By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Catholic activist in Belarus has been handed a three-year prison sentence on charges that Western diplomats have denounced as politically driven, the latest move in the authorities’ sweeping crackdown on the country’s civil society. Thirty-three-year-old Uladzislau Beladzed taught the catechism at the city’s Cathedral of
Continue ReadingBy COLLEEN SLEVIN and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A major storm dumped over 4 feet (1 meter) of snow in northern Colorado before ending Friday, leaving thousands without power. The National Weather Service says between 10 and 20 inches fell in the Denver area and the foothills got 2 to 4 feet.
Continue ReadingBy MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that thousands of low-level drug dealers are ineligible for shortened prison terms under a Trump-era bipartisan criminal justice overhaul. The justices on Friday settled a dispute among federal courts over the meaning of the word “and” in a muddy provision of the
Continue ReadingBy MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Friday that public officials can sometimes be sued for blocking their critics on social media, an issue that first arose for the high court in a case involving then-President Donald Trump. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the court, said that officials
Continue ReadingBy MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Friday that public officials can sometimes be sued for blocking their critics on social media, an issue that first arose for the high court in a case involving then-President Donald Trump. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the court, said that officials
Continue ReadingBy MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government says that French defense industry heavyweight Naval Group has been chosen to build four new diesel-electric submarines for the Dutch navy. The government did not immediately announce the price tag for the new submarines. In a letter to lawmakers, the Ministry of
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — The European charity ship Ocean Viking says it has rescued another 135 migrants, including a pregnant woman and eight children, from a double-decker boat in Maltese search-and-rescue waters. In total, the vessel operated by the humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee is carrying 359 shipwreck survivors, it said. The group says the ship had
Continue ReadingBy HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian ballistic missile attack blasted homes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Friday, followed by a second missile that targeted first responders who arrived at the scene, officials said. At least 16 people were killed. The attack occurred as Russians began voting in
Continue ReadingBy AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and allies warned Iran on Friday that major Western economies will pile new sanctions on Tehran if it moves forward with an advancing plan to provide ballistic missiles to Russia for its war with Ukraine. The Biden administration has raised alarms for months that
Continue ReadingCNN By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — The Republican nominee for superintendent overseeing North Carolina’s public schools and its $11 billion budget has a history marked by extreme and controversial comments, including sharing baseless conspiracy theories and frequent calls for the execution of prominent Democrats. Michele Morrow, a conservative activist who last
Continue ReadingANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An official says a rubber dinghy carrying migrants has sunk off Turkey’s northern Aegean coast, leaving at least 21 people dead. Gov. Ilhami Aktas says coast guard personnel on Friday rescued two migrants from the sea while two others reached the shore by themselves. It was not clear how many people
Continue ReadingBy CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers became slightly less optimistic about the economy this month, though they continue to expect inflation to cool further, a potential sign that price increases will keep slowing. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index slipped to 76.5 in March, barely below February’s figure of 76.9.
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Glow in the Park begins this weekend at The Living Desert, marking its third year hosting the event. The experience includes hundreds of glowing lanterns, magical scenes, and photo opportunities. The park is open on select nights, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. “We’re really excited to bring once again a whole new design to
Continue ReadingBy Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN (CNN) — Gaza has received its first batch of humanitarian aid by sea as international powers step up efforts to bring in much needed supplies to the besieged enclave. The ship – run by Spanish charity Open Arms – left Cyprus around 3:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday and arrived at the shores of
Continue ReadingBy John Fritze and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court ruled Friday that public officials may block people on social media in certain circumstances, tossing aside challenges against local government officials in Michigan and California who blocked followers who were critical of them on Facebook. In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Amy
Continue ReadingBy JOSHUA BICKEL and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press LAKEVIEW, Ohio (AP) — Tornadoes tore through several central U.S. states, flattening homes and trailers in an RV park and killing at least three people, with more bodies likely to be discovered, authorities said Friday. Thursday night’s storms left trails of destruction and injuries or deaths in
Continue ReadingBy SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde pledges in a new campaign ad to donate his salary to charity if elected. The move comes as Democrats try to paint the California bank owner as an out-of-touch multimillionaire. Hovde has suggested he will spend as much as
Continue ReadingSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of Orthodox Christians from across Bulgaria have flocked to Sofia’s Alexander Nevski Cathedral to pay their respects to their late spiritual leader, Patriarch Neophyte, who passed away on Wednesday. He was 78. The government declared a two-day period of national mourning. Black-clad priests held a memorial service as lines of
Continue ReadingBy MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Former Polish prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński has told a special parliamentary committee that he believes Poland needed advanced spyware but he wasn’t interested in how or against whom it was used. Kaczyński testified Friday about the purchase and allegedly illegal use of spyware by the government
Continue ReadingBy JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press In the Arizona desert, a Danish company is building a massive solar farm that includes batteries that charge when the sun is shining and supply energy back to the electric grid when it’s not. Combining batteries with green energy is a fast-growing climate solution. “Solar farms only produce when the
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