By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to eastern Europe next week as concerns mount about Russia’s advances in Ukraine, potential Russian interference in neighboring Moldova and pro-Moscow legislation being promoted in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The State Department said Friday that Blinken would
Continue ReadingBy PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Investigators in the New York City suburbs continue to scour the home of a Manhattan architect charged in a string of slayings known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Friday marked the fifth straight day of the renewed search at Rex Heuermann’s dilapidated, single-family home in
Continue ReadingBy DIARLEI RODRIGUES and MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — At the rear of Rio de Janeiro’s polluted Guanabara Bay, thousands of mangroves rise as tall as 13 feet, or about 4 meters, from a previously deforested area. The 30,000 trees were planted by non-profit organization Instituto Mar Urbano over four years
Continue ReadingBy GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — If truth has the power to set one free, then Rapsody’s new album, “Please Don’t Cry,” has removed her from emotional imprisonment and gifted her immeasurable liberation. The three-time Grammy nominee is not only frequently lauded by critics as the best female lyricist, but also
Continue ReadingBy JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has announced the formation of a new partnership to help provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from 40% now. Friday’s announcement comes as follow-through on Harris’ visit to the continent last year and a state visit this week to
Continue ReadingBy MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing is now aiming for its first astronaut launch at the beginning of June, after spending the past few weeks struggling with more problems on the space capsule. Officials for the company and NASA said Friday that intensive reviews indicate the Starliner capsule can
Continue ReadingUVALDE, Texas (AP) — The 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, are being remembered as the second anniversary of the one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is marked. Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement, “we are remembering their stories, standing with their loved
Continue ReadingBy JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills into law Friday that overhaul state oversight of the funeral home industry after a series of gruesome discoveries, including 190 discomposing bodies in a facility, families being sent fake ashes and the unauthorized sale of body parts. The
Continue ReadingBy MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Kate Martin was right there as her best friend, Caitlin Clark, became the face of women’s college basketball the past two years and then was in the building when her Iowa teammate was selected first by Indiana in this year’s WNBA draft. Martin also was
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — The NewsNation television network completes its transition to an all-news outlet next week. When acquired by Nexstar, the former WGN America network began its shift to news in 2020. Starting June 1, a three-hour news block anchored by Adrienne Bankert on Saturday and Sunday afternoons will displace reruns of the drama
Continue ReadingBy GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — If truth has the power to set one free, then Rapsody’s new album, “Please Don’t Cry,” has removed her from emotional imprisonment and gifted her immeasurable liberation. The three-time Grammy nominee is not only frequently lauded by critics as the best female lyricist, but also
Continue ReadingBy STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks are rising on Friday in a bounce back from Wall Street’s worst day since April. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% in afternoon trading, erasing its losses for the week and putting it on track to eke out a fifth straight weekly
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — A judge says an office manager of the Hong Kong trade office in London and another man will go on trial in February for allegedly helping Hong Kong authorities gather intelligence in the U.K. Chung Biu Yuen and Chi Leung Peter Wai appeared at London’s Central Criminal Court for a preliminary hearing
Continue ReadingBy JIM HEINTZ Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited his Belarusian counterpart and close ally for talks in Minsk. After their meeting on Friday, Putin questioned in remarks to reporters whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf in potential peace talks. According to Putin,
Continue ReadingFORT VALLEY, Ga. (AP) — Workers at a Georgia school bus manufacturer have approved their first union contract. The United Steelworkers union won a union vote in May 2023 at Blue Bird Corp.’s plants in Fort Valley. The steelworkers and company said union members have voted to approve a three-year contract between the company and
Continue ReadingBy DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A U.S. missionary couple was shot and killed by criminal gang members in Haiti’s capital after they were abducted while leaving a youth group activity held at a local church, according to a police official and a religious group. A third person also
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The dog that skyrocketed to internet fame and became the face of the cryptocurrency dogecoin has died. The Shiba Inu named Kabosu passed away in Japan at 18 years old, a number of outlets reported. The dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, said in a post that Kabosu died in her sleep. The account for
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As he tries to secure his legacy, President Joe Biden has unleashed a flurry of election year rules on the environment and other topics, including a landmark regulation that would force coal-fired power plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. The limits on greenhouse gas emissions
Continue ReadingHONG KONG (AP) — China’s latest artificial intelligence chatbot is trained on President Xi Jinping’s doctrine in a stark reminder of the ideological parameters that Chinese AI models should abide by. China’s cyberspace academy CAC earlier this week announced the chatbot trained on Xi Jinping Thought. It said the doctrine promotes “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Continue ReadingBy Caitlin Hu, CNN (CNN) — After months of planning and discussion, the deployment of an international force to violence-wracked Haiti has been delayed again, puncturing hopes that a vanguard of Kenyan police would arrive this week. High-profile meetings on Thursday hinted at once-high expectations. In the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, the country’s governing Transitional Presidential
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