By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Zach Robinson spent decades trying to fight off nightmares about being raped as a child at New Hampshire’s youth detention center. He died last month, still waiting for accountability for his alleged abusers. “I know that I’ll never forget about what happened,” he said in early
Continue ReadingPRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank has cut its key interest rate to help the country’s struggling economy. The drop by a quarter of a percentage point brought the interest rate to 6.75%. It was for the first time the bank dropped the rate since June 22 last year. After inflation in the
Continue ReadingBy JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says he accepted an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy to hold a bilateral meeting in the future. Speaking at a news conference in Budapest on Thursday, Orbán said Zelenskyy requested discussions on Ukraine’s ambitions to join the European Union. Such
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Employees at a Wells Fargo bank in New Mexico have voted to unionize, the first time that workers at a major U.S. bank have attempted to organize in the modern era. The vote comes after a series of extraordinary gains for unions in the U.S., with organized labor sealing
Continue ReadingBy ABBY SEWELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The World Bank says the ripple effects of the war in Gaza are likely to knock Lebanon’s fragile economy back into recession. Lebanon had been making a tepid recovery after years of crisis. Before the outbreak of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, the World Bank
Continue ReadingBy SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Women’s rights activists are criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for appearing to side with actor Gérard Depardieu by saying the film star who is facing sexual misconduct allegations “makes France proud.” Speaking on TV channel France 5, Macron described himself as a “big admirer” of a “great
Continue ReadingBy PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but still remained at historically low levels despite high interest rates. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims were up by 2,000 to 205,000 the week that ended Dec. 16. The four-week average
Continue ReadingTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli police say 19 Israeli prison guards are under investigation in the death of a 38-year-old Palestinian security prisoner. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, says the prisoner was found with “severe signs of violence” on his body and died Nov. 18 at the Ketziot prison in the southern
Continue ReadingBy LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has spoken with his Chinese counterpart. It is the first of what officials say will be renewed talks between the two nation’s senior military leaders. The Biden administration is working to thaw relations with Beijing. The video call
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Employees at a Wells Fargo bank in New Mexico have voted to unionize, the first time that workers at a major U.S. bank have attempted to organize in the modern era. The vote comes after a series of extraordinary gains for unions in the U.S., with organized labor sealing
Continue ReadingBy SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer The European Union’s top court has ruled UEFA and FIFA acted contrary to competition law by blocking plans for the breakaway Super League. The case was heard last year at the Court of Justice after Super League failed at launch in April 2021. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called the club leaders
Continue ReadingBy SAM MEDNICK Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo is wrapping up its second day of voting after a chaotic rollout and lengthy delays forced election officials to extend voting hours. The election commission says Thursday that a delay in deploying certain materials and equipment resulted in some polls opening late and others not
Continue ReadingBy Sara Smart and Aya Elamroussi, CNN (CNN) — For nearly 40 years, a set of human remains discovered near Seattle in 1985 were known to investigators only as Bones 17. And it was 17 years later that police confirmed the remains belonged to a victim of the so-called “Green River Killer” – but they
Continue ReadingBy GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press HOMESTEAD, Florida (AP) — Snuggling on the sofa across from the Christmas tree, Sol proudly showed off the dog her foster parents gave her for earning all A’s even though she crossed the southern U.S. border knowing very little English. “They helped me a lot,” said the 14-year-old eighth grader.
Continue ReadingBy LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has paid the final tranche of a multibillion-euro support package to Ukraine to help keep its war-ravaged economy afloat this year. It’s unclear what financial help the EU might provide the country from January almost two years into the war. Hungary is blocking a
Continue ReadingBy MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — A Dutch man who was convicted in British Columbia of charges including extortion and harassment related to a Canadian teenager who took her own life after he blackmailed her online has had his sentence cut by an Amsterdam court from 13 years to six. Aydin Coban wasn’t
Continue ReadingANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank has hiked its key interest rate by 2.5 percentage points as part of its efforts to combat high inflation that has left many households struggling to afford essential items. The bank raised its benchmark rate to 42.5% on Thursday. It was its seventh interest rate hike in a
Continue ReadingBy SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top court has ruled UEFA and FIFA acted contrary to competition law by blocking plans for the breakaway Super League. The case was heard last year at the Court of Justice after Super League failed at launch in April 2021. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Martin Scorsese will be honored for his lifetime achievement at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Organizers said Thursday that the 81-year-old director will be given an honorary Golden Bear on Feb. 20. Scorsese’s extensive work ranges from decades-old classics such as “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” to this year’s “Killers
Continue ReadingBy JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s main opposition group has urged the European Union to help open an international investigation into reported irregularities during last weekend’s election. The inconsistencies have caused political tensions in the troubled Balkan nation seeking EU membership. The Serbia Against Violence group said in a letter sent
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