National-World

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country comes naturally to Ringo Starr. It’s been a low-key part of his of his career since his Beatle beginnings, so it was not a serious swerve for him to make a whole country album, the forthcoming “Look Up,” a collaboration with the modern maestro of classic country

AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up their spending at retailers last month in the latest sign that healthy consumer spending is driving the economy’s steady growth. Retail sales rose 0.4% from September to October, a solid increase though less than the previous month’s robust 0.8% gain. A 1.6% jump in sales at

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A year after turning to comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the second time to host their big show, the Academy Awards will pivot to another familiar TV funnyman — Conan O’Brien. “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting

Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hundreds of hospitality workers at a casino near the Las Vegas Strip walked off the job just before dawn Friday amid a long and highly contentious fight for a new contract. The work stoppage at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas marks the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A French student detained for weeks in Tunisia has returned to Paris after weeks of top-level diplomatic discussions. The 27-year-old Victor Dupont who is Ph.D. student arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Friday afternoon. Dupont was one of four French nationals arrested on Oct. 19. Tunisian authorities in recent

Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The economy of the European Union is headed for only modest growth in coming months as consumers regain some of the purchasing power they lost to inflation, the bloc’s executive commission said Friday. Growth is forecast to come in next year at 1.3% for the 20 countries that use

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — President Joe Biden praised the cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the U.S. at countering what he described as North Korea’s “dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia.” Biden spoke at the start of a meeting Friday in Peru with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

TORONTO (AP) — Workers at Canada’s national postal service are on strike after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with Canada Post. Canadian Union of Postal Workers says approximately 55,000 workers are striking, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a 72-hour strike notice earlier

Associated Press ROME (AP) — The manager of a small hotel in northern Italy has refused a reservation made by a couple of Israeli tourists and accused Israeli people of being “responsible for genocide.” Jewish groups decried the incident as an example of antisemitism. The couple had booked two nights for the beginning of November

Associated Press LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani authorities have declared a health emergency in the country’s east due to smog. Smog has choked Punjab for weeks, sickening nearly 2 million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze. On Friday a government minister announced measures to combat the growing crisis. They

Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot authorities are in talks with major energy companies from Persian Gulf states over potential natural gas reserves off the Mediterranean country’s southern coastline, President Nikos Christodoulides told an energy conference Friday. He said the discussion with the unidentified companies are in connection with some of Cyprus’ 13 areas,

AP Sports Writer Jake Paul and Mike Tyson aren’t the only ones who have high stakes when they meet in the boxing ring on Friday night. For Netflix, it is their biggest live sports event to date, and an opportunity to make sure it can handle audience demand with the NFL and WWE on the

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal is getting set to retire from professional tennis after one last event. He will be part of Spain’s team at the Davis Cup finals that start Tuesday in front of a home crowd in Malaga. The 38-year-old Nadal has been on tour for more than 20 years and is

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Politicians in Senegal are wrapping up a tense electoral campaign ahead of a key legislative election this weekend that’s set to determine if the country’s newly-elected president can carry out ambitious reforms. Voters in Senegal will on Sunday choose 165 lawmakers in Senegal’s assembly, where the party of President

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister on Friday asked Iran to help secure a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah and appeared to urge it to convince the militant group to agree to a deal that could require it to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. As a top adviser

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — At the United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, wars are top of mind for some leaders and activists who have converged to discuss ways to limit global warming. They say the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere can be a distraction for some countries in confronting the climate

Associated Press ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s health minister and several others were detained on Friday on suspicion of corruption as part of an investigation launched by the European prosecutor’s office. Minister Vili Beroš, the directors of two hospitals in the capital Zagreb and two companies are suspected of “accepting and giving bribes, abuse of

MADRID (AP) — Authorities say at least 10 people have died and others were injured in a fire at a nursing home near the northeastern Spanish city of Zaragoza. The blaze broke out early Friday morning in Villafranca de Ebro, about 18 miles from the city. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Associated Press SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California man convicted of stabbing to death a gay University of Pennsylvania student in an act of hate has been sentenced to life without parole in prison. Samuel Woodward was sentenced Friday for the murder of Blaze Bernstein nearly seven years ago. Woodward was convicted earlier this

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British economy’s rebound from recession slowed down sharply in the third quarter of the year with most sectors stagnating. The Office for National Statistics said Friday that growth during the July to September period was just 0.1%. That was lower than the 0.5% recorded in the previous three-month period

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Good or bad, the United Nations climate negotiations process itself became the focus of the international talks that aim to curb warming from coal, oil and natural gas. Environmental advocates released reports Friday decrying fossil fuel industry influence at the climate talks called COP29. At the same time, a

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A passenger van veered off a mountain highway in western Nepal, killing eight people while four on board were injured. The van was returning to a village with people who had been to a festival in a nearby town. The van fell about 650 feet below the road before dawn Friday.

Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the nosebleed seats of a nearly-empty Baku Olympic stadium coated with a layer of dust, activists used a giant banner to beam the words “Pay Up” to the world. But the negotiators below, who will be deciding the financial future of climate action at COP29, didn’t see. The

Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Sen. Marco Rubio to become U.S. secretary of state is likely to jolt Latin America after decades of neglect from Washington. Rubio’s interest in Latin America stems from his Cuban heritage and he has acquired unmatched personal relationships and knowledge of the region while serving

AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s vision for education revolves around a single goal: to rid America’s schools of perceived “ wokeness ” and “left-wing indoctrination.” The president-elect wants to forbid classroom lessons on gender identity and structural racism. He wants to abolish diversity and inclusion offices. He wants to keep transgender athletes

Associated Press BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Israel (AP) — At Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, more than a year of war has taken its toll. Global airlines have canceled flights, gates are empty and pictures of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip guide the few arriving passengers to baggage claim. But one check-in desk

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled Friday as the “Trump bump” that Wall Street got from last week’s presidential election, along with a cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve, kept fading. The S&P 500 dropped 1.3% for its worst day since before Election Day to close out a losing

Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — As President-elect Donald Trump names his picks for his new administration from his private club in Palm Beach and prepares to return to the White House, he’s bringing the Sunshine State with him. With Sen. Marco Rubio tapped to be the next secretary of state, Rep. Matt

Associated Press KENCHANAHALLI, India (AP) — On the edges of a dense forest in southern India, six women in a small garage are busy stitching cloth bags, pants, hospital gowns and office uniforms with automated sewing machines. About four years ago, power cuts constantly interrupted their work. Heavy rain disrupted transmission lines and air conditioners

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Leaders of Pacific Rim countries including the U.S. and China have gathered in Peru for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, the first major global summit since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. The annual gathering brings together countries and members that jointly account for almost two-thirds of global GDP

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official election results Friday, providing a strong mandate for his program for economic revival. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power Party won 159 of the 225 seats, according to the Elections

Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Activists are planting trees in an effort to protect disappearing forests in Mali, but residents are cutting and selling firewood from them to survive. One woman says people in rural areas have no other choice for cooking. The loss of forests has become a pressing issue across Africa as

Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A U.S. military watchdog says Navy officials lacked sufficient understanding of the risks of maintaining massive fuel storage tanks on top of a drinking water well at Pearl Harbor where spilled jet fuel poisoned more than 6,000 people. The Defense Department’s inspector general says this inadequate awareness came even though

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Princess Yuriko, the wife of wartime Emperor Hirohito’s brother and the oldest member of the imperial family, has died after her health deteriorated recently. She was 101. Japan’s Imperial Household Agency says she died Friday at a Tokyo hospital. It did not announce the cause of death, but Japanese

Associated Press/Report for America BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana House lawmakers have postponed a vote on a key plank in Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax reform package. It has raised questions about whether the bill has enough support to pass. The bill would add sales tax to dozens of services such as lawnmowing, getting tattoos

AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy eked out an annual rate of 0.9% growth in the July-September quarter as consumer spending held up. Government data showed Friday that the world’s fourth-largest economy grew 0.2% in the fiscal second quarter, marking the second straight quarter of expansion. Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product, or GDP,

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — In a story published Nov. 14, 2024, about Doug Burgum, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Interior Department, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Burgum is 67. He is 68.

Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — The high-profile Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima has thrust one of the world’s least popular presidents into the limelight. It’s not just that Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has never before rolled out the red carpet for powerful leaders like U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has tested exploding drones designed to hit targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating their mass production. The demonstration came as the United States, South Korea and Japan held combined military exercises in nearby waters. North Korea’s state media published photos Friday

Associated Press PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump met Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club with Argentine President Javier Milei, the first foreign leader to meet with the president-elect since his victory in last week’s election. The meeting was confirmed by a person who insisted on anonymity to discuss an event that hadn’t yet been

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government’s plan to ban children from social media to protect them from harm has won almost universal political support. But keeping them off social media looks far more difficult in practical terms. Experts in technology and child welfare called the 16-year age limit “too blunt” to work

NEW YORK (AP) — Shel Talmy, a Chicago-born music producer and arranger who worked on such British punk classics as The Who’s “My Generation” and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” helped oversee hits by Manfred Mann and the duo Chad & Jeremy and was an early backer of David Bowie, has died. He was

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Georgia congressman Doug Collins to lead the Veterans Affairs Department in his new administration. The 58-year-old Collins is a Baptist minister who later became a lawyer. He has served as a chaplain in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Collins

CHICAGO (AP) — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones plans to resign at the end of the academic year. The Chicago Tribune reports that university officials made the announcement on Wednesday. Jones has served as chancellor at the state’s flagship university since 2016. He is the school’s first Black chancellor and led the university

Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge in Montana has heard arguments over policies that block transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. District Court Judge Mike Menahan did not immediately rule after Thursday’s hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction to block the rules

Associated Press Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was building up a following with his anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, and becoming one of the world’s most influential spreaders of fear and distrust around vaccines. Now, President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The lawyer for a former cast member of the “Real Housewives of New York” told a federal judge Thursday that the First Amendment cannot shield the show’s creators from a lawsuit alleging that the show’s participants were subjected to a “rotted workplace culture.” Attorney Sarah Matz said the lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say four bystanders were shot dead in the last 18 months because of gang rivalries in upper Manhattan. The claim came Thursday as authorities announced the indictments of dozens of people in connection with the yearslong welter of gunfire, robberies, weapons deals, car crashes and more. The 30 defendants are