Month: August 2021

By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stevie Wonder and Common will perform together for the seventh Stand Up To Cancer telethon. Matthew McConaughey, Chandra Wilson and Jennifer Garner are among the celebrities helping to raise money for research. Brittany Howard also will perform on the hourlong special on Saturday, Aug. 21. Anthony Anderson,

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Stifling heat is gripping much of Southern Europe, and forecasters say worse is expected to come. Throughout the Mediterranean region, days of hot weather already have driven people indoors at midday, spoiled crops and complicated the challenge of firefighters battling wildfires. Barcelona officials opened museums, and libraries

MADRID (AP) — Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar says society must be alert to the power of algorithms deciding what humans are permitted to see. He declared “victory” over Instagram after a controversial poster for his upcoming film was censored then reinstated. The social network has since apologized and backtracked after recognizing the “artistic context” of

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Police in Turkey say they have detained 76 people in connection with attacks on homes and businesses believed to be owned by Syrians after a Turkish teenager was killed in a fight with a group of refugees from Syria. Local media reports said a hundreds-strong mob took to the streets in

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A key medical adviser to Japan’s prime minister says surging infections in the Tokyo area are severely affecting medical systems, and he is urging the government to take stricter measures to drastically reduce people’s activity. The Japanese capital has been reporting record numbers of new infections, with

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Facebook’s ownership of Giphy will hurt competition for animated images, U.K. regulators said Thursday following an investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority said in provisional findings that the acquisition would hurt competition among social media platforms because there’s only one other big provider of GIFs, Google’s

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Israel’s foreign minister has inaugurated the country’s diplomatic representation in Morocco, a symbol of the normalization of the relations between the two nations. Yair Lapid’s two-day visit is the first to the country by an Israeli minister since 2003. It comes comes less than a year after Israel and Morocco reached

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Human rights experts working with the United Nations have called on countries to pause the sale and transfer of spyware and other surveillance technology until they set rules governing its use, to ensure it won’t impinge upon human rights. The eight experts spoke out following further Pegasus

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is facing a more difficult relationship with two of its key allies after lawmakers passed two bills which the government had been warned to drop. One deals with foreign ownership of Polish media companies and would force the U.S. owner of Poland’s largest private TV

By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican officials in Texas say law enforcement has now been enlisted to help bring Democrats back to the state Capitol and end a standoff over a GOP voting bill. The move to bring in law enforcement came a day after officers of

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — As Britain enjoyed a summertime lull in COVID-19 cases, the nation’s attention turned to the end of pandemic-related restrictions and holidays in the sun. But scientists are warning the public not to be complacent, saying high levels of infection in the community are likely to lead to

DETROIT (AP) — Flooding brought by heavy rains shut down some freeways in the Detroit area Thursday as waves of thunderstorms made their way across large swaths of the Midwest. Thunderstorms that toppled trees or tree limbs onto power lines left nearly 1 million homes and businesses in Michigan without power at one point Thursday

LONDON (AP) — London’s top police official says the city’s police department is reviewing its files but not opening an investigation of Britain’s Prince Andrew. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said London police working with prosecutors had already reviewed the case twice before a woman sued Andrew in a U.S. federal court this week. Dick

Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A new law requiring food delivery companies in Spain to hire delivery riders and drivers as employees rather than freelance contractors has gone into effect. Spain’s Trade Union Confederation said the so-called Riders Law that entered into force on Thursday would “put an end to the labor fraud that workers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a man holding five people hostage in an Indianapolis apartment shot and wounded three people, including a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. Police identified the suspect in the shooting Wednesday evening on the city’s northeast side as 32-year-old Donald Williams. Officers were called to the apartment about

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean military court has sentenced disgraced K-pop star Seungri to three years in prison for crimes including providing prostitutes to foreign businessmen. The Defense Ministry says the former member of the boy band Big Bang was taken into custody after the ruling by an army court in Yongin,

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Protesters have closed roads in different parts of Lebanon, angry over the central bank’s decision to end subsidies for fuel products. The decision is likely to hike prices of almost all commodities amid a paralyzing economic crisis. The outgoing prime minister described the decision by the central

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amanda Gorman, who became world famous in January after reading “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, can still remember when she was just another young poet trying to find her voice. Gorman and Penguin Random House have established the Amanda Gorman Award

By JO KEARNEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A 21-year-old British free climber who scaled his second London skyscraper in a little over a week and his third overall. George King-Thompson climbed the 305-foot-tall Unex Tower in without ropes in around 10 minutes on Thursday morning, stopping to have a vape two stories from the

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the devastating wildfires that burned across the country for more than a week amount to the greatest ecological catastrophe Greece has seen in decades. The fires broke out as the country roasted during the most intense and protracted heat wave

BEIJING (AP) — Officers from the U.S. and Taiwanese coast guards have met to discuss improving cooperation and communication despite efforts by China to isolate the self-governing island democracy. The virtual meeting came amid moves by the U.S. and others to defy Beijing’s pressure campaign aimed at compelling Taiwan to accept its view that the

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A prominent international human rights group has accused Hamas of committing war crimes during a recent 11-day conflict with Israel by indiscriminately firing thousands of rockets toward Israeli cities and towns. Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday it concluded that a misfired rocket

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says all 18 people who were on a British-flagged yacht that sank off the Greek island of Milos have been rescued and are uninjured. The passengers and crew member, all Greeks, were picked up from the sea by a passenger boat, a nearby cargo ship and a launch

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish lawmakers have agreed to evacuate 45 Afghan citizens who worked for Denmark’s government in Afghanistan and to offer them residency in the European country for two years. The plan approved Wednesday applies to people who worked at the Danish Embassy in Kabul and as

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Human rights groups are welcoming Indonesia’s decision to stop abusive “virginity tests” on female army recruits seven years after the World Health Organization declared they had no scientific validity. The army chief of staff said during annual joint military drills with the United States that applicants

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for another album more than a dozen years after their collaboration “Raising Sand” became a critical and commercial hit, earning six Grammy Awards. The 12-track “Raise the Roof” will be out Nov. 19 from Rounder Records and is

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Belarusian Olympic sprinter says she feels safe after finding refuge in Poland to avoid punishment at home for criticizing her team officials at the Tokyo Games. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya now hopes to focus on how to keep up her world-class sprinting career. In an interview Wednesday

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Official figures show the British economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of 2021 as lockdown restrictions were lifted. The Office for National Statistics also said that the British economy grew by 1% in June alone, the fifth straight month of growth. The lifting of pandemic

BERLIN (AP) — Striking railway workers in Germany are halting much of the country’s train service for a second day. German news agency dpa reported that one-quarter of long-distance trains and about 40 % of regional and local commuter trains were running on Thursday. Members of the railway workers union GDL are staging the work

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Rescue workers in far eastern Russia are searching for eight people who are missing and fear dead after a helicopter carrying tourists crashed into a deep volcanic lake. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says 13 tourists and three crew members were aboard the helicopter when it went down Thursday

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities say the death toll from the severe floods and mudslides that struck the north of the country has risen to 17. One other person was reported missing Thursday. The floods battered the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun on Wednesday, demolishing homes and bridges and

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambian polling places stayed open after dark, as voters at some waited in long lines to cast their ballots while in others officials began counting the results. Large turnouts were seen in the capital, Lusaka, and other parts of the southern African country in tense elections

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Purdue Pharma’s quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over OxyContin’s toll has entered its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those who have claims against the company. A confirmation hearing opened in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday for a deal that removes control

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A day before he is released on parole, Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong has appeared in a South Korean court for another trial. It’s a reminder of his looming legal risks even as he leaves prison. Lee is among some 800 prisoners being released before a

By ANNABELLE LIANG Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed ahead of more regional economic releases that could hint at how the delta variant is affecting growth. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.1% and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 added 0.5% on Friday. Benchmarks in Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai slipped. Japan and Thailand will

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Some Afghans blame neighboring Pakistan for the successes of the Taliban as the insurgents rapidly sweep up more territory. Pressure is mounting on Pakistan to press the Taliban to stop the onslaught. Islamabad insists it opposes a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and denies it supports the

BEIJING (AP) — China has dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences Chinese courts handed to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Ottawa of making unwarranted, groundless accusations that “grossly interfered in China’s

By EDNA TARIGAN and DAVID RISING Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has apologized for the manhandling of a Nigerian diplomat, and says a formal investigation of the incident has been launched. The apology Thursday came after Nigeria earlier this week recalled its ambassador to Indonesia and summoned Indonesia’s ambassador in Abuja