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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disney has received a key approval to expand its Southern California theme parks in its first push to make major changes to its iconic Disneyland in decades. The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the plan to transform Disney’s 490-acre (488-hectare) campus in densely-populated Southern California by moving parking

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — An appeals court has granted the Hong Kong government’s request to ban a protest song, overturning an earlier ruling and deepening concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the city. “Glory to Hong Kong” was often sung by demonstrators during the huge anti-government protests in 2019.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president says Russia has launched aerial attacks on energy facilities throughout Ukraine, targeting seven regions with more than 50 missiles as well as drones. Officials said the attacks Wednesday morning also damaged the railway station and tracks in the city of Kherson, across the Dnieper River from Russian-held territory, and

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota has reported that its profit for the fiscal year that ended in March doubled over a year earlier, as strong vehicles sales and a favorable exchange rate lifted results for Japan’s top automaker. Toyota said Wednesday that its profit in the last fiscal year totaled

By JOSEPH KRAUSS, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby. An Israeli

By The Associated Press Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remains closed after Israeli forces seized it the day before. Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the area overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. Rafah has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Paris Games organizers have promised “fantastic” celebrations as the arrival of a majestic ship carrying the Olympic torch from Greece is expected to draw a huge crowd Wednesday in the southern French city Marseille, where the Old Port has been placed under high security. Paris 2024

By LISA LEFF Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Thousands of ride-or-die Taylor Swift fans who missed out on her U.S. concert tour last year or didn’t want to buy exorbitantly priced tickets to see her again found an out-of-the-way solution: Fly to Europe. The pop star is scheduled to kick off the 18-city Europe leg

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change. Founded 114 years ago, the Texas-based organization has recently been mired in turmoil over a flood of sexual abuse claims and bankruptcy.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday after U.S. stocks held relatively steady on Wall Street. U.S. futures and oil prices slipped, while the yen weakened further against the U.S. dollar. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.6% to 38,202.37. Nintendo Co.’s share price sank 5.4% after the company’s

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Voters in North Macedonia are casting ballots in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff. The issues dominating the campaign period have been the country’s stalled negotiations to join the European Union, tackling corruption and improving the country’s struggling economy. The April 24 first round

By ED WHITE, ALEXA ST. JOHN and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms continued to barrel through the Midwest early Wednesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes that forecasters warned could spill out of the region. The tornadoes were first spotted after dark Tuesday in parts of Michigan,

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Representatives from 22 Western Hemisphere countries gathered in Guatemala have renewed their commitment to continue offering legal pathways to enter their countries, to provide aid to communities most affected by migration and to coordinate their response to manage immigration flows. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted Tuesday that progress had

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Soccer fans around the world will now have a day to celebrate the world’s most popular sport every year – May 25. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day. The sport is called football outside of

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Associated Press PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — The mayor of a major city in southern Brazil on Tuesday pleaded with residents to comply with his water rationing decree, given that some four-fifths of the population is without running water, a week after major flooding that has left at