Month: April 2024

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has started circulating a new currency to replace one that has been battered by depreciation and often outright rejection by the people. The ZiG was introduced electronically in early April, but as of Tuesday, people are able to use banknotes and coins. It’s the southern

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of FBI searches of a vast foreign intelligence repository for information about Americans and people in the United States plummeted over the last year from the prior 12 months, according to a U.S. government report released Tuesday. The annual report by the Office of the

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Rain-swollen water levels at two Kenyan hydroelectric dams are at “historic highs” and people downstream are being told to move away. The Cabinet is also ordering residents of flood-prone areas across the country to evacuate or they’ll be moved by force. Kenya has been overwhelmed by

By The Associated Press Singer Alicia Keys says she was unable to speak after her semi-autobiographical show “Hell’s Kitchen” earned 13 nods when the nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards were announced Tuesday. “These are very, very special moments,” said nominee and veteran star Brian d’Arcy James, who is nominated for actor in a leading

By ZEKE MILLER, JOSHUA GOODMAN, JIM MUSTIAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple-effects across the country. The DEA’s proposal still must be reviewed by

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is challenging patents on 20 brand name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic. Tuesday’s announcement is part of a wider effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that contribute to high prices. The agency is taking issue with patents

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is seeking a new round of proposals to build wind energy farms off its coastline, forging ahead with its clean energy goals even as local opposition and challenging economics create blowback to the effort. The state Board of Public Utilities on Tuesday

MILAN (AP) — Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations have committed to phase out coal power by 2035. It marks the first time the G7 has explicitly referenced a phase-out. But ministers left flexibility for countries heavily reliant on coal. The Beyond Fossils Fuel campaign called the commitment vague

By ADRIANA MORGA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Borrowers with some types of federal student loans have until today to consolidate their loans to qualify for full student loan cancellation or credit toward cancellation. The Education Department is expected to conduct a one-time adjustment in the summer but borrowers who want to be considered

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Imprisoned ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder will be arraigned from federal prison on the 10 new felony counts recently brought against him by the state. A Cuyahoga County judge cleared the May 13 appearance to take place by video stream from Elkton Federal Correctional Institution.

By CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The torrential rains and deadly floods that have hit Kenya since March have been some of the most catastrophic in the country in recent years. At least 169 people have died due to the heavy rains, with more than 91 missing, according to the latest government

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s newly installed transitional presidential council has chosen former Sports Minister Fritz Belizaire as the country’s prime minister as it presses forward in its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence. Belizaire replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, the former minister of

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Walmart is closing its health centers and virtual care service after struggling to find success with the offerings. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer said Tuesday that after managing the clinics it launched in 2019 and expanding its telehealth program, it concluded “there is not a sustainable business model for us

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians are struggling with an ongoing fuel shortage, the latest of a series of supply disruptions in the country where many rely heavily on public transportation. Car owners were queuing for hours to buy fuel across major cities on Tuesday, which has led to an increase

By ALEX TURNBULL Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Pro-Palestinian protesters have called on Olympic officials to limit Israel’s participation at the Summer Games in the French capital. About 300 people rallied Tuesday at the headquarters of the Paris Olympics’ organizing committee, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel’s “institutional participation” in the Games because

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will vote to save Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, avoiding a repeat of when eight Republicans joined with Democrats to oust his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Johnson’s moving forward with aid for Ukraine as

By AYAKA MCGILL and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Japan (AP) — The Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko has had enough of tourists. Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of iconic Mount Fuji, the town on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released Tuesday that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings. Losses from scams reported by Americans over

By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger, at age 40, according to an influential U.S. task force. Women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year, the group said. Previously, the task force had said women could choose to start breast cancer screening

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — A Finnish court has sentenced a 26-year-old man to more than six years in prison for hacking thousands of patient records at a private psychotherapy center and seeking ransom from some patients over the sensitive data. The case has caused outrage in the Nordic nation, with a

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy-award winning pop star Dua Lipa’s third album, “Radical Optimism,” releases Friday. UK rave culture and genre-averse alternative groups like Primal Scream and Massive Attack were key influences. She tells The Associated Press the album is the one she’s always wanted to make, in more

By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The document in which Abraham Lincoln set the Union’s military response to the launch of the U.S. Civil War in motion is now among Illinois’ prized papers of the 16th president, thanks to a donation by the state’s governor and first lady. The order to

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine lawmakers and protestors are converging on downtown Buenos Aires as the lower house debates the cornerstone of President Javier Milei’s legislative agenda. Milei is hoping to push through a key part of his ambitious plan to overhaul the Argentine state. But he has run

The Federal Communications Commission has leveraged nearly $200 million in fines against wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon for illegally sharing customers’ location data without their consent. Officials first began investigating the carriers back in 2019 after they were found selling customers’ location data to third-party data aggregators. Fines were proposed in 2020, but

By SARAH EFFRESS Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The Minnesota Twins are no stranger to unique home-run celebrations. Last season, the team introduced a fishing vest and toy fishing pole to the dugout. This year, it’s none other than a midwestern delicacy — the summer sausage — fueling the Twins’ eight-game winning streak. Hitting coach

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player. Milwaukee Officer Erik Andrade was involved in the 2018 arrest of Sterling Brown, who played at the time for

By SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador are putting in place new measures to crack down on illegal migration. Those steps include tougher enforcement measures on railways, buses and in airports and increased repatriation flights for migrants from both the U.S. and Mexico.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and allies are scrambling to pull together a complex system that will move tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza by sea. Nearly two months after President Joe Biden gave the order, U.S. Army and Navy troops are assembling the large floating platform several miles

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The world’s nations finished a round of negotiations early Tuesday on a treaty to end plastic pollution and made more progress than they have in three prior meetings. Coming into Ottawa, many feared the effort would stall to craft the first legally binding treaty on plastics

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer An English study into the causes of ACL injuries to women soccer players has been launched. ‘Project ACL’ will focus on players in the Women’s Super League in England as part of a three-year study. The injury is suffered by a disproportionate number of female players compared to their

By HILARY FOX Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Matthew Shardlake steps out of the pages of the late C.J. Sansom’s popular historical mystery novels and into a Disney+ show, bringing with him disability representation. He’s played by Arthur Hughes, who himself was born with radial dysplasia. Hughes notes that audiences don’t tend to see a

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of  methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from