Month: August 2024

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — The government of Paraguay has effectively ordered the United States ambassador to leave the South American nation, escalating tensions between the allies in the wake of the Biden administration’s sanctions on a tobacco company linked to the country’s powerful former president. In a statement Thursday, the Paraguayan Foreign Ministry asked the

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles said he tested positive for COVID two days before he finished third in the 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday night. Lyles said he tested positive early Tuesday morning and quickly got into quarantine. He participated in the 200-meter semifinal on Wednesday, where he finished second. Lyles’

Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Much of New Orleans was under a boil water advisory two days after a Mylar balloon struck power lines near the water plant, leading to a drop in water pressure. Utility companies nationwide have been warning for years about the hazards of Mylar balloons. The metallic, film-coated balloons have

Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two West Virginia correctional officers accused of failing to intervene as their colleagues beat an incarcerated man to death in 2022 have pleaded guilty in federal court. Former Southern Regional Jail employees Jacob Boothe and Ashley Toney admitted to violating 37-year-old Quantez Burks’s civil rights by not protecting him

AP Media Writer ABC News says Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have agreed to a Sept. 10 debate. The network’s announcement came as Trump was holding a news conference Thursday, where he said he is pushing for two other debates with Harris in September, to be hold on Fox News and

Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Legal experts say a lawsuit stemming from the Titan submersible disaster felt inevitable, but winning a big judgment against the owner of the vessel could be very difficult. The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet filed a more than $50 million civil lawsuit against submersible owner OceanGate earlier this

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. jury has convicted former Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang in a financial conspiracy case that welled up from from his country’s “tuna bond” scandal. A federal jury in New York delivered the verdict Thursday. Chang was accused of accepting bribes to put his African nation secretly on

Associated Press Police are investigating how a woman died in a baggage room at O’Hare International Airport. Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said emergency responders called to the airport around 7:45 a.m. Thursday found the woman entangled in a conveyer belt system in a baggage room. The room was not publicly accessible, and it’s

The “Yellowstone” sequel has its lead. Paramount announced Thursday that Oscar nominee Michelle Pfeiffer would executive produce and star in “Madison.” The series was first promised when it was announced last year that ‘Yellowstone’ second half of its fifth season would air in November 2024, wrapping up the series. “Madison” follows a family of New

AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is wrestling over how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station, after repeatedly delaying their return aboard Boeing’s troubled capsule. Do they take a chance and send them home soon in Boeing’s Starliner? Or wait and bring them back next year

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — The search is on for a small alligator in Erie, Pennsylvania, after it was caught on video last weekend swimming just off the shore of Lake Erie. The first sighting was Sunday, according to the Erie Times-News, and since then animal rescue specialists have been scouring the area. There are reports

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Texas Rangers have visited the White House to celebrate their 2023 World Series victory with President Joe Biden. He noted during the Thursday visit that the team was making a triumphant return to the city where the franchise was born. “You’re back in the nation’s capital as world champions,”

Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — California’s governor flew in for the young bears’ debut. Throngs of media gathered inside the zoo, while the city of San Diego warned of traffic jams ahead of the much-anticipated event Thursday. The San Diego Zoo rolled out the red carpet for the first public showing of its celebrity

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say the body of a 20-year-old New Mexico woman has been recovered in Grand Canyon National Park. It’s the third reported death in the canyon in the past two week. Park officials said Thursday that the body of Leticia A. Castillo of Albuquerque was located Tuesday about

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, took time out of his Olympic duties to rally a group of enthusiastic supporters in Paris. He told donors at a private fundraiser Thursday that his wife was “ready” and heaped praise on her newly minted running mate, Tim Walz. He also said

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s government has kicked out Nicaragua’s ambassador to the nation in retaliation for a similar move by the Central American country’s President Daniel Ortega. Brazil’s foreign ministry confirmed Thursday to The Associated Press that it had decided to expel Nicaraguan ambassador Fulvia Patricia Castro Matu. It said Brazil’s ambassador

Associated Press Authorities say two men linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard are facing terrorism charges in the U.S. in connection with the interception of a vessel in the Arabian Sea that resulted in the deaths of two Navy SEALs. The new indictment announced Thursday by federal prosecutors in Virginia charges two Iranian brothers and the

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Six University of Georgia students arrested during an April 29 protest against the Israel-Hamas war will remain suspended through the fall semester. The university announced the decision Monday after a July 30 disciplinary hearing. The students will also remain on probation for the remainder of their academic careers at the university.

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — As sweaty fans pushed up against one another, clutching their drinks and swaying to the music, Annie Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent, was being transported. She recounts that surprise concert in May at the Paramount, an intimate historic East Los Angeles venue, as a kind of exorcism. The

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Protesters have rallied outside Bulgaria’s parliament to denounce a controversial legal amendment adopted the day before that bans talk of LGBTQ+ and so-called non-traditional sexual choices in schools. Thursday’s protest was organized by feminist, LGBTQ+ and other rights groups calling for a reversal of that amendment, banning what supporters call “LGBTQ+

MIAMI (AP) — Federal forecasters are still predicting a highly active Atlantic hurricane season thanks to near-record sea surface temperatures and the possibility of La Nina. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s updated hurricane outlook released Thursday says atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for an extremely active hurricane season that could rank

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Business groups in Mexico are warning of economic damage to companies and thousands of regular citizens as a protest blockade of Mexico’s main east-west highway reached its second full day. Farmers blockaded the highway between Mexico City and Puebla Tuesday. By Thursday, some truckers and drivers had spent almost two full

Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Families of three students murdered during the 2018 massacre at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and a wounded former student have reached multimillion-dollar settlements in a lawsuit against the shooter. The parents of Luke Hoyer, Alaina Petty and Meadow Pollack each reached $50 million settlements with Nikolas

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who says he broke his ankle jumping into the sprinkle pool at the Museum of Ice Cream in New York City has filed a lawsuit alleging that the facility was negligent for not warning customers that it is unsafe to jump into the sprinkle pool. Plaintiff Jeremy Shorr says

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A fire that destroyed a vacant landmark building in a southwestern Ohio community this week is considered suspicious because the building had no utilities. The fire at the former Beckett Paper Company building in Hamilton, a Cincinnati suburb, was reported around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The building was completely engulfed in flames

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A French police officer who killed a teenager during a traffic stop performed for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The family of the 19-year-old who was shot and killed is shocked and angry. An internal police investigation found that the young man had backed up his car and

AP Health Writer Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43. The additional death happened in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday.

Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president has sacked the country’s prime minister and replaced him with another Cabinet member, the latest shakeup in the North African country ahead of the October presidential election. President Kais Saied announced late Wednesday that he was dismissing Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani after only one year in office.

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — After 13 months of what felt like an endless breaking of heat records, the streak came to an end last month. The European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday that July 2024’s average heat just missed surpassing the July of a year ago. While the slight cooling is good news

Associated Press A record multi-million dollar gift to Florida’s only public historically Black university has completely gone up in smoke. More than $237 million donated by little-known entrepreneur Gregory Gerami have been under intense scrutiny since Florida A&M University announced the contribution in May. A third-party report released this week says officials failed to vet

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Federal investigators say they have uncovered the DNA of a former U.S. Green Beret on some of the 60 automatic weapons he allegedly smuggled from Florida to South America as part of a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The allegations in court papers filed days after

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Fifty years after his iconic high-wire walk between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center, Philippe Petit recreated the death-defying stunt with a performance about seven miles north of the trade center at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The 74-year-old artist sought to celebrate the

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A top U.N. counterterrorism official has told the Security Council that a vast stretch of Africa could fall under the control of groups affiliated with the Islamic State group and affiliated terrorist groups. Austrian authorities say both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to

AP Business Writer The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell this week to its lowest level in more than a year. That’s a welcome affordability boost for prospective homebuyers and homeowners looking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate fell to 6.47% from

AP Sports Writer Breanna Stewart and the other moms on the US women’s basketball team are enjoying some special moments while chasing Olympic history. In addition to trying to become the first Olympic team — male or female — to win eight consecutive gold medals, they are having a rare bonding experience at the Paris

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Rights groups say Nigerian security forces used gunshots and force to respond to mass protests against hardship and alleged bad governance in the country. Although the security agencies admitted killing only one person, The Associated Press spoke to three families that said their relatives were shot dead during the

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The final regular-season PGA Tour event won’t be starting until Friday. Wind and rain from Tropical Storm Debby led to the first round of the Wyndham Championship being postponed on Thursday. That raises the possibility of a Monday finish. Tour officials were still waiting to see how much rain Sedgefield Country