Month: May 2023

By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH Associated Press When my mother died suddenly 30 years ago, I was 13. I’d spend the next 20 years attempting to understand what it means not to have a mother. And I did this basically alone. Mostly, this was because my mother’s parents, who raised me, were old-fashioned folks who lived

By SUMMER BALLENTINE and JOHN HANNA Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Transgender minors won’t have access to puberty blockers, hormones or surgery under legislation passed in Missouri. Lawmakers approved the ban Wednesday, sending it to Republican Gov. Mike Parson for his signature. Lawmakers also approved a ban on transgender girls and women from

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Before allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis took over, Disney World’s governing district, which at the time was controlled by Disney supporters, reached an agreement in February with the company to prohibit a long list of businesses from ever being operated on its property. Forbidden establishments included

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is reverting to using its historical name for Kaliningrad, the Russian city and administrative region that sits on its border. From now on, it will be designated on Polish maps as Krolewiec, based on the advice from the government commission for geographic names abroad. The Kremlin has reacted angrily, calling

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen’s annual shareholder meeting was briefly disrupted Wednesday by protests over the company’s factory in China’s Xinjiang province, with a shouting, topless activist interrupting the speech by CEO Oliver Blume before she was hustled away by security personnel. Additionally a cake-like object was thrown during a speech by board chairman Hans-Dieter

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The head of the Church of England has made a rare intervention in Parliament to condemn the British government’s controversial migration bill, calling the policy “isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical.” Addressing the House of Lords, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, condemned the Illegal Migration Bill

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer Almost everyone knows Steve Jobs’ uncanny vision, relentless drive and technological wizardry hatched the iPhone, a breakthrough that continues to reshape culture 16 years after the late Apple co-founder introduced the device to the world. But when Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, another smartphone was the must-have

MADRID (AP) — Spain plans to ban outdoor work during periods of extreme heat. Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz told reporters Wednesday that the government will modify occupational risk legislation to prohibit outdoor work when the weather agency issues red or orange alerts. The agency frequently issues such alerts when temperature increases pose a

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY Associated Press When Joe Seaman-Graves, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But

By SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Hollywood writers’ strike that’s snarling the television and movie industries has now scrambled the White House schedule. An MTV special on mental health that was expected to feature Vice President Kamala Harris next week has been postponed, according to her office. A person familiar with

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos, infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An explosion at an ammunition factory in southern Sweden has seriously injured at least one person. Police said they were investigating Wednesday’s blast as an industrial accident. The factory in Karlsborg, some 220 kilometers 137 miles) southwest of Stockholm, was manufacturing small-caliber ammunition. Police say while there is “uncertainty about how the

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia has invited Syrian President Bashar Assad to the upcoming Arab League summit in the oil-rich kingdom. The Syrian president’s office Wednesday did not specify whether he will attend the May 19 summit in Jeddah. It comes as Damascus slowly returns to the Arab fold, following

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italian police say they have arrested 29 people and smashed a transnational operation that brought migrants illegally into Italy by sea and then smuggled them in vehicles into northern Europe. The investigation was led by prosecutors in Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian peninsula, where many of

PARIS (AP) — Colleagues of Arman Soldin, the Agence France-Presse journalist slain Tuesday in Ukraine, have gathered solemnly at the press agency’s Paris headquarters Wednesday to remember him. The death of the 32-year old, seen in a widely broadcast smiling photo of himself in Ukraine with a cat on his shoulder, plucked at the heartstrings

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A detective who has been with a South Florida sheriff’s agency for nearly 21 years is accused of falsifying information and closing out sex crimes cases without a thorough investigation. Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective Demetrious Campbell is also accused of threatening one victim with deportation. The 48-year-old was arrested Tuesday

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A European Union commissioner from Bulgaria has been nominated for the post of prime minister as the Balkan country struggles to end a two-year period of political instability and economic hardship. Maria Gabriel was tipped on Wednesday by the center-right GERB party to receive a mandate from Bulgaria’s president to nominate

By NOHA EL HENNAWY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate says tribal clashes over several days killed 25 people and wounded more than 50 in southern Sudan. The latest fighting in the south raises fears the conflict between the country’s top rival generals could spread. It remained unclear whether the clashes were

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey’s latest book project is one she helped write. Winfrey has teamed with the author, educator and Atlantic columnist Arthur C. Brooks on “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” to be published Sept. 12 by Portfolio Books. “I

BERLIN (AP) — Germany plans to allow sound recording of some criminal trials, ending the decades-long practice of requiring judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers to rely on notes and their memory. Cabinet approved a plan Wednesday that provides the basis for automated transcription of recordings made in regional courts. However, neither the recordings nor the

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister is hosting his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks aimed at normalizing Turkish-Syrian relations. The meeting on Wednesday marked the highest-level contact between Turkey and Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago. Russia has spent years trying to help Syrian President

By MARIA VERZA, COLLEEN LONG and MORGAN LEE Associated Press CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through. It marks a fundamental shift in immigration policy as the

PARIS (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister has described China as increasingly becoming a “systemic rival” on the world stage. With China’s top diplomat touring Europe this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also called on China on Wednesday to use its global clout to push for peace in Ukraine.

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong lawmakers have passed an amendment to a law granting the city’s leader the power to bar overseas lawyers from handling national security cases, following a high-profile row sparked by a pro-democracy Hong Kong publisher’s hiring of a British lawyer. The changes will require overseas

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian authorities have opened an investigation into a shooting attack at a synagogue that killed two Jewish pilgrims and three members of the country’s security forces. The motive of the gunman, a National Guard member, remained unclear. Security officers killed him before

By KATE ASHFORD of NerdWallet Most older adults ages 50 to 80 say it’s important to stay in their homes for as long as they can, according to the 2022 National Poll on Healthy Aging from the University of Michigan. But aging in place isn’t as simple as just staying home — you must consider

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed decrees abolishing visas for Georgian nationals and lifting a 2019 ban on direct flights to the South Caucasus nation. According to the documents, starting from May 15, Georgian nationals will be allowed to enter Russia without visas — unless they’re coming to Russia to work or

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — Britain’s fertility regulator says the first babies created using an experimental technique combining DNA from three people have been born, in an effort to prevent the children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said fewer than five babies have been born