By MARIAM FAM Associated Press There’s the Tunisian woman who fasts during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, though not for God. The Iraqi woman who, until recently, wore a hijab. And a man whose Egyptian identity card identifies him as “Muslim,” despite his efforts to change it. Such are the ways that some of
Continue ReadingBy BRIAN WITTE and LEA SKENE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Adnan Syed is now free after being imprisoned for the murder of his ex-girlfriend more than two decades ago. But his attorneys will be arguing for his freedom once again on Thursday, this time in front of the Maryland Supreme Court. The case
Continue ReadingBy BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Nearly every Alaskan will receive a $1,312 check starting this week, their annual share from the earnings of the state’s nest-egg oil fund. Some use the money for extras like tropical vacations but others — particularly in high-cost rural Alaska where jobs and housing are limited
Continue ReadingBy Helen Regan, Akanksha Sharma and Sania Farooqui, CNN (CNN) — More than 100 people are missing in India’s northeast after heavy rain caused a glacial lake to burst, leading to flash floods which ripped through the Himalayan state of Sikkim Wednesday, killing at least 19 and washing away roads and bridges, according to the
Continue ReadingBy JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will be among those delivering remarks at Thursday’s memorial for the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, where she served as the city’s first female mayor. The service will
Continue ReadingBy WILL WEISSERT and BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Kevin McCarthy spent years raising mountains of Republican campaign cash, flying around the country to recruit top candidates in key districts and painstakingly building political relationships as he worked his way toward becoming speaker of the House. Now that he’s been ousted from the
Continue ReadingBy STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Three years after a Christopher Columbus statue was removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, the bronze cast has re-emerged, this time in a park in Johnston, Rhode Island, about 9 miles (14 kilometers) west of the capital. The statue had been targeted by vandals, at
Continue ReadingBy MICHELLE L. PRICE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press Over the past two weeks, Donald Trump said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed and mocked a political opponent’s husband who was beaten with a hammer. The former president and current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination also in
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares advanced Thursday after a plunge in oil prices aided a recovery on Wall Street. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong. Trading was closed in Shanghai for a holiday. Market sentiment was helped by a $5 decline in oil prices on Wednesday, although
Continue ReadingBy PETER SMITH Associated Press Thirty percent of Americans don’t identify with a religious group — but not all of them are atheists or agnostics. In fact, 43% of the group known as the “nones” say they believe in God, even if they largely dislike organized religion. Those are among the findings of a new
Continue ReadingBy GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press ISOLA DEL GRAN SASSO, Italy (AP) — In small towns like this mountain one a couple of hours east of Rome, and all across Italy, life has changed over the last generation as the Catholic faith loses relevance in people’s routines and choices. From cradle to casket — from buying
Continue ReadingBy LUIS ANDRES HENAO and NATACHA PISARENKO Associated Press MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — In Uruguay, a nation of some 3.3 million people, more than half identify as “nones” — atheist, agnostic or other religiously unaffiliated — the highest portion in Latin America. Uruguay has a long history of secularization. In the early 20th century, new
Continue ReadingHAVANA (AP) — Authorities in Cuba say a building in the historic center of Havana that housed 13 families partially has collapsed, leaving three person dead and at least two injured. Officials in Havana said that among the three fatalities were one resident and two firefighters who got trapped in the building when they were
Continue ReadingBy ERIK VERDUZCO and SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press PINEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The numbers were drawn Wednesday night for an estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers announced were: 9, 35, 54, 63, 64 and the Powerball 1. The game is in the midst of an 11-week stretch without a big winner, but no
Continue ReadingBy Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle, CNN (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump urged a New York judge to dismiss criminal charges relating to hush money payments in sweeping arguments that included claims Trump was indicted to interfere in his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump’s lawyers argued that the Manhattan district attorney’s office waited five
Continue ReadingBy Zachary Cohen and Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against President Joe Biden for calling him a “Russian pawn” during a presidential debate nearly three years ago. Giuliani announced the lawsuit at a rambling news conference outside a courthouse in New Hampshire, where
Continue ReadingBy JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two Philippine supply boats have breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States. Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, boosted by a cheaper yen that’s a plus for exporting economies in the region, although it recovered slightly in Asian trading. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.9% in morning trading to 30,794.97. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.5% to 6,925.50, while
Continue ReadingBy MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says it has begun releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea after the first round of discharges ended smoothly. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings says workers activated a pump on Thursday to dilute the treated
Continue ReadingTOKYO (AP) — Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands. Officials say a potential tsunami could reach one meter in height. The advisory asks people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu, to stay away from coasts
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