Month: August 2021

By HOPE YEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the National Institutes of Health is warning of tough days ahead amid surging COVID-19 infections. Dr. Francis Collins says the U.S. could decide in the next few weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to more Americans this fall. Among the first to receive

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A man who drew worldwide sympathy and support after his wife was killed in the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart has died. An El Paso funeral home says Antonio Basco died Saturday. A representative of Perches Funeral Home said no other details are immediately available. Basco and Margie

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “Free Guy,” an action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a videogame, opened better than expected over the weekend. It collected an estimated $28.4 million in ticket sales despite a marketplace challenged by a few weeks of declining audiences and underwhelming debuts

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MARINA VILLENEUVE New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering two New York City Democrats for the lieutenant spot when she assumes the governor’s role later this month. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press who could not publicly discuss the internal deliberations and spoke

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Veteran Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema appears on the verge of clinching the country’s presidency, with a commanding lead in votes. The 59-year old businessman, contesting the presidency for the sixth time, has more than 2.3 million votes to President Edgar Lungu’s 1.4 million votes, according

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 3 cents over the past three weeks, to $3.25 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that gas prices could stop climbing now that crude oil costs have started to fall. The price at the pump is a

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A second person has died from flooding caused by monsoon-type rains in far western Texas and southern New Mexico and Arizona. A family spokesman said a 2-year-old girl died Friday of injuries she suffered in the collapse of a basement wall at her family’s El Paso home. The girl’s 65-year-old

ISTANBUL (AP) — The death toll in Turkey’s severe floods this week has climbed to at least 62 people Sunday. Torrential rains that pounded northwestern Black Sea provinces on Wednesday caused flooding that demolished homes, severed bridges, swept away cars and rendered numerous roads unpassable. Turkish disaster agency AFAD said 52 people were killed in

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A woman who has accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate behavior has added her voice to those criticizing state lawmakers for not pushing forward with impeachment proceedings. In a tweet Sunday, Charlotte Bennett says Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s decision to end the probe sends a message that sexual harassment

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — One young woman in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul described the anxiety, fears and dashed hopes her generation feels as embassies evacuate staff and the government all but crumbles. But Sunday wasn’t supposed to be like this. In the morning, she made her way to

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Work has begun to make a museum out of the crumbling Alabama church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected to his first leadership position in the civil rights movement. King was 26 when he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955, on the first day

By JENNIFER O’MAHONY MADRID (AP) — At least 800 people in Spain have been evacuated as forest fires were burning in two regions. Extremely dry conditions were worsening the fire risks during the hottest weekend of the year so far. Two planes, a helicopter and 200 firefighters were dispatched to the province of Ávila in

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has triggered an election amid a new wave of COVID as he seeks to capitalize on Canada being one of the most fully vaccinated countries in the world.  Trudeau is seeking to win a majority of seats in Parliament. His Liberal Party fell

JERUSALEM (AP) — A massive wildfire outside of Jerusalem has sent a thick cloud of smoke over the city as authorities struggle to contain the blaze. The cloud stretched over much of the city on Sunday afternoon. It covered the skies overhead with a black and orange blanket of smoke and remained out of control

By RAHIM FAIEZ, TAMEEM AKHGAR and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — As the Taliban mass at the gates of Kabul, they are promising a new era of peace in Afghanistan. The militants have vowed amnesty for those they have been battling for two decades and a return to normal life. But Afghans who

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to rule this week on whether a moratorium against evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stand. The court late Saturday set an expedited schedule following an appeal by Alabama

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers are being called back from their summer break to Parliament to discuss the worsening situation in Afghanistan, as U.K. troops arrive in Kabul to help evacuate remaining Britons there. Authorities said Sunday that Parliament will be recalled for one day Wednesday to debate the government’s

By GRANT SCHULTE and DAVID PITT Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Rural America lost more population in the latest census, highlighting an already severe worker shortage in the nation’s farming and ranching regions and drawing calls from those industries for immigration reform to help ease the problem. The census data released last week showed

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An innovative program to help people with mental health and substance abuse problems is being primed for a major expansion as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens struggles with drug use, depression and anxiety for many Americans. Community behavioral health clinics offer comprehensive services designed to catch people falling

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Thai riot police have fired tear gas and sprayed water cannons, as more than 100 anti-government protestors marched on an army base in the capital Bangkok. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has his residence at the base. Demonstrators are calling for Prayuth’s resignation over his perceived bungling of the government’s coronavirus vaccination

By TOUSSAINT N’GOTTA and KRISTA LARSON Associated Press ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — The World Health Organization says a patient has tested positive for Ebola in Abidjan, a city in Ivory Coast of more than 4 million people. The 18-year-old woman with Ebola had arrived Thursday by bus from neighboring Guinea, where authorities had declared

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America’s lobster fishing businesses could be subjected to electronic tracking requirements to try to protect vulnerable right whales and get a better idea of the population of the valuable crustaceans. An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate regulatory authority, said this month

NEW YORK (AP) — The Senate’s top Democrat says federal law enforcement officials need to crack down on fake COVID-19 vaccination cards being sold online. Sen. Chuck Schumer says Sunday he is demanding U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FBI team up with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services to launch

By DAVID KLEPPER and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Public forums before local school boards and city councils are the latest source of misinformation about COVID-19. Videos of people criticizing masks or vaccines as ineffective have been seen by millions of people, and are creating new challenges for local governments and

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian emergency officials say over 830 people have been evacuated from a summer camp in the southern Urals because of a forest fire raging just half a mile away. A total of 750 children and 87 personnel were evacuated from the camp in the Bashkortostan republic, 730 miles east of Moscow. Firefighters

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has recently developed a dubious reputation: as a regional destination for adults who want to marry children. State lawmakers are nearing passage of a bill that could dampen the state’s appeal as the go-to place to bring child brides. The proposed legislation would

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Police a bus traveling on a highway in Hungary crashed through a guardrail and tipped over early Sunday. At least eight people are dead and dozens have been injured. The crash occurred on Hungary’s M7 highway near the town of Szabadbattyan, between the capital of Budapest and Lake Balaton, at just

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany is forecast to record its biggest rise in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 this year as the economy rebounds from the pandemic-related downturn. That’s according to a report Sunday by an environmental think tank. The Berlin-based Agora Energiewende said the country’s emissions will probably rise by

By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — More than two dozen Rohingya refugees are feared drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Bangladesh. The U.N.’s refugee agency and local police on Sunday said the fishing boat sank while the refugees were attempting to flee an island. Around 20,000 refugees have been

MOSCOW (AP) — Emergency officials say rescuers have recovered one more body following a helicopter crash in Russia’s far eastern region of Kamchatka. A total of four bodies, out of eight people missing, have been recovered after a helicopter carrying tourists plunged into a deep volcanic crater lake in Kamchatka. The Mi-8 helicopter with 16

GALESBURG, Mich. (AP) — A deputy in Michigan has died after being wounded during a chase with a gunman. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Ryan Proxmire died Sunday. Deputies encountered the suspect Saturday evening at a gas station in Galesburg and a chase ensued. The suspect reportedly opened fire during the chase and

BEIJING (AP) — A team of 200 Chinese police, emergency workers and experts is trying to rescue 19 trapped coal miners in the northwestern province of Qingha, after water flooded into the mine. Rescuers have retrieved two workers, one of whom had died, state media Xinhua News Agency said. Local authorities said in a press

By RAF CASERT Associated Press HOBOKEN, Belgium (AP) — Days after the alarming warning of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that there was a “code red for humanity,” with global warming threatening to choke the planet, individuals are seeking to play their part. Some citizens have known this day would come for decades and many

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — After a brutal wave of infections driven by the delta variant, many Ugandans seeking a first dose of coronavirus vaccine are competing with hundreds of thousands who have waited months for a second dose. But the country now has only 285,000 shots donated by Norway. The