftist Social Democratic Party will now form a government with parties representing the center-right, the Hungarian
Continue ReadingAssociated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Criminal gangs are operating in over a third of municipalities in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest driving a boom in violence. That’s according to a report published Wednesday by the Brazilian Forum of Public Security, a prominent nonprofit organization. In 2024, gangs were present in 260 of 772 municipalities in
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has approved a new national security memorandum ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House that could serve as a road map for the incoming administration as it looks to counter growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the White House said Wednesday. Biden
Continue ReadingBy Annie Grayer, Clare Foran and Haley Talbot, CNN Washington (CNN) — The House voted on Wednesday to pass a critical defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a ban against gender-affirming care for some transgender children that further inflamed the politics around the must-pass piece of legislation. The legislation,
Continue ReadingAssociated Pres KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Rescue crews have pulled two women from rubble several hours after a Russian missile struck a medical clinic in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia. Authorities said Wednesday the strike killed nine people and wounded 22 others. The deadly Russian strikes on civilian areas continue in the almost three-year
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn’t speak, has won the board game’s Spanish-language world title. Nigel Richards is a professional player and won the Spanish world Scrabble championships in November, losing one game out of 24. He started
Continue ReadingMANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine vice president has skipped the first hearing into threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she did not believe the investigation will be fair. Vice President Sara Duterte was subpoenaed to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday. Instead her lawyer denied she made any
Continue ReadingBy Ray Sanchez and John Miller, CNN (CNN) — The regulars began assembling in the predawn Monday at a McDonald’s just off the interstate in western Pennsylvania when at some point a fellow customer caught their attention. “Don’t that look like the shooter from New York?” one of the regulars, who only gave his first
Continue ReadingBy Priscilla Alvarez, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden is facing mounting pressure from Democratic lawmakers and allies to extend protections to immigrants in the United States amid party fears over President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations. Behind the scenes, senior Biden administration officials are wrestling with what, if anything, more can be
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian federal police have launched a special operation to investigate an increase in antisemitic threats and violence since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year. Jewish leaders say prejudice against their community has reached unprecedented levels, with most incidents reported in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s largest cities
Continue ReadingBy Paula Reid, Devan Cole, Katelyn Polantz and Casey Gannon, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump’s Justice Department is preparing to go on the anti-“woke” offensive against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have been a cause célèbre of the right, two sources familiar with the incoming administration’s plans told CNN. Trump’s pick to lead
Continue ReadingBy Lex Harvey, CNN (CNN) — A New Zealand man hailed as a Scrabble phenom dominated the Spanish World Scrabble Championships – despite reportedly not speaking the language. Nigel Richards claimed victory at this year’s tournament in Granada, Spain last month, Reuters reported, showcasing once again his remarkable abilities to outperform even native speakers in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Sanjay Malhotra, a career civil servant, has become India’s new central bank governor at a time when the country’s economic growth is slowing and inflation is surging. Malhotra, a former revenue secretary, has been appointed Wednesday to a three-year term as head of the Reserve Bank of India. He
Continue ReadingAssocaited Press CAMP ASAKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed confidence about enhanced military capabilities among the United States, Australia and Japan as he observed joint exercises showcasing their closer cooperation as tension in the region grow. Austin is in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington’s
Continue ReadingBy Dalia Faheid, Michelle Watson, Bonney Kapp, John Miller and Dakin Andone, CNN (CNN) — The 3D-printed gun that health care CEO killing suspect Luigi Mangione had when he was arrested this week in Pennsylvania matches three shell casings found at the crime scene in Midtown Manhattan, the New York Police Department commissioner said Wednesday,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday, with one attack ripping through a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north. The strikes killed at least 33 people including children, Palestinian health officials said. Violence also flared in outside Jerusalem, where an
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CHEKKA, Lebanon (AP) — Suheil Hamwi spent 32 years in a Syrian prison, and now, after an offensive by insurgents that toppled the government of Bashar Assad, he’s finally returned to his home to Lebanon. Hamwi was one of hundreds of Lebanese citizens detained during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has demanded that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is unilaterally undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade. The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that it was responding in part to the activities of a “large
Continue ReadingAssociated Press FOURNA, Greece (AP) — Fourna, home to 180 people and hidden in the fir-tree covered mountains of central Greece, is a vanishing village that is determined to keep its place on the map. A winding four-hour drive from Athens, it enjoys near total silence, periodically broken by church bells and howling dogs. Elderly
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