Month: March 2024

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press HUSTOPECE, Czech Republic (AP) — Masses of white and pink blossoms in a rare almond grove in the Czech Republic appeared earlier than usual after one of the warmest winters on record. The almond trees are usually among the first to bloom at the beginning of spring, on the turn

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — The movie trailer begins with an outline of the iconic glasses worn by Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped India win independence from the British colonialists in 1947. In the backdrop of a devotional song that Gandhi loved, the outline slowly morphs into what appears like

By TRÂN NGUYỄN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are split on how to best address the retail theft cases that have proliferated in the state. Top Democratic leaders reject calls to reform Proposition 47, an initiative approved by voters in 2014 that reduced penalties for certain retail theft and drug offense charges.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A nearly $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot will be up for grabs Friday night, offering the prospect of instant riches for a lucky player after more than three months without a big winner. The numbers will be drawn at 11 p.m. EDT for the estimated $977 million Mega Millions prize.

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored United Nations resolution supporting “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, calling the measure ambiguous and saying it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.

By SAM MEDNICK and MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Women slain with babies wrapped against their bodies, lifeless children intertwined together, a 2-month-old face-up on the ground with puppies crawling on his tiny frame. The scenes were horrifying, but the 32-year-old farmer felt he had to document them, as proof of the

By SAM MEDNICK and MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Women slain with babies wrapped against their bodies, lifeless children intertwined together, a 2-month-old face-up on the ground with puppies crawling on his tiny frame. The scenes were horrifying, but the 32-year-old farmer felt he had to document them, as proof of the

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — For more than a century, it has been a crime to cheat on your spouse in New York. But adultery may soon be legal in the Empire State thanks to a bill working its way through the New York Legislature, which would finally repeal the seldom-used

By DÉBORA REY Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Sergio Gómez, a store owner in Buenos Aires, spends his days behind an empty counter, one nearly as empty as the large refrigerators in which he used to freeze meat. Above him, a blackboard displays outdated prices for the different cuts that he no longer

By BROOKE SCHULTZ Associated Press/Report for America PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Police Department is seeing success in more recruits passing the entry physical fitness exam thanks to a new law that changed the standards. It is part of a broader effort nationally to reevaluate policies that keep applicants out of the job pool amid

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus. The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The sun is setting on Stumpy, the gnarled old cherry tree that has become a social media phenom. This year’s cherry blossom festivities in Washington will be the last for Stumpy and more than 100 other cherry trees that will be cut down as part of a