Month: March 2024

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 20 progressive groups are coming together to forcefully reject pro-Israel groups’ efforts to primary challenge liberal members who’ve been critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The new coalition is called Reject AIPAC. It includes Jewish peace organizations and Arab American and Muslim groups that

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The U.S. commerce secretary says Washington is constantly assessing the need to expand export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and manufacturing equipment that can be used to boost its military. The U.S. export controls were first launched in 2022 to counter the

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer NEW YORK (AP) — This year’s red carpet season failed to disappoint, fashion-wise. There was plenty of drama, personal style and new takes on Old Hollywood. Among the standouts were Colman Domingo, Lily Gladstone, Ayo Edebiri and Greta Lee. All three distinguished themselves as fashion MVPs. So did Cillian

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Political Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Georgia leads a slate of four states hosting primary elections Tuesday in the first major round of voting since Super Tuesday’s results transformed the political landscape. Former President Donald Trump has no major competition for the Republican nomination now that Nikki Haley suspended her

By TIFFANY STANLEY Associated Press On Wednesdays, the support group meets over Zoom. The members talk about their lives, their religious families and their old parochial schools. But mostly, they are there to talk about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Catholic nuns. The topic deserves more attention, they say. The sexual

NEW YORK (AP) — James Patterson never seems to run out of ideas. The ultraprolific author is launching a new middle grade series, “The Time Travel Twins,” about two boys who witness key moments in U.S. history, starting with the era of the Revolutionary War. The Little, Brown Books for Young Readers series is co-written

BERLIN (AP) — An American man has been convicted of murder and other charges for attacking two American women near Germany’s famed Neuschwanstein castle last summer and pushing them into a ravine, fatally injuring one of them. He was sentenced on Monday to life in prison. The Kempten state court also convicted the 31-year-old man

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion that took place near a ship in the Red Sea on Monday is suspected to have been an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, though the blast caused no damage, authorities said. The master of the vessel reported the explosion Monday and said no one was hurt. That’s

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s inconclusive general election results mean weeks of political uncertainty ahead. They also give fresh energy to Europe’s shift toward the radical right. A surge in support for a populist party in Sunday’s ballot has placed the hard right at the heart of Portuguese politics. The

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Sweden’s national flag has been raised at NATO headquarters, cementing the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member of the alliance two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under NATO’s security umbrella. Under a steady rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine awoke to another day of war with Russia but also a bit of good news. A journalist had won the country’s first Oscar for a harrowing documentary on the first days of the war. The victory for Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol” by The

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The 19-member Cabinet of Pakistan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been sworn in during a brief ceremony. President Asif Ali Zardari administered Monday the ministers’ oaths at the President’s Office in the capital, Islamabad, with Sharif in attendance. This came days after Sharif was selected as prime minister in parliament following

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Christopher Nolan stood as staid and nonchalant as ever as crowds surrounded him and music pulsed. His celebration was limited to casually holding a best directing Oscar, his first, and one of seven on the night for his film. The “Oppenheimer” crowd were hardly the

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet When parents are stressed about finances, they can unintentionally pass on that concern to their children. To prevent that kind of worry, parents can talk about money early with their children to set a baseline for financial discussions. If parents aren’t sure of financial topics themselves, they can learn together

LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, has apologized for “confusion” caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace. In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan marked the 13th anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear meltdown and left large parts of Fukushima prefecture uninhabitable on Monday with a minute of silence and memorial events, where officials pledged continued support for rebuilding. A 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A group of climate activists have blocked the entrance to the Swedish parliament, advocating for sweeping reforms to tackle climate disasters. Some 40 activists including Greta Thunberg on Monday held signs reading ”Climate Justice Now” as they sat in front of at least two entrances to the 349-seat Riksdagen, including the main

By ASIM TANVEER Associated Press MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a Pakistani court has sentenced a 22-year-old student to death and given a life sentence to a teenager after finding them guilty of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Both had denied the charges and have the right to appeal. Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, anyone found

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer The percentage of Black MLB players has been declining for decades and remains historically low, but there are signs of improvement in the league’s player development pipeline thanks largely to a series of grassroots efforts that the league hopes lead to a steady increase in African American participation. Programs

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has announced new legislation to legalize “aid in dying” that will allow adults facing end-of-life illness to take lethal medication. The move follows a report last year indicating that most French citizens support legalizing end-of-life options. In an interview published Monday, Macron said

By JOSH BOAK and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is issuing a budget proposal Monday aimed at getting voters’ attention. It calls for tax breaks for families, lower health care costs, smaller deficits and higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The proposal for fiscal 2025 is unlikely to pass

BERLIN (AP) — A union representing many of Germany’s train drivers has called for another strike in a long and bitter dispute with the state-owned main railway operator over working hours and pay, drawing sharp criticism from the country’s transport minister. The GDL union called on drivers of Deutsche Bahn’s passenger trains to walk out

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria is importing massive amounts of beef and lamb to ensure it is available to consumers who can’t afford locally sourced red meat. The move made in preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan reverses a policy designed to bolster domestic production and bring 100,000 tons of new red meat

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy managed to grow in the fourth quarter of last year, averting a recession, according to revised government data released Monday that had previously shown a contraction. Real gross domestic product, or GDP, grew in October-December at an annual pace of 0.4% instead of a contraction of 0.4%, according to the

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians began fasting for Ramadan on Monday as the Muslim holy month arrived with cease-fire talks at a standstill, hunger worsening across the Gaza Strip and no end in sight to the five-month-old war between Israel and Hamas. Prayers were held outside

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer There was talk of war, and pleas for peace. But the Oscars telecast is always a chaotic mix of moods and tones, and so even on a night ruled by somber themes, where the academy crowned a film about the the atomic bomb, there was a jolt of joyful

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss police say five cross-country skiers have been found dead after going missing over the weekend near Switzerland’s famed Matterhorn. Rescue authorities announced a search in difficult weather conditions Sunday for six skiers who were missing. The group set off Saturday on a route between the resort town of Zermatt, at the

SYDNEY (AP) — Officials say at least 50 people have been injured by what they described as a “strong movement” on a Chilean plane traveling from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand. LATAM Airlines says there was “a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement.” It did not elaborate on what happened. Passengers

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is marking 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country’s northern coasts, killing nearly 20,000 people, wiping out whole towns and destroying the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The nation will have a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. on Monday, with Prime

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Monday after Wall Street’s huge rally faltered last week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index shed 2.2% to 38,820.49. The government issued revised figures showing the economy grew 0.1% in the last quarter of the year, better than the minus 0.1% reported

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — There is a whole other show that happens offscreen at the Oscars that the home audience doesn’t see on television. Here’s what The Associated Press saw that the cameras did not capture. THE OSCARS START AT… 7ISH? Things got off to a late start, about

By ROBERT BADENDIECK and EMRAH GUREL Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — In the heart of Istanbul, on top of the towering minarets that dot the city’s skyline, 68-year-old Kahraman Yildiz toils away at a craft that has illuminated the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for generations. Yildiz, a master of Mahya, the unique Turkish tradition

PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers recovered more bodies as waters began to recede after flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rains on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, which have killed at least 26 people and left 11 missing, officials said Monday. Monsoon rains and rising rivers have submerged nine districts and cities in West Sumatra province

By EMMA BURROWS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power almost 25 years ago and since then he’s eliminated nearly all independent media — a process he ramped up after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin’s control over media is now absolute. State television channels cheer every battlefield victory,

By ALEX BABENKO, HANNA ARHIROVA, SUSIE BLANN and LORI HINNANT Associated Press SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — One Ukrainian brigade had defended the same block of industrial buildings for months without a break. Another had been in Avdiivka for nearly the entire two years of the war, bone-tired but with no replacements to relieve them. Ammunition

By ALEX BABENKO, HANNA ARHIROVA, SUSIE BLANN and LORI HINNANT Associated Press SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — One Ukrainian brigade had defended the same block of industrial buildings for months without a break. Another had been in Avdiivka for nearly the entire two years of the war, bone-tired but with no replacements to relieve them. Ammunition

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In Republican-led states across the U.S., conservative legislators are refusing to reevaluate abortion bans — even as doctors and patients insist the laws’ exceptions are dangerously unclear, resulting in denied treatment to some pregnant women in need. Instead, GOP leaders accuse abortion rights advocates of deliberately

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s national congress is wrapping up its annual session Monday with the usual show of near-unanimous support for plans designed to carry out ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s vision for the nation. This year’s weeklong event, replete with meetings carefully scripted to allow

By COLLIN BINKLEY and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press Pranay Karkale is spending years of savings and $60,000 in student loans to pursue a master’s degree in the United States, yet he considers himself lucky. At home in India, it’s common to hear about families selling off their land to send children to universities overseas. Karkale

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Fifteen youth activist groups have announced that they are jointly endorsing President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, backing the oldest president in U.S. history despite polls consistently showing voter concerns about his advanced age.  Young voters tend to be more left-leaning than their older counterparts, meaning the activists’

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press Disney is seeking approval from local officials to expand its California theme park offerings over the next four decades. The proposal wouldn’t increase the company’s geographic footprint in Anaheim, but would allow for new attractions on unused spaces, including a large parking lot. Disney officials say there isn’t room to

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An “uncommitted” campaign protesting President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war is seeing success in other states. That’s after 100,000 Michigan voters chose the option in the Feb. 27 primary. So did almost 263,000 voters in the five Super Tuesday states where “uncommitted” or similar

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida are raking in millions of dollars from online sports betting, thanks to a compact that gave the tribe exclusive rights to run sports wagers and casino gambling on its reservations. Two of the tribe’s gaming competitors

By The Associated Press This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include albums from Justin Timberlake and Kacey Musgraves, the launch of season 20 of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Taylor Swift’s concert film “The Eras Tour” landing on Disney+. The comedy “Girls5Eva” has jumped from Peacock to Netflix for its third season, Nicolas Cage appears in people’s

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new rule by the National Labor Relations Board that would have made it easier for millions of workers to form unions at big companies. The rule, which was due to go into effect Monday, would have set new standards for determining

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The first official photo of Kate, the Princess of Wales, since she underwent abdominal surgery nearly two months ago, was pulled from circulation by The Associated Press and several other news organizations because the image appeared to have been manipulated. Kensington Palace had issued the image Sunday