By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has laid out a challenge to members of Parliament’s unelected upper chamber to swiftly pass his controversial plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. Sunak said Thursday that any attempt by the House of Lords to soften or delay
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — Prince William visited his wife Kate Thursday in a London hospital, where she is recovering after abdominal surgery. British media reported that the 42-year-old Princess of Wales was “doing well” after the operation, details of which have not been disclosed. Royal officials announced Wednesday that Kate had had surgery and was expected
Continue ReadingBy DAVID CRARY AP National Writer A year ago, anti-abortion activists from across the U.S. gathered for their annual March for Life with reason to celebrate: It was their first march since the Supreme Court, seven months earlier, had overturned the nationwide right to abortion. At this year’s march, on Friday, the mood will be
Continue ReadingBy MUNIR AHMED and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s air force has launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iran allegedly targeting militant positions. The attack early Thursday killed at least nine people and further raised tensions between the neighboring nations. The strikes in Sistan and Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack Tuesday on Pakistani soil
Continue ReadingBy HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A new edition of “The Hunger Games,” the first novel in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series set in the North American land of Panem, will include words and pictures. “The Hunger Games Illustrated Edition” will be published Oct. 1, Scholastic announced Thursday. The book will feature
Continue ReadingBy FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Friar Paolo Benanti wears the plain brown robes of his medieval Franciscan order as he pursues one of the most pressing issues in contemporary times: how to govern artificial intelligence so that it enriches — and doesn’t exploit — people’s lives. Benanti is the Vatican’s go-to person
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Premarket trading is mixed on Wall Street early Thursday as pessimism rises over the timing of a potential interest rate cut in the United States. Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.4% before the bell while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered between small
Continue ReadingBy JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Atom-bomb epic “Oppenheimer” leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, with nominations in 13 categories including best film — eight more than its box-office rival, “Barbie.” Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” received 11 nominations on the list announced Thursday, while historical epic “Killers of the Flower
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Sheryl Sandberg, who helped to transform Facebook from a tech startup into a digital advertising empire, will step down from the board of Meta, Facebook’s parent company. “With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Sheryl Sandberg, who helped to transform Facebook from a tech startup into a digital advertising empire, will step down from the board of Meta, Facebook’s parent company. “With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not
Continue ReadingWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s lawmakers have approved the key 2024 state budget but it still needs approval from President Andrzej Duda, who is allied with the right-wing opposition. The budget adopted Thursday also needs endorsement from the Senate before the Jan. 29 deadline, when it has to land on Duda’s desk. A delay could
Continue ReadingBy Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN (CNN) — Hertz recently announced it was selling 20,000 electric cars out of its fleet, and replacing them with gasoline vehicles. One reason the company gave was that drivers kept crashing the cars. Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr noted that the costs of repairs of an electric vehicle are also much higher.
Continue ReadingSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in Haiti say they’re investigating allegations of sexual abuse and abuse of authority and public property at a state university in the southern coastal city of Jacmel. A commission has been deployed to the University of the South-East to investigate accusations that officials say first surfaced in September.
Continue ReadingBy SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri activists are throwing support behind a constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights while also allowing the procedure to be restricted in later stages of pregnancy. The group Missourians for Constitutional Freedom committed Thursday to an amendment that would let lawmakers restrict or ban abortions
Continue ReadingBy Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — As the first US lunar lander mission in decades ends without reaching its target, a spacecraft that Japan launched is drawing closer to the moon and preparing for a historic landing attempt. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, is expected
Continue ReadingBy MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has signed a deal with the United States to purchase up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of its ongoing military buildup in response to increased regional threats. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel attended a signing event at Japan’s Defense Ministry on Thursday. Emanuel,
Continue ReadingBy JAMEY KEATEN and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Normalizing ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia is a key element of ending the war with Hamas and a gamechanger for the entire Middle East, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss town of
Continue ReadingBy Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson, Ted Barrett and Morgan Rimmer, CNN Congress passed a short-term funding extension Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at the end of the week after lawmakers raced the clock ahead of a key Friday deadline. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Continue ReadingCNN, POOL, SENATE TV, HOUSE TV By Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson, Ted Barrett and Morgan Rimmer, CNN Congress passed a short-term funding extension Thursday, averting a partial government shutdown at the end of the week after lawmakers raced the clock ahead of a key Friday deadline. The bill will now be sent to President Joe
Continue ReadingBy Ivana Kottasová, Amir Tal and Mick Krever, CNN (CNN) — His face has become instantly recognizable around the world: A red-haired baby boy holding a pink elephant toy, looking directly into the camera with a toothless smile. His name is Kfir Bibas, and he is the youngest of the 253 hostages taken into Gaza
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