Month: March 2023

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s ruling party says it will withdraw a bill that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms. Thursday’s announcement comes after days of massive protests demanding the proposal be dropped. The bill would have required media and nongovernmental organizations that receive over 20% of

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower Friday ahead of an update on United States employment amid worries about possible further interest rate hikes. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Oil prices edged lower. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell Thursday by its biggest

By STEPHEN GROVES and JOSH FUNK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is apologizing to Congress and pledging millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from last month’s fiery train derailment. But he stopped short on Thursday of fully endorsing a Senate bill that would toughen safety regulations. He also did

JERUSALEM (AP) — Chaim Topol, a leading Israeli actor who charmed generations of theatergoers and movie-watchers with his portrayal of Tevye, the long-suffering and charismatic milkman in “Fiddler on the Roof,” has died in Tel Aviv, Israeli leaders said Thursday. He was 87. The cause was not immediately released. Israeli leaders on Thursday tweeted their

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and DAVID BAUDER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of pages of documents in a recent lawsuit show that Fox News’ top executives sometimes were actively involved in politics rather than simply reporting or offering opinions on it. The documents were released as part of a libel lawsuit that voting machine

By JUAN A. LOZANO and MICHAEL GRACZYK Associated Press HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Texas has executed an inmate for the drug-related killings of four people more than 30 years ago, including a woman who was 9-months pregnant. Arthur Brown Jr. received a lethal injection Thursday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. The 52-year-old

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine vegan whose custom license plate contains the word “tofu” is one of the motorists caught in a state crackdown on vulgar tags. Car owners across the United States can pay an extra fee to customize license plates, sparking creativity and personality but causing headaches

By ODED BALILTY Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli police say a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a crowded street in central Tel Aviv, wounding three people before he was shot and killed. The shooting late Thursday came hours after an Israeli military raid killed three Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell suffered a concussion after a fall at a local hotel and remains hospitalized “for a few days of observation and treatment,” a spokesman says. The Kentucky senator, 81, was at a Wednesday evening dinner after a reception for

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — The Australian prime minister is starting his four-day visit to India by inaugurating a cricket test match in the western city of Ahmedabad. Anthony Albanese and his Indian host, Narendra Modi, handed caps emblazoned national emblems to the teams’ captains. The two prime ministers went around the stadium cheered by tens

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution renewing an arms embargo and other sanctions imposed over violence in Sudan’s western Darfur region that began in 2004. Russia and China abstained in Wednesday’s vote, calling the Darfur conflict largely over. The resolution approved on a

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rescue workers have recovered more bodies buried under tons of mud following a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 32. The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills on Monday, burying 30 houses in Genting village on a

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Six men sit alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, handling major portfolios from propaganda to corruption fighting. Li Qiang is widely expected to take over as premier, nominally in charge of the Cabinet and caretaker of the economy.

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been questioned by anti-graft officials over alleged corruption in awarding government contracts while in office. The anti-corruption agency chief, Azam Baki, told the national Bernama news agency that Muhyiddin will be charged in court on Friday. The agency said it would issue a statement.

By HANNA ARHIROVA and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A barrage of more than 80 Russian missiles and a smaller number of exploding drones hit residential buildings and critical infrastructure across Ukraine. The strikes on Thursday killed six people and left hundreds of thousands without heat or electricity. The largest such attack

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal court in New York has authorized the seizure of a $25 million Boeing 737 owned by a Russian energy company, citing U.S. sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The aircraft is owned by PJSC Rosneft Oil Co., headquartered in Moscow and led by sanctioned oligarch

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — The pro-business track record of the man poised to become China’s top economic official will make his term a test of whether he might moderate President Xi Jinping ’s tendency to intervene. Li Qiang, 63, who is expected to be chosen China’s premier on Saturday, will

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Democratic-led House approved legislation Wednesday that would repeal the state’s “right-to-work” law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse. Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the

By MARCIO SANCHEZ and AMY TAXIN Associated Press LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. (AP) — After a blizzard swept through Southern California mountains, 79-year-old Alan Zagorsky found himself shut inside his home with snow blocking the door and stairways leading out. He and his wife had enough food to get through the 10 days until volunteers finally

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant’s home debut with the Phoenix Suns will have to wait a little longer. The 13-time All-Star slipped on the floor during pregame warmups and was ruled out Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of left ankle soreness. The game was supposed to

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press The license of a Rochester, New York, concert venue has been revoked while authorities investigate the circumstances of a deadly weekend stampede following a rap concert. Police Chief David Smith said Wednesday that he denied the Main Street Armory’s license renewal to prevent a repeat of Sunday’s tragedy, which left

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase sued its former executive Jes Staley on Wednesday, alleging that he aided in hiding Jeffrey Epstein’s yearslong sex abuse and trafficking in order to keep the financier as a client. The New York bank seeks to hold Staley personally liable for any financial

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s top Republican says that a plan put forward by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Milwaukee Brewers to spend nearly $300 million in taxpayer dollars on improvements to the stadium where the team plays was likely dead in the GOP-controlled Legislature. But Assembly Speaker Robin

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automaker Nissan is revving up its electrification shift and slashing costs by using the same components across models and cutting use of expensive rare materials. The company presented its “X-in-1” development strategy, in which the X stands for various powertrain parts, such as an electric

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Brittney Griner’s return to the WNBA will tip off ESPN’s coverage of the league’s 27th season when the Phoenix Mercury visit the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19 — opening night. Griner missed all of last season after being arrested at an airport just outside

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Saudi man long held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a suspected al-Qaida operative has been returned to his home country. U.S. military officials announced the repatriation of Ghassan al Sharbi on Wednesday. It’s the latest transfer aiming to empty the Guantanamo

By JAMES POLLARD, JAKE BLEIBERG and JULIE WATSON Associated Press/Report for America LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — The frantic effort to rescue four Americans taken captive in Mexico in a kidnapping that left two dead came after a woman traveling with the group contacted police when they did not return to the U.S. side as

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials have informed members of the House and Senate and their staffs that hackers may have gained access to their sensitive personal data in a breach of a Washington, D.C., health insurance marketplace. Employees of the lawmakers and their families were also affected. DC Health Link confirmed Wednesday that data on an

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Body camera footage released Wednesday by a suburban police department in Utah shows five officers repeatedly firing into all sides of a car in a fatal shooting after yelling “Gun!” several times. The deceased’s family called the incident “brutal murder” in the lead-up to the

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A swarm of earthquakes occurring over the past few weeks has intensified at a remote Alaska volcano dormant for over a century, a possible indication of an impending eruption. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to advisory status for Tanaga Volcano late Tuesday after

NEW YORK (AP) — An 82-year-old Colorado man has been charged with selling and trading fake Michael Jordan basketball cards. Prosecutors in New York say Mayo Gilbert McNeil made more than $800,000 off the scheme over four years. He was arrested in Denver on Wednesday after a complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn.

By LAÍS MARTINS Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced proposals to promote and protect women after years of setbacks in their causes blamed in part on a rise in far-right forces. At a ceremony Wednesday in capital Brasilia, Lula presented a package of over 25 measures.

By ELLIOT SPAGAT and DAVID FISCHER Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge Wednesday ordered the Biden administration to end the expedited releases of migrants who enter the United States illegally from Mexico, potentially straining already stretched holding facilities. The order won’t take effect for a week to give the government time to appeal.

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh revelations flowing from a major defamation lawsuit are shedding light on what was happening inside Fox News following the 2020 presidential election. Here are some things to know about the case. THE CASE Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, claiming the

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Active-service members and veterans provided firsthand testimony Wednesday about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, describing in harrowing detail the carnage and death they witnessed on the ground while imploring Congress to help the allies left behind. Former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews testified to