AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Did you have a “Brat summer” this year? Were you “demure,” and were you “mindful”? Did you enter a celebrity look-alike contest? All these were pop culture trends that emerged in 2024. But most of all, it seemed the theme was escapism. Whether it was the yellow brick
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s minority government appears to be in its final hours as opposition lawmakers from the left and the far right vow to topple Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s Cabinet. A no-confidence vote is scheduled Wednesday at parliament in the wake of a divisive budget debate, with a strong chance of being
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has ducked questions on his decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola. Dismissing shouted questions Tuesday with a laugh, Biden said to the Angolan delegation: “Welcome
Continue ReadingBANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday presided over a parade that saw the queen lead hundreds of military personnel in honor of his 72nd birthday. It was the first such ceremony in Bangkok’s vast Royal Plaza in 16 years. Birthdays celebrated in 12-year cycles are considered especially auspicious in Thai culture. The
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — TikTok took down several networks allegedly trying to meddle in Romania’s elections, executives said Tuesday as they defended the company’s election integrity measures to European Union lawmakers. The video-sharing platform is a focus of controversy in the Eastern European country after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has dispatched a surveillance plane and a navy ship after spotting a Russian submarine off the coast of a southwestern island near Taiwan. The Japanese Joint Staff said the Russian Kilo-class submarine was sighted 31 miles south of Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost territory. It said Tuesday that there was
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL without pay for three games Tuesday for repeated violations of player safety rules following his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion. Al-Shaair’s punishment was announced by NFL vice president of football operations Jon
Continue ReadingCHICAGO (AP) — Eight people were shot, three of them fatally, when gunfire erupted Monday during a house party in Chicago, sending screaming people fleeing from the home, authorities and a witness said. Officers responded about 2:10 p.m. and found that eight people had been shot during a “social gathering” at the home in the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The president of South Korea early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed on the country hours earlier, bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who appeared likely to be impeached
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “Not Like Us,” but people sure like him: Kendrick Lamar’s smash topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2024 as the giant music streamer released year-end lists Tuesday and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes. “Not Like Us” is Lamar’s first-ever No. 1 on
Continue ReadingDETROIT (AP) — General Motors is adding over 132,000 heavy-duty pickups in the U.S. to a previous recall for tailgate release switches that can short circuit and open the gates while the trucks are in park. The recall adds certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks to a February recall of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Group of 20 bloc has sufficient “shock absorbers” to function effectively if a Donald Trump administration promotes an America First policy at the expense of international cooperation. South Africa assumed the rotational leadership of the group of the world’s leading
Continue ReadingAP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has her next book club pick and a new platform to talk books and other topics of the day. On Tuesday, Winfrey launched “The Oprah Podcast,” a weekly series airing on her YouTube channel, that will feature book club authors and guests ranging from “global newsmakers”
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PALMIRA, Colombia (AP) — It’s been three years since Douarleyka Velásquez abandoned her career in human resources. Her new job is not what she had planned for, but still feels rewarding. As a cleaning supervisor at a migrant shelter in Colombia, she gets to comfort Venezuelans who, just like herself, fled their homes
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Melinda French Gates is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts to two nonprofit organizations to help spur donations on GivingTuesday, which has become a major annual fundraising day for nonprofits. For more than a decade, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, charitable organizations have asked for donations
Continue ReadingAssociated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group has resumed in eastern Congo ahead of potential mediation talks. The army said in a statement it inflicted heavy losses on the rebels in North Kivu province while a rebel spokesperson said the group was also attacked by the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Greece’s prime minister is in London on for his first top-level U.K. meeting since a spat last year over the contested Parthenon Marbles. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Kyriakos Mitsotakis to 10 Downing St. Tuesday for talks focused on migration, the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Starmer’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has sidestepped questions about Ukraine’s possible membership in the military alliance. He says the priority must be to strengthen the country’s hand in any future peace talks with Russia by sending it more weapons. Rutte’s remarks came ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer The captains of two Premier League teams are in the spotlight for their choices as the competition celebrates LGBTQ+ inclusion in its campaign to promote equality and diversity. Rainbow-colored captain’s armbands were issued to the 20 clubs in the league ahead of matches last weekend and the upcoming midweek round. Ipswich’s Sam
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A Zimbabwean High Court judge has ruled that provisions of a law that deny abortion services to women raped by their husbands and girls under the age of 18 are unconstitutional. The ruling is significant, given Zimbabwe’s restrictive abortion laws. In his ruling, Judge Maxwell Takuva ruled that because
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