Month: June 2023

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — American lawyer Kimberly West has been appointed as the chief prosecutor linked to a European Union-backed court prosecuting war crimes in Kosovo. West replaces Jack Smith, who stood down as head of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in November to become a U.S. Justice Department special counsel overseeing probes into former

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — The United Nations anti-drug agency is warning that the huge trade in illegal drugs such as methamphetamine from Southeast Asia’s ‘Golden Triangle’ shows no signs of slowing down. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released a report Friday on synthetic drugs in East

By SUZAN FRASER and CINAR KIPER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is scheduled to take the oath of office and start his third presidential term Saturday following his latest election win. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president for 20

By ABBY SEWELL and ALBERT AJI Associated Press PALMYRA, Syria (AP) — At the height of the Islamic State group’s rampage across Syria, the world watched in horror as the militants blew up an iconic arch and temple in the country’s famed Roman ruins in Palmyra. Eight years later, IS has lost its hold but

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has reopened its embassy in the Seychelles after a 27-year absence during which China and other U.S. rivals made significant inroads in the Indian Ocean islands. The U.S. State Department announced the move late Thursday. It came after Washington unveiled plans to open a diplomatic mission in northern Norway

By VALERIE GONZALEZ and ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — U.S. authorities on Thursday expanded slots to seek asylum at land crossings with Mexico through a mobile app for the second time in less than a month, seeking to dispel doubts it isn’t a viable option. There are now 1,250 appointments at eight

By DAVID RISING Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — As tensions grow between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told a gathering of top defense officials that open channels of communication are critical to preserving peace. Albanese also said Friday as he opened the Shangri-La dialogue that there

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rushed higher after a strong report on the U.S. job market eased Wall Street’s worries about a possible recession. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% Friday, while the Dow soared 701 points. The rally brought the S&P 500 nearly 20% above a low hit in

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press/Report for America FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members. The change was the most prominent

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties,” according to documents drafted by the Republican’s staffers as part of their initial attempt

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — As a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range — something he was quick to monetize. He and his gym classmates not far from the Jersey Shore would compete to see who could make the most

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says he wants to cut the number of municipalities in the country from 262 to 44 to reduce the tax burden. The proposal would require the approval of the country’s Legislative Assembly, in which Bukele’s party and its allies hold a majority. The president

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has signed a trade agreement with Taiwan over opposition from China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory. The two governments say the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will strengthen commercial relations by improving customs, investment and other regulation. The measure was signed Thursday

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Debt-stricken Sri Lanka, which declared bankruptcy last year, is showing signs of economic improvement but its recovery still faces challenges, the International Monetary Fund said Friday. The Indian Ocean island nation declared bankruptcy in April 2022 and said it was suspending repayment of its foreign

By VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — Border Patrol medical staff declined to review the file of an 8-year-old girl with a chronic heart condition and rare blood disorder before she appeared to have a seizure and died on her ninth day in custody, an internal investigation found. U.S. Customs and Border Protection

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A college student who authorities say admitted setting fire to a building slated to become Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic pleaded not guilty to an arson charge in federal court on Friday. Standing next to her lawyer, Lorna Roxanne Green, 22, entered her plea after calmly

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE, HANNAH FINGERHUT and RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa task force has completed a search for survivors at the site of a partially collapsed Davenport apartment building and is moving ahead to shore up the structure so it can begin recovery efforts, authorities said Friday. The

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool. Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more

MIAMI (AP) — A tropical depression has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. National Hurricane Center forecasters said late Thursday that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and was located about 290 miles west-northwest of Fort Myers, Florida. It was moving south and on a forecast path that could take

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is nothing if not a political survivor. Underestimated from the start, the Republican was never taken too seriously by the Washington establishment. But with House passage of the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden, the emergent speaker

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 of the title series on Thursday night. Jokic finished

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Meta is temporarily blocking some Canadian users from accessing news content on Facebook and Instagram as part of a temporary test that is expected to last through the end of June, the tech giant said Thursday. The block — which follows a similar step taken by Google earlier this year —

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A judge agreed Thursday to delay the first criminal trial in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being stopped by police in a Denver suburb, forcibly restrained and injected with a powerful sedative nearly four years ago. Lawyers for the two

By JOHNSON LAI and HIROYUKI KOMAE Associated Press NAHA, Japan (AP) — Heavy rains intensified by Tropical Storm Mawar are falling on Japan’s main archipelago and triggering floods and mudslides in western and central regions. Warnings were issued for places that might receive more than a foot of rain through Saturday morning. Residents in vulnerable

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Senate Democrats plan to start fining their absent colleagues amid a month-long Republican walkout, a move they hope will pressure boycotting lawmakers to return to the chamber as hundreds of bills languish amid the partisan stalemate. In a procedural move Thursday, Democrats voted to fine senators $325 every time their

Associated Press Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at roughly two dozen newsrooms run by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., their union said Thursday. The mostly one-day strike, which will start June 5, aims to protest Gannett’s leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press Montana’s new law banning drag reading events at public libraries has led to the cancellation of a transgender speaker in a southwestern Montana city on Friday. Butte-Silver Bow Public Library director Stef Johnson says the library canceled speaker Adria Jawort at the recommendation of county attorneys. On Monday, Jawort

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge ruled on Thursday that a lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists can proceed to trial years after they first filed the lawsuit in an attempt to hold the nation’s leadership accountable for its role in climate change. U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the plaintiffs

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer A federal bankruptcy judge has ordered Diamond Sports to pay the full value of its media contracts to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. Judge Christopher Lopez made the ruling on Thursday in Houston. Diamond Sports, which owns 19 networks under the Bally Sports banner,

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the restrictions

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government agency charged with keeping the roads safe is slow to investigate automobile safety defects, limiting its ability to handle rapidly changing or severe risks, an audit made public Thursday found. Problems at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation limit

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s attorney general and its Environment Department have filed suit against the manufacturers of so-called forever chemicals, seeking monetary damages to defray the costs of environmental monitoring and cleanups that they say are inevitable. At a news conference Thursday, Attorney General Raúl Torrez said

By SARA CLINE Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bill that would broadly ban K-12 public school employees in Louisiana from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom or during extracurricular activities is nearing final passage, after advancing in a legislative committee Thursday. Another measure before lawmakers would require teachers to

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the annual celebration of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen uprising approaches, a new exhibit is opening in New York City to remember the protests. The small trove of memorabilia are the centerpiece of the “June 4 Memorial Exhibit,” now housed on the fourth floor

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP) — There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s assistant attorney general said Thursday. Enforcing the open desegregation orders fit into a broader body of civil rights work launched in Mississippi that is

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn’t stop running. Epstein was agitated and unable to sleep,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota in the elevator of her Washington apartment building in February, according to court records. Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a member of Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers, according to the court docket. Hamlin

By JULIE WATSON Associated Press Relatives of two young boys killed by gunfire as they played with kittens in the backyard of their Pennsylvania home are mourning them as authorities announced two men were charged with their slayings. Authorities said Thursday they charged 22-year-old Alex Torres Santos and a 16-year-old male with three counts of

PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in eastern Alabama have fatally shot a man who earlier fired a gun at a utility worker trying to shut off his water. Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor says Wednesday’s shooting took place in Russell County, near the Georgia state line. Taylor says it began when the man “fired