Month: August 2021

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say heavy rains have triggered severe floods and mudslides in northern Turkey, killing one person and leaving several others missing. The floods hit the Black Sea provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu and Sinop. The worst-hit area appeared to be in Kastamonu where a town was

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new host has been chosen for the long-running “Jeopardy!” to fill the void left by the death of the beloved Alex Trebex. Executive producer Mike Richards will succeed Trebek as host on the daily syndicated quiz show. Richards was chosen over a field of

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger. Iberdrola’s chief development officer was the first to take questions Wednesday during a hearing on the

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced a statewide indoor mask requirement because of the spike in coronavirus hospitalizations and cases, warning that the state’s health care system could be overwhelmed. Beginning Friday, everyone who is 5 years or older in Oregon — regardless of

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The highly contagious delta variant is fueling a surge in coronavirus cases as students return to classrooms. School districts with hundreds of thousands of kids are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several U.S. states. The showdowns have drawn in the

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Real estate heir Robert Durst testified at his murder trial that he has changed his mind many times, but has concluded that he didn’t actually see his wife step onto a commuter train the night she disappeared in 1982. Durst also testified that he lied

KINGSTON, N.H. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an explosive gender reveal party that was heard by nearby residents in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. As part of a plea deal reached Tuesday, Anthony Spinelli, of Kingston, was convicted and fined $620. Of that, $500 will be suspended

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — People have headed to cooling centers as the Pacific Northwest began sweltering under another major, multiday heat wave. The hot weather comes just over a month after record-shattering hot weather killed hundreds of the region’s most vulnerable people. Temperatures in Portland, Oregon, are expected to hover

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian health officials say a man has succumbed to a gunshot wound suffered during clashes with Israeli forces last week in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reports that 25-year-old Dia al-Din Sabarini was shot in the stomach Aug. 3. He was injured during a raid

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press ROCKFORD, Wash. (AP) — A drought in eastern Washington state that is the worst since 1977 has devastated what is normally the fourth largest U.S. wheat crop. The soft white winter wheat grown in the region is prized in Asian countries because it is excellent for making pastries, cakes,

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Poland’s largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings. The bill, if it gets the Polish president’s approval, is widely viewed as a blow to media independence

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is conceding that Democrats face a tough pathway to delivering a $3.5 trillion package for family, health and environment programs to President Joe Biden’s desk. But he says they have a good chance of success. The New York Democrat made the remarks

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said he tried to combat corruption he saw as the country’s deputy president during former President Jacob Zuma’s controversial time in power. Ramaphosa, testifying at a judicial investigation into corruption during Zuma’s term as president from 2009 to 2018, said

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. budget deficit hit $2.54 trillion for the first 10 months of this budget year, fed by spending to support the country after the pandemic-induced recession. The figures keep the deficit on track to be second largest annual shortfall in U.S. history, behind only the

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s information minister says the government soon will lift the country’s ban on Twitter. The announcement comes two months after the social network was blocked after a tweet by the president was deleted. Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists that an “amicable resolution is very much

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer Asian shares are mixed as caution set in among investors following another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street. Japan’s benchmark rose, but shares fell in China, and were little changed in South Korea and Australia. Worries remain in the region about the regulatory crackdown in China, as well

By MARINA VILLENEUVE and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging to set a better tone in state government after the sexual harassment scandal that spurred Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. Hochul spoke Wednesday, a day after the Democratic governor’s announcement that he would step down. He

By JOCELYN GECKER and KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing — a wide order that applies to more than 800,000 staffers. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes

By LINDSEY TANNER and MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writers The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. The CDC recommendation echoes recent guidance from

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has agreed to provide 30 billion euros ($35 billion) to help rebuild regions hit by devastating floods last month. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of Germany’s 16 states approved the state aid package on Tuesday. The package is significantly larger than the funds provided for past flooding disasters.

By TARIK EL BARAKAH Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco have signed three accords in a new step toward strengthening ties less than a year after agreeing to normalize relations. Visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Nasser Bourita, his Moroccan counterpart, signed off Wednesday on an air

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Fred has weakened to a tropical depression while sweeping over the Dominican Republic and dumping heavy rains that forecasters warn could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides there and in neighboring Haiti. Some 300,000 customers in the Dominican Republic are without power Wednesday

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The only child of Alfred Hitchcock has died. Pat Hitchcock, who made a memorable appearance in her father’s “Strangers on a Train,” was 93. Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor whose other acting credits included the TV sitcoms “My Little Margie” and “The Life of

By The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — YouTube has suspended U.S. Sen. Rand Paul for seven days after the Kentucky Republican posted a misleading video suggesting face masks don’t prevent infection by COVID-19. The video was also removed. It’s the second time in two weeks that YouTube has removed one of Paul’s videos for