Month: August 2023

By RAFIQ MAQBOOL Associated Press MUMBAI, India (AP) — Fans of Rajinikanth, one of India’s biggest movie superstars, are thronging theaters and celebrating with dancing and prayers as his latest film hits screens. The first screening began at 6 a.m. local time on Thursday. One theater in Mumbai stopped the movie for a minute when

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister says the country intends to put 10,000 soldiers along its border with Belarus. His statement Thursday comes as Warsaw worries about the presence of Russian-linked mercenaries in Belarus and migrants trying to cross the border without authorization. For two years, Poland has contended

BEIJING (AP) — China has increased the number of countries that its big-spending tourists can visit by more than 70 following the lifting of its last COVID-19 travel restrictions. The decision comes as international flights gradually return to their pre-pandemic levels. China implemented draconian controls within the country and almost entirely closed its borders after

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s national statistics bureau says inflation has reached a record high in July. It said Thursday that consumer prices rose 38.2% from a year earlier, up from 36.8% in June. The agency also says average food and beverage prices, the main drivers of inflation, rose 68.2% over the past 12 months. Prices

By SAM MEDNICK and CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s junta told a top U.S. diplomat that they would kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if neighboring countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule, two Western officials told The Associated Press. They spoke to the AP shortly before the West African

By ILLIA NOVIKOV and EMMA BURROWS Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation Thursday of nearly 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages in the eastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces reportedly are making a concerted effort to punch through the front line. The local military administration in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s army moved a truck that had carried Hezbollah munitions from the road where it crashed to a military post after clashes at the scene killed two people. The truck overturned Wednesday on the highway that links Beirut to the eastern Bekaa Valley. The Iran-backed militant group

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour Wednesday night in Los Angeles in a big way, announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, including an abridged

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets declined Friday after U.S. inflation edged higher, fueling unease about the outlook for the biggest global economy. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Oil prices edged lower. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained less than

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A Palestinian militant group says Israeli forces have shot and killed one of its members in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli troops killed the 27-year-old in the West Bank town of Zawata, north of the city Nablus. The area has been a flashpoint for violence

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials have broken ground in southeast Louisiana on a nearly $3 billion project to fight coastal wetland loss. It involves building massive gates in a section of levee in a rural area southeast of New Orleans and creating a channel to divert some of the Mississippi

By TY O’NEIL, CLAIRE RUSH, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighborhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll rose to at least 53 and survivors told harrowing

By NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — For months, Iranian authorities did little to enforce the law on women covering their hair but now the country’s theocracy is pushing to make businesses the new battleground over the mandatory headscarf. The effort comes ahead of the first anniversary of nationwide protests

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Food service workers at a Las Vegas Strip arena who want higher pay and better benefits are rallying on the famed tourist corridor. More than 1,000 union members packed the walkways near T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, with the crowd spilling onto Las Vegas Boulevard. The rally

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian lawmakers have approved a data protection legislation that “seeks to better regulate big tech firms and penalize companies for data breaches” as several groups expressed concern over citizens’ privacy rights. The Digital Personal Data Protection bill that was passed Wednesday will limit cross-border transfers of data and provide a framework

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to sharpen its war plans and signed off on expanding combat operations of frontline units. That’s according to state media Thursday. Kim’s comments during a meeting with his top military brass Thursday came as the

By JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press When philosophy professor Darren Hick came across another case of cheating in his classroom at Furman University last semester, he posted an update to his followers on social media: “Aaaaand, I’ve caught my second ChatGPT plagiarist.” Friends and colleagues responded, some with wide-eyed emojis. Others expressed surprise. “Only 2?! I’ve

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) — Firefighter and paramedic Mike Camilleri once had no trouble hauling heavy gear up ladders. Now battling long COVID, he gingerly steps onto a treadmill to learn how his heart handles a simple walk. “This is, like, not a tough-guy test so don’t fake it,” warned

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — President Joe Biden evoked the memory of his late son and praised leaders from both parties for unifying behind veterans Thursday as he and Utah’s Republican governor paid tribute to a year-old law that is delivering the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades. The

By CURT ANDERSON and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump’s valet pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new charges in the case accusing the ex-president of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate while the property manager had his arraignment postponed because he still hasn’t secured a Florida-based

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California regulators on Thursday approved an expansion that will allow two rival robotaxi services to operate throughout San Francisco at all hours, despite safety worries spurred by recurring problems with unexpected stops and other erratic behavior that resulted in unmanned vehicles blocking traffic, including emergency

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States edged up in July after 12 straight months of declines. But excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core inflation matched the smallest monthly rise in nearly two years, a sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have continued to

By MARTHA MENDOZA and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and its European allies are importing vast amounts of nuclear fuel and compounds from Russia, providing Moscow with hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed revenue as it wages war on Ukraine. The sales, which are legal and unsanctioned, have raised

By EILEEN NG Associated PRess KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — In the past two weeks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has zig-zagged across the country on an election campaign that pitched the appeal of political stability and his concept of a progressive government. Just nine months into power, his nascent government faces its first test

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president is asking why, if a woman criticizes him, he isn’t considered victim of gender violence. Mexico has strict political regulations that forbid questioning someone’s competence based on their gender. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ran afoul of those rules when he suggested last month that opposition presidential hopeful Xochitl

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Lorenzen walked to the mound to start the ninth inning — of just his second start with the Phillies, his first in Philadelphia — engrossed in the passion of fans roaring for him to complete a no-hitter, and considered the scene the coolest moment of

By GONZALO SOLANO and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The six men arrested as suspects in the assassination of an anti-corruption Ecuadorian presidential candidate are Colombian nationals, a police report said Thursday as authorities investigated the motive for a crime that shocked a nation already reeling from a surge in drug-related

By KIM TONG-HYUNG, YONG JUN CHANG and AHN YOUNG-JOON Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tropical Storm Khanun poured intense rain on South Korea on Thursday, turning roads into chocolate-colored rivers and leaving at least one person dead, before weakening as it reached major urban centers near the capital. More than a foot of

By DAVID HAMILTON AP Business Writer Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger vowed to make its streaming services profitable via a planned October price hike on its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu plans and a crackdown on password sharing expected to extend through next year. The increases will raise the monthly cost of ad-free Disney+ by $3,

By CLAIRE RUSH, SETH BORENSTEIN and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT Associated Press A dangerous mix of conditions appear to have combined to make the wildfires blazing a path of destruction in Hawaii particularly damaging, including flash drought, high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation. Experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather events

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations says the agreement it reached with Syria to reopen the main border crossing from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest for six months safeguards the independence of U.N. operations and allows it to provide aid to all parties. The agreement, which was

By SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California energy officials have voted Wednesday to extend the life of three natural gas power plants along the state’s southern coast. The plants were previously set to shut down by the end of this year. The state’s Department of Water Resources introduced the plan

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The discovery of an illegal medical lab in central California by a code enforcement officer has unleashed an uproar in a rural community and fed anti-Chinese rumors online. In December, the officer in Reedley stumbled upon what she described as a shoddy private lab that

By SEUNG MIN KIM and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Gun safety groups are joining together to endorse President Joe Biden in 2024, as the president continues to push for stricter gun laws as a major part of his political platform that was all but unthinkable for Democrats even a few years ago.

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is raising money for his reelection campaign by offering donors the chance to meet himself and Barack Obama, meaning the former president will be entering the 2024 political fray earlier than he did during last year’s midterms or the last presidential election. An email

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Police in Alabama arrested two boaters on misdemeanor assault charges in connection with a riverside brawl that drew national attention. Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said the two men turned themselves in on Wednesday. The three men are charged in connection with an attack on a riverboat captain

BELEN, N.M. (AP) — President Joe Biden says he’s open to granting assistance for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing, including in New Mexico, where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested in 1945. Biden brought up the issue while speaking Wednesday in Belen at a factory that produces wind towers.

By DENISE LAVOIE and SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Department of Corrections, under scrutiny over the death of an inmate that raised broader questions about conditions at a southwest Virginia prison, is refusing to release public records documenting inmate complaints about the facility. Allegations that multiple inmates were treated for