AP National News

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The theater community is banding together for a special podcast to combat censorship featuring performances from plays and musicals under threat and appearances by Bryan Cranston, Raúl Esparza, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Richard Kind. The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund’s “Banned Together: An Anti-Censorship Podcast” has readings,

LONDON (AP) — A British charity is offering a record 200,000-pound ($226,600) reward in the hunt for the suspect who killed a 9-year-old girl in her home. Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot in Liverpool, northwest England, on Aug. 22 by a masked gunman who chased a convicted burglar into her home. The two men were

Associated Press After 99 consecutive days of declining gasoline prices, the cost for a gallon edged a penny higher Wednesday. The national average price rose to about $3.68 per gallon, according to the AAA, but prices have been in steady decline. Wednesday’s average is lower than the week-ago average of $3.70 per gallon and well

PARIS (AP) — Paris Olympic organizers have appointed prize-winning French stage director Thomas Jolly to direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Games and the Paralympics. The 40-year-old Jolly will be tasked with bringing to life Paris’ ambitious plan to hold the opening ceremony in the French capital’s city center. Organizers hope to

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd was sentenced Wednesday to three years. Thomas Lane is already serving a 2 1/2-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. When it

CHICAGO (AP) — Lottery officials say two people who wish to remain anonymous have claimed a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot after a single ticket was sold in a Chicago suburb for a late July drawing. The Illinois Lottery said Wednesday the prize was claimed by two individuals who had agreed to split the prize

OREGON, Ohio (AP) — Officials say a fire at an oil refinery in Ohio injured two people and the facility has been shut down. The fire started Tuesday night at BP’s Husky Toledo Refinery. There is no word on how it started or the extent of the injuries or damage. A BP spokesperson says two

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say at least three people have been killed and 13 others wounded in an explosion in the Afghan capital. The Taliban-appointed spokesman for Kabul’s police chief said Wednesday the explosion occurred in a restaurant in the city’s Dehmazang neighborhood. A team has arrived in the area to find out the

By MUNIR AHMED ISLAMABAD (AP) — A former Pakistani minister has met Israeli Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem on a rare visit aimed at promoting interfaith harmony. Nasim Ashraf, who is heading the delegation, confirmed he met with Israeli officials on Wednesday. But he refused to give further details. Pakistan is among the countries that

By YURI KAGEYAMA and MATT OTT AP Business Writers U.S. stock futures are modestly higher Wednesday ahead of a widely expected interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve as it continues to cool the worst inflation in 40 years. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and S&P 500 each rose 0.4%. It is no longer

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Michelle Obama plans a six-city tour this fall in support of her new book, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times,” beginning mid-November in Washington. D.C. and ending a month later in Los Angeles. “I’m looking forward to making some new connections — and

BRUSSELS (AP) — Thousands have gathered in Belgium to protest against skyrocketing electricity, natural gas and food prices. Trade unions and city police say that around 10,000 people took part in Wednesday’s demonstration. People from across the country marched behind banners reading “Life is much too expensive” or carrying placards marked “Freeze prices.” A Belgian

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Police in Slovenia have stopped more than 100 people who boarded a train to Italy after leaving two asylum-seeker centers. Police in the Adriatic Sea coastal city of Koper said Wednesday that 103 migrants had left the centers in Slovenia earlier and boarded the train to Italy on Tuesday night before

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press CAYEY, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 4 storm Wednesday after devastating Puerto Rico, then lashing the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It was forecast to squeeze past Bermuda later this week. The storm has been blamed for directly causing at least four

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, the royal palace said Wednesday. In a statement, the royal household said that Margrethe, 82, who has been on the throne for 50 years, canceled her official duties after the Tuesday night

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Fashion Writer MILAN (AP) — The Milan Fashion Week opening Wednesday celebrates perhaps its most diverse season ever. The five-day calendar is showcasing collections by perhaps its most diverse lineup of designers, including the new creative directors at Salvatore Ferragamo and Bally and the return of Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean after

By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of the United Nations had just warned of a world gone badly wrong — a place where inequity was on the rise, war was back in Europe, fragmentation was everywhere, the pandemic was pushing onward and technology was tearing things apart as much

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA has come under pressure from several European soccer federations who want to support a human rights campaign against discrimination at the World Cup. They want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during games in Qatar. Homosexual acts are illegal in

ISTANBUL (AP) — A wildfire is burning in the Turkish port town of Marmaris, which is a tourist destination on the Aegean Sea. The Mugla province branch of the Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry said the fire erupted on Wednesday in forests around the Yalancibogaz area. Images showed heavy smoke behind lush hills that bordered the