Month: August 2024

ROME (AP) — Italian beach establishments mounted a symbolic two-hour strike early Friday aimed at pressuring the government not to enact a decades-old EU directive to liberalize the sector, long a symbol of Italy’s failure to reform the economy. Italy’s 6,500 beach concessions generate some 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in annual revenues, paying just

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Japan’s b-girl Ami won gold at the Olympics’ first breaking event by spinning, flipping and toprocking past a field of 16 dancers Friday in a high-energy competition that may not return for future Games. Ami, legally named Ami Yuasa, won all three rounds in a battle against b-girl Nicka (Dominika

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — An Amtrak train carrying nearly 100 passengers has crashed into the rear of a tractor trailer in Connecticut. Amtrak says the accident happened shortly before 6 a.m. Friday in North Haven. Authorities say a train engineer was brought to a hospital with minor injuries, but no one else was hurt.

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a planned trip to Central Asia to lead the government’s response after scientists urged people to prepare for a possible “megaquake” off the country’s southern coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first ever “megaquake advisory” on Thursday warning of a possible future

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty years on from the release of his career-making debut album, John Legend is entering uncharted territory. The R&B-pop singer tells The Associated Press that he will release his first-ever children’s album, “My Favorite Dream,” later this month. Produced by Sufjan Stevens, the record is lush, and centers

AP Sports Writer Wrexham is at the halfway stage of its unlikely journey to the Premier League. The next stop is League One. The Welsh club owned by actor Ryan Reynolds is hot off a successful preseason tour to the west coast of the United States and begins its domestic season on Saturday with a

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Zoo says the birth of a gorilla at the zoo in suburban Detroit is the first in its 96-year history. The gorilla that was born Thursday doesn’t have a name yet, and the sex has not been determined. The newcomer now four other gorillas at the zoo, including

Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish diplomats are working to try to free seven Polish citizens who were detained in Nigeria in what Warsaw says is a misunderstanding during protests taking place in the West African country. Six Polish students and a lecturer from Warsaw University were detained earlier in the week in the

AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mortgage rates haven’t been this attractive in more than a year, good news for homeowners eager to refinance. Many homeowners have already jumped at the opportunity to lower their monthly payment, spurring a surge in mortgage refinancing applications. The rush to refinance makes sense, as even a slight

Associated Press EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ first campaign stop in Wisconsin with her new running mate this week put her in a critical part of a swing state. It’s a largely rural area bordering Minnesota known for backing moderates from both parties. And while Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is far

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut Republicans will pick nominees in state primaries on Tuesday to challenge two longtime Democratic lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes. The leading GOP hopefuls for each seat won the party’s endorsement at state and district conventions but not by large enough margins to avoid primaries.

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Wisconsin will select candidates Tuesday who will compete in some of the fall’s most closely watched races. Republicans will choose a challenger to run against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is seeking a third term. There are also primaries in two U.S. House districts that could be important

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After a tough summer of primaries, the progressive House members who call themselves “the Squad” are facing their final challenge next week. Rep. Ilhan Omar is on the ballot in Minnesota on Tuesday, a week after fellow Squad member Cori Bush lost her primary in Missouri. In June, Rep. Jamaal

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Democrats will compete in Vermont’s state primary for the right to challenge four-term Republican Gov. Phil Scott in November. Esther Charlestin is an educator and former member of the Middlebury Selectboard. Peter Duval is a computer scientist and former Underhill Selectboard member who ran for governor as an independent

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia declared a “federal-level” emergency in the Kursk region following a large-scale incursion from Ukraine and sent reinforcements there on Friday, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured across the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil since the war began. Meanwhile, a

GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — The country of diamonds now has a gold. The people of Botswana have been given the afternoon off work Friday through a presidential decree so that they could celebrate the nation’s first gold medal at the Olympics. Sprinter Letsile Tebogo’s win in the 200 meters Thursday night in Paris was a

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dozens of countries, academics and rights groups have filed legal arguments either rejecting or supporting the International Criminal Court’s power to issue arrest warrants in its investigation into the war in Gaze and Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. The submissions filed this week came as a

AP Entertainment Writer PARIS (AP) — When Anderson .Paak was tapped for an Olympic-themed song, the Grammy winner felt eager to record the track until he hit an unexpected hurdle: The normally free-flowing artist had to work within a tight framework. Paak embraced the process, seeing it as an opportunity to flex a new creative

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops have launched a new assault into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The military says they’re targeting Hamas fighters who they claim still operate there despite repeated offensives. American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have renewed their push for Israel and Hamas to reach a

BEIJING (AP) — China’s state media and authorities say a powerful explosion set off a fireball on a container ship loaded with hazardous goods at a major port on China’s Pacific coast. Surveillance camera video posted online by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday showed a huge burst of white smoke followed by an orange and

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Nagasaki has marked the 79th anniversary of its atomic bombing at the end of World War II at a ceremony eclipsed by the absence of the American ambassador and other Western envoys in response to the Japanese city’s refusal to invite Israel. Mayor Shiro Suzuki, in a speech at Nagasaki

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — When they compete at the Paris Games, they’re just athletes at their peak, and the emphasis isn’t that they come from regions ravaged by war. The Olympics has brought together 10,500 athletes, including those from countries where 110 armed conflicts are raging. These are conflicts that often aren’t grabbing attention

The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make their first trip together since Biden ended his candidacy and Harris took over as the Democratic standard-bearer. The White House announced Friday morning that Biden and Harris will head to Maryland on Aug. 15 for an event to “discuss