Month: March 2024

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Middle East franchisee of Starbucks has begun firing staff at its coffee shops across the region after the brand found itself targeted by activists during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Kuwait-based Alshaya Group issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging the

ROME (AP) — Italian lawmakers have approved the country’s participation in an EU naval mission to protect cargo ship in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen threatening maritime traffic. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told lawmakers before the vote Tuesday that the mission, launched last month, is strictly defensive, but that Italian

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has heated primary battles in two congressional districts on Super Tuesday. Eighteen candidates _11 Democrats and seven Republicans — are running in Alabama’s newly revamped 2nd Congressional District. Federal judges redrew the district after ruling Alabama’s prior congressional map undermined the voting strength of Black residents. The primaries will decide

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “American Fiction” is an entertaining movie, authors and publishers say. And it has a lot to say about Black families and the struggles of Black authors in an industry that remains predominantly white. But the featured plot of a Black literary author finds unexpected success

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s Catalonia region rolled out this week a pioneering women’s health initiative that offers millions of women and girls reusable menstruation products for free. About 2.5 million women and girls in northeast Spain can receive one menstrual cup, one pair of underwear for periods, and two

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto is the 2024 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor in the field. Yamamoto, 78, has spent a five-decade career designing both private and public buildings — from residences to museums to schools, from a bustling airport center to a glass-walled fire station

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press Uncrewed, remote-controlled boats have been around since the end of World War II. Late last century, technological innovations broadened their potential uses. Lethal, advanced sea drones developed and deployed by Ukraine in its war with Russia have opened a new chapter in that story. Ukraine claims it is the first

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — A Kosovo court has sentenced a man to three-and-a-half years in prison for planning attacks. A Pristina court statement said the man contacted a person in Saudi Arabia to learn how to create bombs he planned to use against an LGBTQ+ march in the capital and at the Merdare border crossing.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Russian military officers on charges linked to attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The court announced warrants Tuesday for Russian Lt. Gen. Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash. He was commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force at the times

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister says Western Balkans countries joining the European Union is a “geopolitical necessity” that would make Europe stronger in the face of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The six nations — Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia — are at different stages of the EU accession process.

By SAMY MAGDY, TIA GOLDENBERG and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages ended Tuesday without a breakthrough, Egyptian officials said, less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline

By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas attorney general acquitted of corruption charges at a historic impeachment trial last year made Tuesday’s primary a bitter Republican-on-Republican brawl. Attorney General Ken Paxton campaigned hard against House Speaker Dad Phelan and dozens of other GOP lawmakers who had sought his impeachment. Just six

LONDON (AP) — British officials say that Kate, the Princess of Wales, will attend a Trooping the Color ceremony in June. It is her first confirmed major official duty since the royal underwent abdominal surgery. Kate, Prince William’s wife, has been out of the public eye since January, when palace officials announced that she was

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, the mother of the country’s current president and the widow of an ousted dictator, has been hospitalized with pneumonia. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Tuesday that his 94-year-old mother is suffering from slight pneumonia and was put on antibiotics by her doctors. Marcos said

LONDON (AP) — What’s arguably the most famous wet shirt in television history is up for sale. Water not included. The white linen garment worn by Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the BBC’s 1995 TV adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” is going under the hammer on Tuesday at an auction of film and television

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s blueprint for its economy in 2024 is replete with goals and promises, but it’s also notable for not spelling out specific moves to attain long-promised reforms that foreign businesses and investors have been hoping for. The work report presented Tuesday by Premier Li Qiang to

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish media have reported three unidentified objects looking like weather balloons have been found in northeastern Poland, and some of them had Cyrillic inscriptions. The objects were in Poland’s Mazury lake district, near the border with Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad. Private radio RMF FM said none of the balloons had any

By ELIZABETH AYOOLA of NerdWallet Becoming self-employed can be an exciting journey, but it’s also possible to make expensive mistakes. These mistakes can create financial setbacks that stunt your growth or impact your financial security in the present and future if caution isn’t taken. Mistakes you can avoid as a self-employed person include spending money

BERLIN (AP) — Production at a Tesla electric vehicle plant near Berlin came to a standstill and workers were evacuated after a power outage that officials suspect was caused by arson. The Interior Ministry in the state of Brandenburg where the plant is located says unknown perpetrators are suspected of deliberately setting fire to a

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union officials have outlined ambitious plans to boost its defense industry at an unprecedented pace as the bloc seeks to respond to the threat posed by Russia’s war on Ukraine and a trans-Atlantic partner that could be wavering on its commitments to Europe. The plans

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense minister says a military officer used an unsecured phone line at a Singapore hotel to join a conference call that was hacked by Russians and leaked to the public. Boris Pistorius said Tuesday that the officer had participated in the Singapore Air Show and dialed

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Police in India have arrested three men in the alleged gang rape of a foreign tourist, in a case that has highlighted the country’s long-standing problem of sexual violence against women. The assault on the Spanish woman took place in a forest on Friday in eastern

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police have detained seven more people suspected of selling information to the Israeli spy agency Mossad, the latest in a wave of such arrests in Turkey. The Turkish interior minister said on Tuesday in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the suspects were taken into custody during simultaneous raids

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two planes collided midair above the Nairobi National Park, sending the smaller plane crashing in the park and killing two people. That’s according to a police report Tuesday. The bigger plane, a Dash 8 with 44 people on board, was heading to the coastal resort town of Diani. Safarilink Aviation, the

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Officials in Poland say a military tracked vehicle ran over two Polish soldiers, killing one and seriously injuring the other, at an army test range in northwestern Poland. The accident took place Tuesday at the Land Forces Training Center in Drawsko Pomorskie. The army says the injured soldier was airlifted to

By KEN SWEET and JOSH BOAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to cap credit card late fees at $8. It’s the latest effort in the White House push to end what it has called “junk fees” and is a move that regulators say will save Americans up to $10

ROME (AP) — The United Nations says that women who run farms and rural households in poor countries suffer more from climate change and are discriminated against as they try to adapt to other sources of income in times of crises. A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization released on Tuesday found that

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine claims it has sunk another Russian warship in the Black Sea using high-tech sea drones as Kyiv’s forces continue to take aim at targets deep behind the war’s front line. Russian authorities did not confirm the claim on Tuesday. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Singapore’s prime minister says Southeast Asian countries’ quest to reach agreement with China on a code of conduct in the contested South China Sea will take time, with difficult issues yet to be resolved despite recent efforts to accelerate the process. China’s increasing military assertiveness in

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Shares were mixed Tuesday in Asia after China’s premier said the country’s target for economic growth this year is around 5%, in line with expectations. Hong Kong’s benchmark fell while Shanghai edged higher. Li Qiang, addressing the opening meeting of China’s National People’s Congress, also said

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s Premier Li Qiang promoted an image of confidence as he announced modest economic growth goals for the country at one of its most important political gatherings. Li announced that the GDP growth target was 5% this year — a modest target that is still going to

By ACACIA CORONADO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has some competitive U.S. House races on the ballot in Tuesday’s primaries. Among them is the race for Republican Rep. Kay Granger’s open seat. There, Texas state Rep. Craig Goldman faces business owner John O’Shea in the GOP primary. O’Shea has the backing of Republican

By PAUL J. WEBER and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats in search of flipping a U.S. Senate seat are watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see who voters nominate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. A field of underdog underdog Democratic challengers have cast Cruz as vulnerable entering Tuesday’s primary elections

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A repeating of baseless election conspiracy theories in the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature appears to have scuttled GOP lawmakers’ efforts this year to shorten the time that voters have to return mail ballots. The state Senate has scheduled a final vote for Tuesday on a bill

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Voters in San Francisco are weighing in on a pair of public safety measures on Tuesday’s ballot that reflect frustration over crime and drug use in the politically liberal city. One proposition would compel treatment for adult welfare recipients who use illegal drugs if they want

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the country’s most progressive prosecutors is set to be tested as he seeks reelection against 11 challengers to remain the district attorney of Los Angeles County. Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary pits incumbent George Gascón against opponents ranging from line prosecutors in his own office to

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters are set to decide on a statewide ballot measure that Gov. Gavin Newson says he needs to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis. Proposition 1 is the only measure on the ballot Tuesday. It has been one of the most complicated measures in the last

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of striking junior doctors in South Korea are facing proceedings to suspend their medical licenses Tuesday. Meanwhile, authorities are pushing for police investigations into leaders of the walkouts that have disrupted hospital operations. Nearly 9,000 of South Korea’s 13,000 medical interns and residents have

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Control of the U.S. House of Representatives won’t be decided on Tuesday. But voters in California will set the matchups for some of the country’s most competitive races in November. All the state’s 52 congressional seats have primary elections on Tuesday. The top two vote-getters in each race will advance to

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Police were warning people to stay away as an industrial fire with multiple explosions shook a northern Detroit suburb on Monday night. The Clinton Township Police Department said on Facebook that an industrial fire was burning near 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway and that debris was being projected into

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers, who face public pressure to get in vitro fertilization services restarted, are nearing approval of immunity legislation for providers. Three IVF providers paused services after the state Supreme Court’s ruling last month that frozen embryos were children under the state’s wrongful death law. Legislative committees

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) — A judge in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent has ordered the deportation of three men from Grenada suspected in the disappearance of a U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked. The men, Trevon Robertson, a 19-year-old unemployed man; Abita Stanislaus, a 25-year-old farmer; and Ron Mitchell, a 30-year-old sailor;

By JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Lawmakers in at least seven states are taking big legislative swings to regulate bias in artificial intelligence. As AI has quietly spread through everyday life, filtering job resumes, rental apartment and home loan applications, studies and lawsuits have found they can discriminate based on race,

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leader Mitch McConnell is the highest-ranking Republican in Congress who has yet to endorse Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House — having once called the defeated president “morally responsible” for the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. But that’s potentially about to change.

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press/Report for America CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Highway signs welcome drivers entering North Carolina to “the nation’s most military friendly state,” and veterans here know they’re being courted. But in a state where camouflage-colored appeals have become commonplace, recent efforts by progressive groups to cut into what has long been a

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas voters could make history in two races for the state Supreme Court in Tuesday’s election. The race for chief justice could give the court its first woman elected to the post, and the court could see its first Black elected justice in another race.