Tag Archives: General news

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted Thursday that his ruling African National Congress party is making progress in addressing South Africa’s problems such as record unemployment, an electricity crisis and corruption allegations that have even dented his own reputation. Ramaphosa’s nearly two-hour State of the Nation speech to Parliament was largely a defense of his first …

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava into the sky, triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people. The eruption began at about 0600 GMT (1 a.m. EST) along a three-kilometer (nearly two-mile) fissure …

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Top Biden administration officials met Thursday with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan in an effort to mend ties with a community that has an important role in deciding whether President Joe Biden can hold on to a crucial swing state in the 2024 election. He is facing increasing backlash from Arab Americans and progressives …

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor announced plans Thursday to send prosecutors to Oakland in his latest move to crack down on rising crime in the San Francisco Bay Area city where brazen robberies in broad daylight have drawn national attention. Gov. Gavin Newsom days earlier said he would deploy 120 California Highway Patrol officers to also help with targeted …

NEW YORK (AP) — The confrontation begins with police officers ordering a group of migrants to leave a bustling Times Square block. It escalates when one of those men, slowly walking away, lobs an insult in Spanish: “They look like Ugly Betty.” Seconds later, he is pushed up against a wall by an officer. Police body-camera footage made public on …

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge has thrown out a lawsuit that sought to block the University of California from renaming the former Hastings College of the Law because its namesake was linked to the slaughter of Native Americans. Descendants of Serranus Hastings filed the $1.7 billion breach of contract lawsuit over the decision to change the name to the …

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state says she will not seek reelection after two decades in Congress. McMorris Rodgers, 54, the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement Thursday she made the decision “after much prayer and reflection.” She did not give a reason for her retirement or …

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s government said Thursday that it would extend the closure of its long border with Russia for another two months until April 14, because it sees no signs that Moscow was stopping its “hybrid operation” of funneling migrants toward the frontier with the Nordic nation. Finland closed the 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) land border late last year after about …

MANILA (AP) — Los cuerpos de rescate sacaron el jueves más muertos del lugar donde ocurrió un deslizamiento de tierra en Filipinas, mientras las autoridades informaban que la cifra de víctimas ascendía a 11 muertos y 110 desaparecidos. Por lo menos 31 personas resultaron heridas por el deslizamiento en Masara, en una zona minera de la provincia de Davao de …

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday to bolster disclosure requirements meant to reveal allegations of past misconduct when teachers seek jobs in other school districts. The measure won 95-0 House passage to advance to the Senate. The bill’s lead sponsor is Republican Rep. James Tipton, who chairs the House Education Committee. The goal is to …