AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Pierre is closing out his big year on a literal high note. After donning Malcolm X’s distinctive browline glasses in the “Genius: MLK/X” series and getting his modern-day Rambo on in the Netflix action hit “Rebel Ridge,” the 30-year-old English actor showcases his vocal talents in “Mufasa:
Continue Reading Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As a child, Fred Hechinger dreamed of running away to join the circus. Now as his acting career takes off, he jokes that it feels like he’s finally living that childhood fantasy. Levity suits the 24-year-old, despite his role as the tyrannical Emperor Caracalla in “Gladiator II.” While his
Continue Reading Associated Press Nicholas Alexander Chavez starred in two Ryan Murphy shows this fall. He played Lyle Menendez in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” for Netflix and a priest in FX’s “Grotesquerie.” Chavez’s work in the Murphyverse has made him one of The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2024. The 25-year-old says he feels
Continue Reading AP Business Writer Kroger and Albertsons’ plan for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history crumbled Wednesday, with Albertsons pulling out of the $24.6 billion deal and the two companies accusing each other of not doing enough to push their proposed alliance through. Albertsons said it had filed a lawsuit against Kroger, seeking a $600
Continue Reading Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adria Arjona has transformed from the reserved girl growing up across Latin America to the captivating actor booking multiple scene-stealing roles. She once thought she would be too shy to pursue her dream. Now, she’s starring opposite A-list stars like Diego Luna, Glen Powell and Zoe Saldaña. She is
Continue Reading AP Business Writer Regional supermarket chain Stop & Shop is installing kiosks in all of its stores in the Northeast U.S. to make digital-only coupons more accessible. Stop & Shop said on Wednesday that the kiosks will give customers access to digital coupons by scanning a loyalty card or entering a phone number. Digital-only deals
Continue Reading BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz has formally set Germany on course for an early election by requesting a confidence vote in parliament next week. Five weeks after his three-party governing coalition collapsed in a dispute over how to revitalize Germany’s stagnant economy, Scholz said he had requested the confidence vote in parliament’s lower house,
Continue Reading Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s spy agency is celebrating the festive season with a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery. The cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ on Wednesday published its annual Christmas Challenge, a seasonal greeting card that doubles as a set of fiendishly difficult puzzles. The goal is to excite young minds about
Continue Reading AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East this week on his 12th visit since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year. It’ll be his first trip since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which has sparked new fears of instability in a region now wracked
Continue Reading Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The father and stepmother of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England were found guilty Wednesday of her murder after what prosecutors called a “campaign of abuse.” They along with an uncle will be sentenced Tuesday in the killing last year of Sara Sharif. Police found her
Continue Reading Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of members of youth and student bodies belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have marched from the capital toward the country’s eastern border with India to protest an attack on a diplomatic mission and alleged desecration of Bangladeshi flags in India. On Wednesday, they drove in cars to
Continue Reading Edmunds Midsize three-row SUVs are among today’s primary modes of family movement, but some are roomier than others. We don’t think you can ever have enough room in a family SUV, and the best ones offer ample room to stretch out, especially for adults in the third row. They should also be fuel-efficient and have
Continue Reading Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s main international airport has reopened to commercial flights, one month after gangs opened fire on planes. It was the second closing this year because of gang violence. Soldiers and police along with a U.N.-backed mission have boosted security in the area, and Haiti’s government said a test flight
Continue Reading AP Business Writer TikTok has challenged a Canadian government order to shut down the Chinese video-sharing app’s business operations in the country that was imposed over national security concerns. The company said Tuesday that it filed an application for a judicial review with the Federal Court in Vancouver on December 5. The application seeks to
Continue Reading Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has convicted a woman of crimes against humanity for keeping a Yazidi woman as a slave in Syria and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. The Hague District Court found Hasna A. was guilty of multiple offenses for traveling to Syria in 2015 to
Continue Reading Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus will depend more on desalination plants to meet its water needs as a string of dry winters has reduced amounts in 108 dams to just a quarter of their capacity. Minister Maria Panayiotou said Wednesday that as part of her ministry’s immediate plans to alleviate water shortages, four
Continue Reading Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he would do no such thing, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That displeasure tracks with the bipartisan uproar in Washington that ignited
Continue Reading Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The global chemical weapons watchdog will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation in Syria over concerns about the country’s stockpile of toxic chemicals. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has warned Syria that it has obligations to comply with rules to safeguard and
Continue Reading Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A suicide bombing in the Afghan capital has killed the Taliban refugee minister and two others in the most brazen attack on a member of the Taliban inner circle since they returned to power three years ago. Officials say Wednesday’s explosion struck inside the ministry in Kabul, killing Khalil Haqqani.
Continue Reading BRUSSELS (AP) — After suffering multiple fractures when he crashed into one of their vehicles, two-time Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is teaming up with the Belgian Post Office to raise awareness of road safety for cyclists and reduce the number of “dooring” victims. That’s where the occupant of a parked vehicle inadvertently opens the door
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