ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said he will canonize Carlo Acutis next April, setting the eagerly awaited date for the late teenager to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial and digital-era saint. Francis made the announcement at the end of his weekly general audience on Wednesday, saying he would proclaim the church’s youngest contemporary saint
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian communications minister says the government won’t force social media users to hand over personal information to tech companies, as children younger than 16 are set to be banned from the platforms. Michelle Rowland plans to introduce into Parliament on Thursday world-first legislation that would make X, TikTok, Facebook
Continue ReadingBy Graham Hurley, CNN (CNN) — For Terry Wise, the Appalachian Trail was so special that he made it his home. But now, with Hurricane Helene leaving hundreds of miles of the trail in ruins, the future of his business and the trail’s wide-reaching community is uncertain. “It is like a bomb went off, like
Continue ReadingAP Basketball Writer It’s a huge few days in women’s basketball with two top six showdowns in Los Angeles over the weekend and UConn hosting a giant party in honor of its Hall of Fame coach. Top-ranked South Carolina faces fifth-ranked UCLA on Sunday, one day after third-ranked USC hosts No. 6 Notre Dame. Both
Continue ReadingBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A Spanish court has upheld a ruling that a supermarket worker was unlawfully fired for having eaten a croquette that was going to be thrown away after not having been sold from the store’s deli section. The worker was fired in July 2023 after he had snarfed down the fried snack
Continue ReadingBy Chris Boyette, CNN (CNN) — Susan Smith, who has served 30 years of a life sentence for drowning her two young sons in 1994, was unanimously denied parole by the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons during an emotional hearing Wednesday. Smith testified on her own behalf, pleading for her release via video
Continue ReadingBy Annie Grayer, CNN (CNN) — On one side of the Capitol, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace vowed to “stand in the way” of Democratic Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first out transgender woman elected to Congress, using women’s bathrooms in the US Capitol. Across the building, McBride was privately counseling her Democratic colleagues how to balance
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese officials say they are closely watching to see if China keeps its promise to prevent further violations of Japan’s airspace after explaining that an incursion by a Chinese military aircraft nearly three months ago was unintentional and caused by turbulence. Tokyo protested and sought an explanation from Beijing after
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s upper house of parliament has endorsed a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal. The Federation Council on Wednesday also approved bills that outlaw the spread of material that encourages people not to have children. The bills, which have previously been approved by
Continue ReadingBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Skirmishes have erupted for a second day in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad between police and opposition protesters demanding arrests over a deadly roof collapse at the city’s railway station earlier this month. Anti-government protesters sought on Wednesday to block a courthouse in Novi Sad, where the roof collapse
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top domestic security agency says it arrested a German national it accused of planning to sabotage energy facilities on orders from a Ukrainian national. The Federal Security Service said in a statement Wednesday that it detained German national Nikolai Gayduk as he entered Russia’s Kaliningrad from Poland and seized half a
Continue ReadingISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say Pakistan has detected one more polio case in the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, raising the country’s tally of the infectious disease to 50 cases this year. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the spread of polio has never been stopped. The rise in cases
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.S. defense chief says the Biden administration will give Ukraine antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield advances. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s announcement marks Washington’s second major policy shift in a week, after its decision to let Ukraine use longer-range American missiles in attacks into Russia.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Large protests have been held in Greece as part of a 24-hour nationwide general strike called by labor unions timed to coincide with the government submitting its 2025 budget to Parliament. Public and private sector workers walked off the job to take part in industrial action that disrupted public
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomb attack at a security post in northwestern Pakistan has killed 12 troops, military sources and officials said. Tuesday’s attack happened in Bannu, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent months. A breakaway faction
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dalton Knecht could only shrug when he buried his fourth consecutive 3-pointer and sent the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ entire arena into a frenzy. That was a very specific shrug by the Lakers rookie, however — the one made famous by Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TORUN, Poland (AP) — Alec Baldwin’s Western “Rust” had its world premiere Wednesday at a film festival in Poland with a dedication to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot in an accident on the set three years ago. Organizers called for a minute of silence before showing the film, which opened to
Continue ReadingSEATTLE (AP) — More than 600,000 without electricity in Washington State as ‘bomb cyclone’ sweeps across the northwestern US.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the U.K. has risen sharply to a six-month high in October, cementing market expectations that there will be no further cuts in borrowing rates this year. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that higher domestic energy bills pushed consumer price inflation up to 2.3% in the year
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Fire crews were called out to the scene of a fire under a bridge near Indio Boulevard and Highway 111 in Indio Tuesday night around 10:15 p.m. Cal Fire confirms the fire covered an area of 30 by 50 feet in the location of a homeless encampment. They say there are no reports of damage
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