AP-National

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A World Bank report says online gig work is growing globally and is creating an important source of employment for women and young people in poorer countries where jobs are scarce. The report estimates there are as many as 435 million online gig workers globally. It says

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in seven months, another sign that the labor market remains largely unaffected by higher interest rates. U.S. applications for jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 216,000 for the week ending Sept. 2, the Labor

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has denied allegations in a British television program that Islamic State-inspired extremists were used to carry out suicide bomb attacks in 2019 to create insecurity in the country and help him win election later that year. He says the

BERLIN (AP) — Prosecutors say two Syrian men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of membership in extremist groups, and one of them is suspected of involvement in a 2013 attack in eastern Syria in which more than 60 Shiite fighters and civilians were killed. The suspects were arrested on Wednesday. One of them

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s another landmark year for breakout country superstar Lainey Wilson, who tops the CMA Awards nominations for the second year in a row. Wilson was a first-time nominee in 2022, which means she’s made history in 2023 — becoming the first and only artist to

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Google will soon require that political ads using artificial intelligence be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered. AI-generated election ads on YouTube and other Google platforms that alter people or events must include a clear disclaimer located somewhere that users are likely

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Grammy Museum says it is launching the “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit”, celebrating 50 years of the music and culture’s global impact. The museum announced Thursday the exhibit will open on Oct. 7. The 5,000 square foot exhibition will include artifacts such as Tupac

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister is warning that Syrian refugees could become a threat to the small Mediterranean nation’s delicate demographic and sectarian balance. Over a thousand Syrian refugees each week are fleeing to Lebanon from their country’s worsening economic and financial conditions. A conflict that broke out

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Film director Agnieszka Holland is demanding an apology from Poland’s justice minister after he compared her latest film to Nazi propaganda. Holland’s feature film, “Green Border,” explores the migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border through the intertwining lives of a Polish humanitarian activist, a young Polish

By ADRIANA MORGA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Pets provide joy and companionship, but costs can add up quickly, especially if you’re a first-time owner and don’t know what to expect. Many prospective dog or cat owners only focus on the positive aspects of bringing a furry friend into their lives. And there are

By ROBERT BADENDIECK Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the cave’s entrance after suffering stomach bleeding. Experienced caver Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly became ill during an expedition

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Lee charged through warm Atlantic waters Friday night and threatened to unleash heavy swells across the northeast Caribbean. It became the season’s first Category 5 storm before beginning to weaken. Down to a Category 3 hurricane by late Friday, it was not expected

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Carl Marlinga says he’ll again seek a House seat in Michigan’s 10th District after narrowly losing to Republican John James last year. National Democrats are targeting the seat in 2024 following sweeping wins in the state in 2022, except in the 10th District. Before the

By CHINEDU ASADU and YVES LAURENT GOMA Associated Press LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gabon’s junta has freed the country’s deposed president on health grounds and appointed a new prime minister. The military said ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been under house arrest since he was deposed last week, is now free and can

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Widespread flooding in central Greece left at least six people dead, six missing and dozens trapped, with severe rainstorms feeding raging torrents that burst dams, washed away roads and bridges, hurled cars into the sea and left large areas without power or drinking water. Flooding triggered

By GARY FIELDS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs. The statement released Thursday, the

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The head of a powerful Japanese talent agency resigned Thursday and made an apology punctuated by repeated, lengthy bows, nine days after an internal investigation concluded that its founder had sexually abused hundreds of young performers over decades. Julie Keiko Fujishima announced she was stepping down as

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Researchers have discovered new documentation that substantiates reports that Catholic convents and monasteries in Rome sheltered Jews during World War II. Researchers from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust research institute and Rome’s Jewish community released the findings at an academic conference Thursday held at the

By NICK PERRY and HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fijian authorities say they are in the process of deporting six leaders of a South Korean religious sect that a decade ago moved hundreds of followers to Fiji and built a series of thriving businesses. But authorities said they were only able

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A former British soldier awaiting trial on terror charges who appears to have escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck remained at large Thursday as police stepped up security checks across the United Kingdom amid concerns he may