By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s a beloved Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of beads or other trinkets to parade watchers. But environmentalists are worried about the huge amount of nonbiodegradable plastic beads that wind up mixed in all the other Mardi
Continue ReadingBy MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s finance minister on Sunday slammed the decision by financial ratings agency Moody’s to downgrade Israel’s credit rating, saying the announcement is a “political manifesto” that “did not include serious economic claims.” Moody’s dropped the rating on Israel’s debt on Friday, warning that the ongoing
Continue ReadingCNN By Jamiel Lynch, Rebekah Riess and Alex Medeiros, CNN (CNN) — The CEO of a major Nigerian bank, along with his wife and son, were among six people killed in a helicopter crash in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border late Friday night. Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe died in the crash,
Continue ReadingCNN By Jamiel Lynch, Rebekah Riess and Alex Medeiros, CNN (CNN) — The CEO of a major Nigerian bank, along with his wife and son, were among six people killed in a helicopter crash in the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border late Friday night. Access Bank chief executive Herbert Wigwe died in the crash,
Continue ReadingBy LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars. Other winners at the untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles included Celine Song, for first time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov
Continue ReadingBy LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Christopher Nolan was awarded the top prize at the Directors Guild Awards for “Oppenheimer” Saturday, solidifying his front-runner status for next month’s Oscars. Other winners at the untelevised ceremony in Los Angeles included Celine Song, for first time directorial achievement for her romantic drama “Past Lives,” and Mstyslav Chernov
Continue ReadingBy Arit John, CNN (CNN) — A few months into her first term as governor, Nikki Haley signed one of the strictest immigration bills in the country. Like Arizona’s infamous “show me your papers” law, the most controversial part of South Carolina’s legislation required law enforcement to check people’s legal status during stops if they
Continue ReadingCNN By Abeer Salman and Khader Al Za’anoun, CNN (CNN) — A 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car with her dead relatives after it came under Israeli fire in Gaza last month has been found dead. On January 29, Hind Rajab had been traveling in a car with her uncle, his wife
Continue ReadingBy SARAH TETAUD Associated Press ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar’s Parliament has passed a law allowing for the chemical and in some cases surgical castration of those found guilty of the rape of a minor. That has prompted criticism from international rights groups but has also found support from activists in the country who say
Continue ReadingBy RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s election body says independent candidates have secured the biggest number of parliamentary seats following last week’s polls. That means allies of former premier Imran Khan won more seats than the political parties who ousted him from power nearly two years ago. Last Thursday’s vote to choose
Continue ReadingBy GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Nineteen priests kicked out of the country, dozens of incidents of harassment and church desecrations, rural areas lacking worship and social services: the situation for Catholic clergy and faithful in Nicaragua is only worsening in 2024, according to exiled priests, laypeople in the Central American country and
Continue ReadingBy Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju, CNN (CNN) — Donors no longer want to contribute to their campaigns. Primary opponents are lining up to take them out. And some of them have been ex-communicated from caucuses on Capitol Hill. The eight House Republicans who took the unprecedented step of removing Kevin McCarthy from the speakership
Continue ReadingBy Simon Cullen, CNN London (CNN) — King Charles III has made his first public outing since his cancer diagnosis, attending church alongside Queen Camilla. The King waved to onlookers as he walked to St Mary Magdalene’s church on the monarch’s Sandringham estate in eastern England on Sunday morning. Earlier this week he was photographed
Continue ReadingBy JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab has claimed an attack that killed four Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer at a military base in the Somali capital. The attack Saturday targeted the troops at the General Gordon Military Base in Mogadishu. Details about the
Continue ReadingBy Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson and Ted Barrett, CNN The Senate on Sunday took a step closer to passing a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with crucial assistance for Ukraine and Israel following a key vote to move the package forward – including with the support of 18 Republicans despite opposition from former President Donald Trump.
Continue ReadingISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says one of the assailants who opened fire at an Istanbul campaign event for upcoming municipal elections has been caught. Erdogan condemned Saturday’s attack that critically wounded one woman and praised police and prosecutors for working to apprehend the other suspects. The attack took place as a
Continue ReadingBy DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — King Charles III cheerfully waved to well-wishers on Sunday as he left church services near his country estate in eastern England, making his first public appearance since his cancer diagnosis was announced last week. Wearing a tan overcoat against the February chill and carrying a rolled-up umbrella,
Continue ReadingBy NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, and says fighting there could force the closure of the besieged territory’s main aid supply route, two Egyptian
Continue ReadingBy NICOLE WINFIELD, ALESSANDRA TARANTINO and GIANFRANCO STARA Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Argentina’s faith and politics have come together at the Vatican. Pope Francis on Sunday canonized the country’s first female saint with Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, sitting in the front row of St. Peter’s Basilica. The two embraced at the end
Continue ReadingISTANBUL (AP) — Assailants have opened fire at a campaign event for upcoming municipal elections in Istanbul, critically wounding one person. Turkish semi-official Anadolu Agency reported the attack on Saturday took place as a candidate for mayor in one of Istanbul’s districts was visiting an association. A 32-year-old woman was critically wounded and the attackers
Continue Reading