Month: March 2024

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer A U.S. restaurant chain that only serves breakfast, brunch and lunch is keeping its original recipe for success as it evolves in response to changing work patterns. Florida-based First Watch is one of the fastest-growing chains in its category in terms of dollar sales and unit growth, according to

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has shipped around 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year to help support its war in Ukraine. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik shared the assessment at a news conference on Monday, hours after the South

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — How much does it cost to feel special? At Chuck E- Cheese, the family entertainment and pizza chain, the price is $7.99, $11.99 or $29.99 per month. At the other end of the spectrum, the founder of a shopping app called Long

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Across the United States, many people are eagerly anticipating the Federal Reserve’s first cut to its benchmark interest rate this year: Prospective home buyers hope for lower mortgage rates. Wall Street traders envision higher stock prices. Consumers are looking for a break on credit card debt

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — From April 19 to June 1, nearly 970 million Indians are eligible to vote in general elections. The mammoth exercise is the biggest anywhere in the world and will take 44 days before results are announced on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third successive

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order aimed at advancing the study of women’s health in part by working to strengthen data collection and provide easier and better funding opportunities for biomedical research. Women make up half the population, but their health is underfunded

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the need to ensure that technology sustain democratic values, speaking at a democracy summit in South Korea. He said during the ministerial conference of the third Summit for Democracy on Monday that authoritarian regimes deploy technologies to undermine democracy and human rights. President

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish top-tier club Trabzonspor’s fans invaded the pitch following a home loss against Fenerbahce, touching off violent scuffles between the fans and visiting players. Police have detained 12 people. The Trabzonspor fans charged onto the pitch as Fenerbahce players celebrated their 3-2 win following the final whistle of the Turkish Superlig

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks advanced Monday ahead of policy decisions this week by Japan’s central bank and the Federal Reserve. Oil prices and U.S. futures rose. Chinese data for January-February were mixed, with property investment falling while other indicators showed improvement. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index jumped

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people were sheltering. The

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Brisbane Olympics organizers have scrapped plans to demolish and rebuild an iconic cricket ground as the centerpiece of the 2032 Games while also rejecting a review panel’s recommendation for a new stadium in city parklands. Queensland state’s Premier Steven Miles has instead announced he’s decided to upgrade an existing rugby stadium

By MUNIR AHMED and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say Pakistan has targeted multiple suspected hideouts of Pakistani Taliban inside neighboring Afghanistan. Early Monday’s airstrikes came two days after Pakistani militants in a suicide bombing and coordinated attack on a military facility killed seven soldiers in the northwest. There was no immediate

By The Associated Press A decade ago, President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea from Ukraine, a bold land grab that set the stage for Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022. The quick and bloodless seizure of the diamond-shaped peninsula, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet and a popular vacation site, touched off a wave of

By EMMA BURROWS, DASHA LITVINOVA and JIM HEINTZ Associated Press President Vladimir Putin basked in a victory early Monday that was never in doubt, as partial election results underlined the Russian leader’s total control of the country’s political system. After facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices, Putin was set to extend his

By The Associated Press Spring gets its official start Tuesday in the Northern Hemisphere. This year’s vernal equinox arrives on Tuesday. But what does that mean? The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle as it travels around the sun. On the equinox, the Earth’s orbit lines up so both hemispheres get the same amount

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks advanced Monday ahead of policy decisions this week by Japan’s central bank and the Federal Reserve. Oil prices and U.S. futures rose. Chinese data for January-February were mixed, with property investment falling while other indicators showed improvement. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index jumped

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has begun a diplomatic tour of New Zealand and Australia, meeting with his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Wellington, the nation’s capital. Wang is the most senior Chinese politician to visit New Zealand since his previous trip in 2017. New Zealand has had strong

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China has reported its manufacturing and investment improved in the first two months of the year, while weakness in the property sector weighed on the economy. The National Bureau of Statistics said industrial output rose 7% from a year earlier in January-February, better than analysts

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press The lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his independent bid. Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — When Sabine Thonke joined a recent demonstration in Berlin against Germany’s far-right party, it was the first time in years she felt hopeful that the growing power of the extremists in her country could be stopped. Thonke, 59, had been following the rise of the Alternative for

By NICK PERRY and LISA RATHKE Associated Press ELMORE, Vt. (AP) — Julie wants more donations to the food pantry. Kipp is busy knitting a sweater. Shorty is ready to ask: Why is so much being spent on a truck? The coffee, fresh-baked bread and donuts have been laid out. Eighty-seven voters have squeezed into

By NICK PERRY and LISA RATHKE Associated Press ELMORE, Vt. (AP) — Julie wants more donations to the food pantry. Kipp is busy knitting a sweater. Shorty is ready to ask: Why is so much being spent on a truck? The coffee, fresh-baked bread and donuts have been laid out. Eighty-seven voters have squeezed into

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a bill that would ban the use of any public funds for gender-affirming care, including for state employees using work health insurance and for adults covered by Medicaid. The legislation already passed the House and only needs

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics like COVID-19 and election security. The justices are hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by

By The Associated Press This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include Shakira’s first album in seven years, Jake Gyllenhaal starring in an update of the pulpy cult classic “Road House” and “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf dips into the true crime world with a new docuseries on Netflix. In a new special, James Beard-winning

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An $11 billion acquisition that backfired on Silicon Valley pioneer Hewlett Packard more than a decade ago is being resurrected at a trial that exploring whether the deal was an illegal rip-off or a case of botched management. The criminal trial starting Monday in San

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a ceasefire with one of the handful of armed groups with which he hoped to negotiate peace accords. He said Sunday that the group violated the truce by an indigenous community. The government says that starting Wednesday it will resume military operations against Estado Mayor

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — Small groups of protesters have taken to the streets in the eastern Cuba city of Santiago decryng power outages lasting up to eight hours across the Caribbean nation. Videos on social media showed demonstrators Sunday afternoon on the outskirts of Santiago, which is nearly 500 miles from

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man fell to his death from a hot-air balloon Monday as it passed over suburban Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city. The hot-air balloon took off from Melbourne’s northern suburbs early in the morning and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the basket. His body

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say three people were killed and an infant was hospitalized in critical condition after an SUV crashed into a bus shelter in San Francisco. Police say two victims, including a child, died at the scene of the crash Saturday afternoon in the city’s West Portal neighborhood. Three others were taken

SYDNEY (AP) — Global rideshare giant Uber will pay $178 million to settle a long-running dispute with Australian taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the company entered the Australian market. A class action suit against Uber had been expected to go to trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday, but

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz,” according to an indictment unsealed Sunday. Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, was charged with theft of a

MIAMI (AP) — A charter flight carrying dozens of U.S. citizens fleeing spiraling gang violence in Haiti has landed in Miami. U.S. State Department officials said more than 30 U.S. citizens were on the government chartered flight Sunday. It arrived at the Miami International Airport after the U.S. Embassy in Haiti earlier this month urged

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Undefeated South Carolina is the top overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament as the bracket was announced Sunday night. The Gamecocks are looking to become the 10th women’s basketball team to go undefeated for an entire season. They had a chance last season before falling just short against

PORTLAND (AP) — Family members of some of the people killed by record-breaking heat in the Portland, Oregon, area three years ago gathered over the weekend to plant trees across Multnomah County in honor of its 72 victims. The event, coordinated by county and local officials and a nonprofit group, drew scores of volunteers to

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin said early Monday that he supported an idea to release late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prisoner exchange just days before the man who was his biggest foe died. In his first comments to address Navalny’s death, Putin said of the dissident’s demise: “It happens.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward the North’s east coast. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the North conducted the missile launch Monday morning but gave no further details, such as how far the weapon flew. The launch happened days after the U.S. and

By NICK INGRAM and JIM SALTER Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The memory of the the deadly shooting at the last month’s Super Bowl rally in Kansas City, Missouri, was still on the minds of many at the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday. But this time a big mass gathering went off

The Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — While some American cities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a day early, others, including Boston, one of the most Irish cities in the country, kicked off parades and festivities on Sunday. The South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade usually draws about 1 million people, clad in green along the city’s

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Acclaimed American classical pianist Byron Janis has died at the age of 95. His wife, Maria Cooper Janis, said her husband died Thursday evening in New York City. Janis studied as a childhood prodigy under Vladimir Horowitz and emerged in the late 1940s as one of