Month: May 2024

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A top Philippine security official has demanded the immediate expulsion of Chinese diplomats allegedly behind a reported leak of a phone conversation between one of the diplomats and a Filipino admiral about South China Sea disputes that have strained diplomatic ties. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said Friday he was backing

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press When Bob Ross died of complications from cancer in 1995, he had completed about half of the paintings he planned to teach from in a 32 season of “The Joy of Painting.”  In the new series “The Joy of Painting with Nicholas Hankins: Bob Ross’ Unfinished Season,” a certified Bob

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A European naval force has detained six suspected pirates after they opened fire on an oil tanker traveling through the Gulf of Aden. The incident on Friday is likely part of a growing number of piracy attacks that are emanating from Somalia. Authorities say the suspected pirates

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Target confirmed that it won’t be carrying its LGBTQ+ merchandise for Pride month in June in some stores after the discount retailer received backlash last year for its assortment. Target, which operates roughly 2,000 stores, said Friday that the decision to offer Pride merchandise, including

LONDON (AP) — Two environmental activists have attacked a glass case containing an original copy of the Magna Carta at the British Library, causing minor damage to the re-enforced box but leaving the historic document unscathed. The pair of protesters from Just Stop Oil, a group that has caused widespread disruption in Britain in its

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense chief has called for the bolstering of its anti-drone capability after a drone footage posted on a Chinese social media site showed a Japanese aircraft carrier docked at a restricted navy port west of Tokyo. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara called it a serious security threat.

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homeowners have been spending more for renovations in recent years, as high interest rates and inflation drove up costs for everything from flooring to refrigerators. But the home improvement frenzy appears to be cooling. Spending on renovations and repairs fell for the first time in

NEW YORK (AP) — Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money case is set to resume and it caps a feverish few days that saw Stormy Daniels captivate jurors with sometimes graphic testimony, another failed bid for a mistrial and more. Several other witnesses followed Daniels, including a publishing executive, but it’s unclear who will

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press CANOAS, Brazil (AP) — Hundreds of volunteers have set up a makeshift dog shelter in an abandoned, roofless warehouse in the Brazilian city of Canoas, one of the hardest hit by floods since last week. They treat and feed sick, injured and hungry dogs, hoping to reunite them with their

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say Russia has pounded a town in Ukraine’s northeast with artillery, rockets and guided aerial bombs before attempting an infantry breach of local defenses. It’s a tactical switch that Kyiv officials have been expecting for weeks as the war stretches into its third year. Officials

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Nebraskans will cast presidential primary ballots Tuesday in a reliably Republican state that could nonetheless be decisive in the race for the White House. Voters will also decide several contested state primaries, including U.S. Senate, where both Republican incumbents are on the ballot. Republican Sen. Deb Fischer

Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Floods in South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces in eastern Congo have hit nearly half a million people, creating food shortages, displacements and risk of diseases, according to a World Food Program report released Wednesday. WFP said it lacked resources to respond to the needs of people in areas impacted

By MAYA SWEEDLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — North Carolina’s lone congressional runoff, in the state’s 13th Congressional District, became a one-person race when former President Donald Trump endorsed Brad Knott. His only opponent suspended her campaign on May 2. Kelly Daughtry received the most votes in the state’s March 5 primary but failed to

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump look to pad their delegate totals in Maryland as the presidential primary campaign enters its final weeks. Maryland voters on Tuesday will also decide contested primaries in a U.S. Senate race that has further complicated Democratic efforts to

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge has extended a ban on social media platform X allowing videos of the stabbing of a Sydney bishop in his church last month after government lawyers condemned the company’s free speech argument for keeping the graphic images circulating. The April 15 attack led

By WAFAA SHURAFA and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north, a United Nations official said Friday. Israel’s plans for

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Eden Golan is in Sweden for the Eurovision Song Contest, but she is not seeing much of the country. The 20-year-old Israeli singer is surrounded by security as she travels between hotel and the contest venue in the city of Malmo. According to Israel’s public broadcaster,

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Hond has reported that its profit for the fiscal year through March jumped 70% as its vehicle sales grew and a weak yen buoyed overseas earnings. The Japanese automaker reported Friday that its annual profit totaled 1.1 trillion yen, or $7 billion, as sales surged nearly

BOSTON (AP) — Police have begun dismantling a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. People were being detained and video showed police roaming through the encampment. Organizers said only about 10 people were inside the camp, but a crowd outside the camp began gathering and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. The move comes several

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — A top Indian opposition leader has been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court nearly seven weeks after his arrest in a bribery case. The court ordered Arvind Kejriwal’s temporary release enabling him to campaign in the country’s national election until the voting ends on June

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian conservative leader Andrej Plenkovic has been formally appointed prime minister-designate for a third consecutive term after he forged an alliance with an extreme right party following an inconclusive election. Plenkovic’s ruling Croatian Democratic Union won the most votes at last month’s parliamentary vote in the European Union nation, but not

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has vowed to protect its companies operating in other markets after Japanese regulators told LY Corp., which runs the popular chat app Line, to reduce its dependence on Naver, the Korean partner in the venture. Friction over Naver’s 50% stake in LY, a venture with Japan’s SoftBank, followed

By The Associated Press About 110,000 people have fled Rafah in southern Gaza and food and fuel supplies in the area are critically low, a U.N. official says. All crossings into southern Gaza remain closed, cutting off supplies and preventing medical evacuations and the movement of humanitarian staff, said Georgios Petropoulos, an official for the

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden White House wants voters to know its differences with Republicans over taxes. The White House’s National Economic Council Director, Lael Brainard, is to deliver remarks Friday on the 2017 income tax cuts that are set to expire after next year. The expiration of the tax

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has pressed his campaign to urge Italians to have children. He has called for long-term policies to help families and warned that the country’s demographic crisis was threatening the future. Francis’ appearance at an annual conference of pro-family groups Friday marked his latest appeal for Italy, and beyond that Europe,

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists. The couple, visiting the West

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Hopes are fading for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa. Authorities said Friday that rescuers are now faced with the challenge of moving thousands of tons of concrete with heavy machinery to see

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced changes in his Cabinet to replace four ministers running for the European Parliament next month. The reshuffle is also seen as a chance to bring new energy into Tusk’s government that took office in December and embarked on deep reforms in many areas. Among

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The  British economy bounced back strongly in the first three months of the year, bringing to an end to what economists termed a “technical recession.” The Office for National Statistics said Friday that the economy grew by 0.6% in the first quarter from the previous three-month period,

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister for the lower house’s approval. Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the house, the State Duma, will hold a session later Friday to consider Mishustin’s candidacy. Mishustin’s approval is a mere proforma in the Kremlin-controlled parliament. Mishustin held the job for the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Stocks in Asia traded higher Friday after a rally on Wall Street that pulled the S&P 500 back within 1% of its record. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and China, where investors were focused on the release of April inflation figures. In Japan, the Finance

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians are voting in a runoff election for the remaining seats in the country’s parliament after hard-line politicians dominated March balloting. People in 22 constituencies across the country will elect 45 representatives from a pool of 90 candidates, 15 of whom are considered moderate. In the capital, Tehran, 16 representatives will

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Sega Sammy is selling its Japanese resort complex Seagaia to Fortress Investment Group of the U.S. The Japanese entertainment company behind the “Sonic the Hedgehog” video games, said Friday that all of its shares in Phoenix Resort Co., which operates Seagaia in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, will

By MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — After the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders worldwide vowed to do better next time but are still struggling to finalize a global plan. The World Health Organization is overseeing an effort to come up with an agreement for responding to the next pandemic.

By JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Ronald Greene’s deadly arrest on a rural Louisiana roadside in 2019 sparked outrage after The Associated Press published long-suppressed body-camera video showing white state troopers stunning, beating and dragging the Black motorist as he wailed, “I’m scared!” Yet five years on, a federal investigation into the

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A few weeks ago, Edmundo González Urrutia was just another grandfather visiting his daughter and grandchildren, who live abroad, enjoying two months of family time in retirement. But the leisurely pace – and the anonymity – will have to wait as he now campaigns to

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — An annual survey of more than 500 European companies has found that slowing growth in China is weighing on company plans to grow their businesses in the world’s second largest economy. China still ranks high as a place to invest, but the share of companies considering an

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing to update his budget proposal. Newsom announced a nearly $38 billion budget deficit in January. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said the deficit was actualy $58 billion if you include some reductions in public education spending. Since then, California’s revenue

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is partnering with five companies to develop generative AI tools to help the state deliver public services. The partnerships were announced Thursday as Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to position California as an AI leader. The state plans to run a six-month trial before deciding

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press DUMA, West Bank (AP) — Charred homes and cars dot the hilltop West Bank village of Duma, a searing reminder of Palestinians’ vulnerability to rising violence from Israeli settlers. The head of village council says the wreckage is the aftermath of an attack in mid-April that left 15 homes damaged

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two men on opposite sides of the metal barricades during the riot at the U.S. Capitol are running for Congress on the same day. Derrick Evans served three months in federal prison on a felony civil disorder charge. He’s challenging Rep. Carol Miller in Tuesday’s West

By EUGENE GARCIA Associated Press NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Scores of sick and starving pelicans have been found in coastal California communities and many others have died. The executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach says that group has taken in more than 100 birds that are anemic, dehydrated

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — About 6 million Catalans are called to cast ballots in regional elections on Sunday that will surely have reverberations in Spain’s national politics. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is hoping his party can pull off a big enough win so it can forge a leftist coalition

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Shunned publicly by politicians and intellectuals for centuries, Vodou is transforming into a more powerful and accepted religion across Haiti, where its believers were once persecuted. Vodou believers are seeking solace and protection from violent gangs that have killed, raped and kidnapped thousands in recent years.

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ, JENNIFER PELTZ, MICHAEL R. SISAK and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The third week of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial draws to a close Friday after jurors heard the dramatic, if not downright seamy, account of porn actor Stormy Daniels, while prosecutors gear up for their

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and TRISHA AHMED Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — On college campuses across the country, a rallying cry of pro-Palestinian protesters has been “ Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest.” Now some are winning the first of those two demands: Promises to provide information about how much university endowment

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer HONG KONG (AP) — A top Baidu public relations executive has reportedly departed the Chinese technology company after she drew public outcry over comments that were seen as glorifying a culture of overwork. Baidu’s head of communications Qu Jing implied in a series of social media videos that she

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of California Board of Regents is expected to accept a recommendation that UCLA pay University of California at Berkeley $10 million a year for six years as a result of the Bruins’ upcoming move to the Big Ten and the demise of the

INDEPENDENCE, Calif. (AP) — Two climbers reported missing this week on California’s Mount Whitney have been found dead. Sheriff’s officials say a friend who had been with the climbers called authorities Tuesday night after they failed to arrive as planned at their campsite. A helicopter crew and teams on the slopes launched a search. Officials