News

By BILL BARROW – Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine. Carter was not misquoted. But he was certainly misunderstood,

By NICOLE WINFIELD – Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis kicked off the 2025 Holy Year on Tuesday, inaugurating a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome in a test of the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them.

By JOHN LEICESTER – Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot won’t appeal his 20-year prison sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in a case that revolted France, his lawyer said Monday. Dominique Pelicot wants to spare his ex-wife

By MARIA CHENG – AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — As the new year dawns, so too does the opportunity for change. Experts say January can be a good time to reflect on self-improvement, but acknowledge it takes work to make resolutions stick. Studies have shown that up to 70% of people who make New

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY – Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress to push through long-sought changes that include voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are

By MAKIYA SEMINERA and JAMIE STENGLE – Associated Press Officials assessed the damage on Sunday after a strong storm system moved across the southern U.S. over the weekend, spawning tornadoes and killing at least four people. There were at least 45 reports of tornado damage across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, said Brian Hurley,

By AP HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Finnish investigators probing the damage to a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables said they found an anchor drag mark on the seabed, apparently from a Russia-linked vessel that has already been seized. The discovery heightened concerns about suspected sabotage by Russia’s “shadow fleet” of fuel tankers

By SAHATTHAYA KRAIKHUNTHOT – Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A fire broke out at a hotel near Bangkok’s Khao San Road, a popular tourist destination, killing three foreigners and injuring several other people, Thai police said Monday. The three who died in the fire on Sunday night were all foreign tourists, Police Colonel Sanong Saengmanee

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and DEE-ANN DURBIN – AP Business Writers Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. Well-heeled customers traded down to Walmart and Aldi. Diners opted for fast food

By MATT O’BRIEN and SARAH PARVINI – AP Technology Writers If 2023 was a year of wonder about artificial intelligence, 2024 was the year to try to get that wonder to do something useful without breaking the bank. There was a “shift from putting out models to actually building products,” said Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton

By TIM REYNOLDS – AP Basketball Writer When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. “They told me I’m old as hell,” James quipped. By

By JILL LAWLESS – Associated Press LONDON (AP) — When voters around the globe had their say in 2024, their message was often: “You’re fired.” Some 70 countries that are home to half the world’s population held elections this year, and in many incumbents were punished. From India and the United States to Japan, France

By SAMUEL GETACHEW – Associated Press ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — At least 66 people have died after a truck plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia, a hospital director said Monday. The accident took place Sunday when an old, overcrowded truck that was contracted by wedding guests fell off the Gelan Bridge, where villagers

By AP ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — At least 66 people died after a truck plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia, hospital says.