Month: August 2021

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thirteen activists have been detained in Poland for destroying part of a barbed wire fence that Polish authorities are building on the border with Belarus to stop migrants from coming in. Those arrested Sunday explained that it was an act of protest against Polish authorities for what they believe is the

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press/Report for America Robert Owens felt defeated and helpless Sunday as he waited for one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. to approach Louisiana’s capital city. The 27-year-old had spent days anxiously watching long lines of cars flee Baton Rouge away from oncoming Hurricane Ida. He hoped

MILAN (AP) — Italian firefighters are battling a high-rise blaze in Milan that spread rapidly through  a  20-story residential building. Residents were hurriedly evacuated. The mayor of Milan says there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. A huge plume of black smoke rose from the reinforced concrete building that was visibile for kilometers

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Fire officials have ordered more evacuations around the Tahoe Basin as crews deal with a two-week old blaze. Officials said Sunday evening the fire was “more aggressive than anticipated” as it continues to edges toward Lake Tahoe. Cal Fire Division Chief Erich Schwab said the Caldor Fire has been

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Trial has begun for a Florida man in one of three separate slayings he is accused of committing during a short period in 2017. Jury selection began last week in West Palm Beach in the case of 37-year-old Jonathan Gray Shuler. This trial arises from the killing of Junior

By KATHY GANNON, RAHIM FAIEZ and SAYED ZIARMAL HASHEMI Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Several young people who dreamed of a better life outside of Afghanistan are among the 169 Afghans killed in Thursday’s devastating attack outside Kabul airport. Some feared the Taliban would bring a harsh version of Islamic rule in which women

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Candyman” has hooked the top spot at the North American box office. The Universal Pictures film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II impressively pulled in more than $22.3 million through a quiet weekend despite concerns over the delta variant. The R-rated horror movie, co-written by Jordan

By SARA BURNETT Associated Press Federal officials say hundreds of emergency responders are in place in Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has power restoration experts and generators at the ready as Hurricane Ida bashes the region. The Coast Guard prepositioned vessels for deep water search and rescue efforts. Other states also sent

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The three candidates to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany’s election have sought to gain an advantage in the closely fought race in a televised debate, with recent polls suggesting that many voters are unimpressed with the choice they face. The contenders in the Sept. 26 parliamentary

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer The Lionel Messi era has begun at Paris Saint-Germain. Messi finally made his debut for PSG in a 2-0 win at Reims in the French league on Sunday. He came off the bench in the 66th minute when he replaced his friend and former Barcelona teammate Neymar. They shared

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Hurricane Ida tied for fifth strongest storm to hit the United States based on wind speed, but the whopper of a hurricane is far more than that. It’s an exclamation point on a recent record onslaught of 17 storms to hit the United States in the last two years.

By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says Jacques Rogge, who led the organization as president for 12 years, has died. He was 79. Rogge was an Olympic sailor and orthopedic surgeon from Belgium. The IOC announced his passing without giving details. Rogge’s health had visibly declined when he

CHICAGO (AP) — A Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot in the back by a white police officer in Wisconsin says he expects to be walking soon. But Jacob Blake Jr. says the accomplishment is tempered by fears of it happening again. Blake was shot seven times

SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — A man who led efforts in his Central Texas community against mask wearing and other preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic has died from COVID-19, one month after being admitted to the emergency room. The San Angelo Standard-Times reports Caleb Wallace died on Saturday. His wife Jessica Wallace announced his

MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a new tropical storm system has formed in the central Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters at the Miami-based center say Tropical Storm Julian poses no threat to land. No coastal warnings or watches were put into effect. The storm’s center is about 865 miles south-southeast of Cape Race,

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press New population data from the 2020 census is being used by citizens commissions in some states to try to influence the way voting districts are redrawn for the U.S. House and state legislatures. Commissions in states such as Indiana and Ohio have been holding public hearings to produce new

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press A growing number of school board members across the U.S. are resigning or questioning their willingness to serve as meetings have devolved into shouting contests over contentious issues including masks in schools. Board members are largely unpaid volunteers, often former educators and parents who step forward to shape school policy

By MICHAEL CASEY and MICHELLE LIU Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — States have begun to ramp up the amount of rental assistance reaching tenants but there are still millions of families facing eviction who haven’t gotten help. The Treasury Department says just $5.1 billion of the estimated $46.5 billion in federal rental assistance, or

HELSINKI (AP) — A team of Arctic researchers from Denmark say they have accidentally discovered what they believe is the world’s northernmost island located off Greenland’s coast. The scientists from the University of Copenhagen were on an expedition last month when they initially thought they had arrived at Oodaaq. That island was discovered by a

By ALBERT AJI Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Iran and Syria have vowed to take “mighty steps” to confront U.S. sanctions imposed on both countries, saying relations between the two regional allies will strengthen under Iran’s new leadership. The announcement was made by Iran’s new foreign minister, who began an official visit to Damascus

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The capital of the United Arab Emirates has ordered all residents who received the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine over six months ago to get a booster shot by September 20. The statement Sunday added that recipients of other vaccines do not need the third dose. The UAE became

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised the “colossal” effort to airlift civilians from Kabul as U.K. troops and diplomats flew home after the two-week mission. Johnson praised in a video message Sunday the “colossal exertions” of British troops engaged in “a mission unlike anything we’ve seen

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — At a military base in Delaware, President Joe Biden stood witness with grieving families under a gray sky as, one by one, the remains of 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul suicide bombing were removed from a military aircraft that brought them

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A long line of cars, trucks and motorbikes has wended its way through the Thai capital Bangkok in a mobile protest against the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The protesters on wheels hope their nonviolent action, dubbed a “car mob,” can help force the ouster of

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A former U.K. Royal Marine who waged a high-profile campaign to leave Afghanistan with almost 200 rescued dogs and cats has flown to safety. A plane carrying Paul Farthing and the animals landed at Heathrow Airport on Sunday. But his charity’s Afghan staff were left behind in

By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Sheriff’s department officers in one Illinois county are hitting the streets with tablets that can connect people in distress immediately with mental health professionals. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says the Treatment Response Team has been successful bringing calm to the tensest of domestic situations involving people

By KATHY GANNON, LOLITA C. BALDOR, TAMEEM AKHGAR and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. officials say a drone strike has blown up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate before they could attack Kabul’s international airport. An Afghan official says three children were killed in the strike.

By HADI MIZBAN and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, which suffered widespread destruction during the war to defeat the Islamic State group in 2017. He vowed Sunday to fight alongside regional governments against terrorism. Macron began his visit to Mosul by

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities say that a passenger ferry has run aground on an islet near the Spanish island of Ibiza and a child and a man required hospital treatment. Nearly 40 people were evacuated from the ferry and Spain’s maritime rescue service said Sunday that a helicopter airlifted six people all in need