Month: May 2023

By SYAWALLUDIN ZAIN and DAVID RISING Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — China and Singapore have laid the groundwork for a hotline between the two countries that would establish a high-level communications link between Beijing and a close American partner in Asia at a time when Chinese tensions with Washington are high and dialogue has stalled.

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has reduced its interest rates for the first time since the island nation declared bankruptcy last year. Stern fiscal controls, improved foreign currency income and help from an International Monetary Fund program has resulted in inflation slowing faster than expected. The

By DAVID HAMILTON AP Business Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The hottest thing in technology is an unprepossessing sliver of silicon closely related to the chips that power video game graphics. It’s an artificial intelligence chip, designed specifically to make building AI systems such as ChatGPT faster and cheaper. Such chips have suddenly taken center

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family on Thursday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region’s newest power couple. The marriage of Crown Prince

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press OYAMA, Japan (AP) — In a sprawling circuit near Mount Fuji, a humble Corolla running on liquid hydrogen has made its racing debut, part of a move to bring the futuristic technology into the racing world and to demonstrate Toyota’s resolve to develop green vehicles. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, resplendent

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Several prominent public figures in the United Kingdom have urged Pakistan to release the brother of a human rights lawyer who served as an adviser to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The appeal from former U.K. Cabinet ministers, senior law officers, renowned journalists and legal rights organizations was made on Wednesday evening.

By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The start of June marks the beginning of Pride month around the United States and some parts of the world, a season intended to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ people and to protest against the rollback of hard-won civil rights gains. The events take

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING, STEPHEN GROVES, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Fending off a U.S. default, the Senate gave final approval late Thursday to a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, grinding into the night to wrap up work on the bipartisan deal and send it to President

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park rides, mingle with costumed performers, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside at hotels during Gay Days, a decades-long tradition. Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite weeks of negotiations, the White House and House Republicans were unable to reach a comprehensive agreement to overhaul environmental regulations and streamline federal permitting as part of their budget deal. Although the measure falls short of the comprehensive overhaul that the White House

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — While Republicans seek to make good on campaign promises to cut IRS funding through the proposed debt ceiling and budget cuts package now moving through Congress, Democrats are offering assurances that the spending cuts will have little impact on the federal tax collector. The

By MICHELLE L. PRICE, STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press GRIMES, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births were flat last year, as the nation saw fewer babies born than it did before the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. Births to moms 35 and older continued to rise, with the highest rates in that age group

ROME (AP) — Italy on Wednesday displayed hundreds of antiquities that had been looted from Italian territory and were recovered from a London antiquities dealer. The 750 objects, which date from the 8th century B.C. and the medieval period, include an Etruscan three-legged bronze table, marble busts of men from the imperial age, and wall

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Defense Ministry has accused the U.S. of “interference and surveillance” of a naval exercise in the South China Sea ahead of an incident in which a Chinese fighter pilot flew at high speed in front of an Air Force reconnaissance plane, underscoring the rupture in contacts between their militaries. A statement

By KARL RITTER and CHARLENE PELE Associated Press STOCKHOLM (AP) — Summer is in the air, cigarette smoke is not, in Sweden’s outdoor bars and restaurants. Sweden, which has the lowest rate of smoking in the Europe Union is now close to declaring itself “smoke free” — defined as having fewer than 5% daily smokers

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court has set a new date for a hearing paving the way for another trial of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny that could keep him in prison for decades. The Moscow City Court had initially scheduled a preliminary hearing on Wednesday to discuss technical issues related to the trial

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons made a bold move in their latest attempt to become relevant in the NBA again. Detroit reached an agreement to hire former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, according to two people familiar with the situation. One of the people, speaking on condition of

By HANNA ARHIROVA and SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say the latest pre-dawn Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Thursday has killed at least three people, including a 9-year-old child and her mother. Ukrainian air defenses shot down all 10 cruise and ballistic missiles launched by the Kremlin’s forces Thursday,

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury has convicted a San Francisco man of killing his 79-year-old roommate by beating her with a baseball bat and lighting her on fire. The attack was partially captured on Zoom. Min Jian Guan, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday for the June 14, 2020, death of

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A man who briefly worked as an aide to U.S. Rep. George Santos says he got his job after sending a series of payments to one of the Republican’s top deputies. Derek Myers, 31, told staff of the House’s ethics subcommittee during an interview Wednesday that

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump from after he left office in which he talks about holding onto a classified Pentagon document related to a potential attack on Iran, according to media reports. CNN, which first reported on the tape, said Trump suggested on the

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A failed political candidate has been indicted on federal charges including election interference in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque. A grand jury indictment was unsealed Wednesday that takes aim at failed former Republican

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids’ voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. Separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force has announced the permanent location for many more U.S. Space Force units — and none of them are in Huntsville, Alabama. This suggests the service may be moving ahead with at least part of the design it originally sought for the new force before

By BECKY BOHRER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Two vacationing couples — including sisters — and a fishing boat captain were on a charter boat found partially submerged amid rough seas off southeast Alaska over the weekend. The Coast Guard says an aluminum charter vessel was overdue Sunday evening and last

By CARLOS VALDEZ Associated Press LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The trustee of a bankrupt bank in Bolivia who died after falling from the 15th floor of an office building killed himself, a forensic investigation has concluded, in a case that has gripped Bolivia amid speculation over whether he jumped or was pushed. But instead

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Attorneys representing adult entertainers, erotica authors and sex educators on Wednesday asked a judge to put on hold a Utah law requiring porn and other adult websites verify user ages. The Free Speech Coalition and its co-plaintiffs argued the new state law violates their clients’

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the United States of “gangster-like” hypocrisy for criticizing her country’s failed launch of a military spy satellite and insisted a successful launch will be made soon. Kim Yo Jong said North Korea’s efforts to

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — About a week after Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in over two decades, most of the island remained without electricity and the governor appealed for patience during a recovery process expected to take at least a

MAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) — A man from Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge alleging he picked up a bison calf in Yellowstone National Park, causing the animal’s herd to reject it and leading park officials to kill it rather than allow it to be a hazard to visitors. A federal magistrate judge ordered the

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An American sleuth and two Chinese men are facing jurors in the first trial to come out of U.S. claims that China’s government has tried to harass, intimidate and arm-twist dissidents and others abroad into returning home. The trial of Michael McMahon, Zheng Congying and Zhu

By BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Confidence on the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage manifests itself in subtle ways, like spellers asking questions even though they know the answers. Dev Shah, one of 11 spellers who made it through Wednesday’s semifinals and will return Thursday to compete for the winner’s trophy

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (AP) — The Canadian province of Ontario has charged the Niagara Falls, Ontario, tourist attraction Marineland over the care of its black bears. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General says Marineland has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with an order related to the care of

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — American Airlines says it will appeal a court ruling that would break up a partnership with JetBlue. CEO Robert Isom announced the decision to appeal during an investor conference Wednesday. Last week, a federal judge said an alliance between American and JetBlue to work together in

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A teenage sex trafficking victim who fatally stabbed the man she accused of abusing her was resentenced Wednesday to probation, telling an Iowa judge that she now has a support system to help keep her on track. Prosecutors agreed that Pieper Lewis should continue her

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and KEN SWEET Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he never heard about Jeffrey Epstein until he was arrested in 2019 and he was surprised by that. Dimon made the revelation during a videotaped deposition Friday in connection with lawsuits filed against the nation’s largest bank. The

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson was led out in handcuffs from a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday and could get 30 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty on two of three counts of rape at his second trial, in which

PALM BAY, Fla. (AP) — An 11-month-old baby died after being left alone in a hot car while her parents were in church services along Florida’s Space Coast. Authorities say the baby girl had been in the car outside the church in Palm Bay, Florida for three hours Sunday when she was discovered and rushed

By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Roy Kent cries. Nate Shelley apologizes. Rebecca Welton lets her anger go. Trent Crimm finishes his book. Keeley Jones embraces her strength. And the kind-to-a-fault but often lost Ted Lasso finally — after three seasons, but arguably after nearly a lifetime — figures out exactly

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was Jimmy Butler, for that matter. Jokic was drafted behind 40 other players in 2014. Butler was drafted behind 29 others in 2011. Jokic grew up in Serbia, not even thinking about the NBA. Butler didn’t have the