By ERIC SCICCHITANO/CNHI NEWS and JOSH KELETY/AP A collaboration between The Associated Press and CNHI News has found it’s getting harder for the public to access information at the local government level in many states, including among school districts, townships and county boards. Open government advocates say high fees, delays and outright refusals from local
Continue ReadingBy MICHAEL PHILLIS and CAMILLE FASSETT Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Flooding is driving millions of people to move out of their homes, limiting growth in some prospering communities and accelerating the decline of others, according to a new study that details how climate change and flooding are transforming where Americans live. In the
Continue ReadingBy CNN Impact Your World (CNN) — It’s been a year since the deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas began, and the dire humanitarian crisis is getting worse. In addition to ongoing bloodshed in Gaza, the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified across swaths of Lebanon. Israel’s ambassador to the UN said 70,000 Israeli
Continue ReadingCAIRO (AP) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has won reelection to a third, six-year term in office. The National Election Authority said on Monday that el-Sissi recorded a landslide victory, securing 89.6% of the vote, and called it the highest voting percentage in Egypt’s history. He ran against three virtually unknown opponents. The vote
Continue ReadingBy ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street pointed modestly higher early Monday and appear headed for a positive open to the final full trading week of the year. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average each edged 0.1% higher before the bell. U.S. Steel shares jumped about
Continue ReadingDHAKA,Bangladesh (AP) — A court in Bangladesh’s capital has denied a bail request from a top opposition leader who was jailed after an October anti-government protest that turned violent. A magistrate made the ruling during a Chief Metropolitan Court hearing where Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary-General,Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir appeared on Monday. The same court also
Continue ReadingBy MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Monday he is “very concerned” about increased joint military actions by China and Russia in the region. Adm. John C. Aquilino spoke in Tokyo as another regional concern, North Korea, conducted its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test. Aquilino is
Continue ReadingBy BOUBACAR DIALLO Associated Press CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — An explosion and inferno at Guinea’s main fuel depot in the capital of Conakry has left several people dead or injured. Guinea’s presidency says the fire broke out at the Guinean Petroleum Company depot shortly after a massive explosion past midnight Sunday. The area in the
Continue ReadingBy COURTNEY BONNELL AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Oil and natural gas giant BP has joined the growing list of companies that have halted their shipments through the Red Sea because of the risk of attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, threatening a major trade route in what is expected to have global effects. London-based
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Heavy rain and high winds swept through the Northeast on Monday for the second time in a week, spurring flood warnings, electricity outages, flight cancelations and school closings. The National Weather Service predicted up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain in some parts of the region. More than 245,000 power
Continue ReadingBy REZA SAIFULLAH and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press SABANG, Indonesia (AP) — More than 200 people have protested against the continued arrival of Rohingya refugees by boat on an island in Indonesia. Over 1,500 Rohingya who fled violent attacks in Myanmar and are leaving camps in Bangladesh have arrived in Aceh off the tip of
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Germany’s central bank says the country’s economy is likely to shrink again slightly in the current fourth quarter. Also on Monday, a survey showed business confidence in Europe’s biggest economy retreating unexpectedly. The economy contracted by 0.1% in the third quarter after growing by the same amount in the previous three-month period,
Continue ReadingBy ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military chief says a covert listening device was found in one of the offices where he works and he is hinting that other bugs were detected in other locations. Army Cmdr. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi commented to local media about Sunday’s revelation by Ukraine’s Security Service that
Continue ReadingBy KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Monday made Elon Musk’s online platform X the first tech company to face an investigation under Europe’s tough new regulations designed to clean up social media and protect people from toxic online content. “Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X” under
Continue ReadingBy KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Monday made Elon Musk’s online platform X the first tech company to face an investigation under Europe’s tough new regulations designed to clean up social media and protect people from toxic online content. “Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X” under
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s Supreme Court has rejected a special appeal by the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her conviction in a case in which she was charged with corruption for allegedly receiving gold and thousands of dollars as a bribe from a former political colleague, a legal official said.
Continue ReadingBy KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet Making returns will be more difficult this holiday season because more retailers are charging return fees, but there are ways to avoid them. Reviewing stores’ return policies before buying can mean fewer unpleasant surprises later. In some cases, joining a loyalty program can allow shoppers to avoid return fees while
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. The combined company will be among
Continue ReadingBy LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Supporters of Albania’s opposition Democratic Party have protested outside Parliament as a parliamentary commission discussed whether to lift the immunity from prosecution of the party leader. Prosecutors asked lawmakers last week to strip former Prime Minister Sali Berisha of his parliamentary immunity because he didn’t comply
Continue ReadingBy PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government has announced plans to charge a carbon levy on imported raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel and cement from 2027, in an attempt to prevent firms being undercut by overseas producers. However, the plan has come under criticism from the body representing British
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