Month: August 2023

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A 24-year-old triple threat who toured in “Hairspray,” competed on “American Idol” and came to the attention of casting agents with her TikTok videos has landed the plumb role of Dorothy in the Broadway-bound production of “The Wiz.” Nichelle Lewis will star in the national

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Latvia’s center-right prime minister, Krisjanis Karins, says he will step down later this week after the two other members of his three-party governing coalition refused a reshuffle. He reportedly will try to form a new government coalition but will not be its leader. Karins said Monday that the two other coalition

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The Coast Guard and Navy have rescued four divers who were reported missing off the Carolinas. The U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic announced the rescue on social media Monday morning. It said the divers were rescued southeast of North Carolina’s Cape Fear River. The four men were reported missing after they

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer More than 6,000 people representing scores of religions and belief systems are expected to convene in Chicago starting Monday for what organizers bill as the world’s largest gathering of interfaith leaders. For the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the week-long event marks a return to its roots – the

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A human rights group has urged the international community to intervene quickly to end spiraling violence by gangs in Haiti. The call by Human Rights Watch comes as Haiti awaits a response from the U.N. Security Council to its request in October for the

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy has marked the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge with a minute of silence and demands for justice for the 43 people who died. Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini told a Genoa commemoration ceremony Monday that the people who plunged to their deaths weren’t victims

By CLAIRE RUSH, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The number of deaths caused by the Maui wildfires stood at 99 Monday, a figure that is likely to increase as search crews comb neighborhoods where flames moved as fast as a mile a minute. The blazes that consumed most

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A railway bridge in southeastern Norway that ran across a river swollen by torrential rain collapsed on Monday, authorities said. BaneNOR, a government agency in charge of the Norwegian rail infrastructure, said the central section of the steel truss bridge over the Laagen River slid into the water “due to damage

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian search and rescue team is looking for seven people, including four Australian tourists, missing in the waters of Aceh after bad weather. The group was in a wooden speedboat that failed to arrive at its destination. A group in a second boat who had sheltered from the weather arrived

By EMMA BURROWS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Russian ruble has reached its lowest value since the early weeks of the war in Ukraine as Moscow increases military spending and Western sanctions weigh on its energy exports. It led Russia’s central bank to announce an emergency meeting for Tuesday to review its key interest

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A senior Swedish official says Swedes abroad and businesses linked to Sweden “should observe increased vigilance and caution,” following recent Quran burnings in the country and protests in the Muslim world. Sweden’s National Security Adviser said Monday that the security situation has worsened. He said extremists who previously considered Sweden a “legitimate

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s government says it wants to ask voters in a referendum whether they support or want dismantled a recently-built border wall to prevent massive unauthorized migration from Belarus. The loaded question is one of four the right-wing ruling party wants to ask in a ballot question alongside the Oct. 15 parliamentary

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A powerful typhoon is approaching Japan’s main archipelago of Honshu, threatening to hit large areas of western and central Japan with heavy rain and high winds. It is affecting many people traveling for a Buddhist holiday week. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Typhoon Lan was packing

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet Retailers and brands offer big discounts at the end of the summer, but the best deals are on the items you won’t need again until next year. To maximize savings, you can plan ahead and purchase summer items now or shop for back-to-school supplies to use immediately. It’s worth waiting

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian domestic workers and activists have begun a hunger strike to protest against the parliament’s delay in passing a bill to protect domestic workers. Lita Anggraini of the National Advocacy Network for Domestic Workers said sunrise-to-sunset fasting protests on Monday were happening simultaneously in the capital,

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government has rejected claims that it was slow to evacuate asylum-seekers from a barge moored off the south coast of England once traces of the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease were found in the ship’s water system. In the latest critique of the government’s ballyhooed efforts

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The head of Sudan’s military has accused the rival paramilitary force of committing war crimes in the northeast African country’s brutal ongoing conflict. Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan accused the paramilitary of committing violations under the falsehood of promising to restore democracy.  Fighting between the two forces broke

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Amazon is rolling out a new generative AI feature that summarizes product reviews for customers. The feature, which the company began testing earlier this year, is designed to help shoppers determine at a glance what other customers said about a product before they spend time reading through individual reviews.

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russia launched three waves of drones and missiles against the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa. The Ukrainian air force says it intercepted all 15 incoming Shahed drones and eight Kalibr missiles. The Odesa region’s governor says falling debris from the interceptions damaged a residential

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister had to wait for hours in Abu Dhabi after a technical problem on her government plane forced it to return to the airport rather than continue to Australia. It was the latest in a succession of such incidents. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was due to arrive in Canberra on

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Lawyers and witnesses say authorities in Ethiopia are carrying out mass arrests of hundreds, even thousands, of people in the capital after deadly unrest in the country’s Amhara region. Ethiopia’s Cabinet declared a state of emergency earlier this month in Amhara after local militia fighters known

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For Jake Welch, getting dressed is one big math problem. The 36-year-old brand director for an advertising firm calculates the cost-per-wear of his wardrobe by highlighting 200 items in a spreadsheet — excluding underwear and socks — and meticulously listing the price he paid for

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian authorities have temporarily closed a high school where thousands of pieces of unexploded ordnance from the country’s nearly three decades of civil war have been unearthed. A provincial official told The Associated Press by phone Monday that more than 1,000 students study at the

SYDNEY (AP) — An airline flight from Australia to Malaysia has returned to Sydney where a disruptive passenger was arrested hours later in what police described as an emergency incident. The emergency on Monday caused dozens of flight cancellations and delays at Australia’s busiest airport. Malaysia Airlines said flight MH122 left Sydney Airport with 199

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has been sworn in as Pakistan’s prime minister to head a caretaker government that will oversee parliamentary elections. The polls must be held within the next 90 days under the constitution. He was named by outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raza Riaz

ROME (AP) — Civil protection crews are clearing mud-covered roads in an Italian Alpine city after a mountain mudslide sent water, soil and debris pouring into town, bursting riverbanks. After searching homes and cars overnight, authorities said all residents were accounted for. The streets of Bardonecchia, a city near Turin in the Val di Susa

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian officials say heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods and landslides in the country’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 48 people dead and many others trapped. Among the worst hit was the Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh state, where 19 bodies were recovered by rescuers. Fourteen people died following two landslides

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in a show of support for nations the West has sought to isolate over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ministry said Li departed Monday on the six-day trip, during which he will deliver an address at the Moscow Conference on International

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s official unemployment rate of 33% is the highest in the world, outstripping those of Gaza and the West Bank, Djibouti and Kosovo. Economists say it’s even higher, around 42%, if you count those who have given up looking for work and have dropped out of

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A record number of people have registered to become candidates in Iran’s parliamentary elections scheduled for March that will be the first since nationwide protests rocked the country last year. The Interior Ministry website said on Monday that nearly 49,000 people filed paperwork seeking to run as candidates during a one-week

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s intelligence ministry has arrested nine members of the Baha’i faith on charges of smuggling medicine and financial wrongdoing. A state newspaper said Monday the arrested people, mostly members of one family, had roles in smuggling medicine though a network of pharmacies. It said they bribed medics to send clients to

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has removed the last of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, marking the end of a government response to the pandemic that was watched closely around the world. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the requirement to wear masks in hospitals and other healthcare facilities would

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and ED WHITE Associated Press BELLEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — The pilot of a Cold War-era jet noticed it was losing power and decided to eject himself and a crew member before the Soviet fighter plane crashed during a weekend air show in suburban Detroit, an official said Monday. The pilot, who also

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The military junta that seized power in Niger says it plans to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and undermining state security. The announcement came after the mutinous officers said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the regional crisis.

By SAM METZ and CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — When flames swept through western Maui, engulfing the town of Lahaina, residents saw toxic fumes spewing into the air as burning homes, pipes and cars combusted, transforming rubber, metal and plastic into poisonous, particulate matter-filled smoke. Retired mailman and Vietnam veteran Thomas Leonard

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar left more than 30 people missing, and a search and rescue operation was underway on Monday, a rescue official said. The incident occurred in Hpakant, a remote mountainous town in Kachin state about 950 kilometers (600 miles) north

By JOHN HANNA and MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech as the newspaper struggled Monday to publish its next edition, days after police raided its office and the home of its owner

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — After two years in power, the Taliban are entrenched as rulers of Afghanistan, facing no significant opposition that could topple them. They have avoided an internal split by falling in line behind their ideologically unbending leader and have kept a struggling economy afloat, even as the

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Six white former Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty on Monday to state charges for torturing two Black men in a racist assault. All six had recently admitted their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case. In the gruesome crimes committed by men tasked

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Belen Diaz was walking home from college one evening when a motorcycle carrying two men made a menacing U-turn. Terrified that she was about to be robbed for the eighth time in three years, the teaching student banged on a cab window until the driver

By JOHN HANNA Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws in place restricting transgender athletes before classes resumed,

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — David McCormick had a clear explanation for why his fellow Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost a critical Pennsylvania Senate seat last year: Voters viewed the daytime television celebrity as an interloper from New Jersey with limited ties to the state he hoped to represent. “People want to

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Just one month after Donald Trump’s January 2021 phone call to suggest Georgia’s secretary of state could overturn his election loss, district attorney Fani Willis announced she was looking into possibly illegal “attempts to influence” the results. As she built her case, she called a parade of

By The Associated Press This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from Irish singer-songwriter Hozier and Idina Menzel, the animated “The Monkey King” from Stephen Chow and Jennifer Lawrence’s R-rated comedy “No Hard Feelings.” The star-studded TV fundraiser for cancer research co-founded by Katie Couric called “Stand Up to Cancer” returns with Elizabeth Banks, Jessica