AP-National

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — State labor officials have temporarily shut down more than two dozen Boston Market restaurants in New Jersey after finding multiple violations of workers’ rights, including more than $600,000 in back wages owed to 314 employees. A stop-work order was issued Tuesday by the Department of Labor against 27 restaurants across New

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public, and that the only way to wear the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf, is if the face is hidden. Afghanistan’s Taliban government that took over the country in 2021 has

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 1.5 million dehumidifiers are under recall following reports of nearly two dozen fires, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall impacts 42 models of dehumidifiers sold under five brand names: Kenmore, GE, SoleusAir, Norpole and Seabreeze. These products, all manufactured by the Zhuhai, China-based Gree Electric

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s lawmakers on Thursday approved a government plan to hold a controversial referendum on migration alongside key parliamentary elections in October. One of the questions on the referendum  paper will ask voters whether they “support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa under the forced

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have charged one of the leaders of a prominent independent election monitoring group with being involved with an “undesirable” organization, his lawyer says. The case against Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia’s leading election watchdog Golos, is the latest in the monthslong crackdown on Kremlin critics and rights activists that the

By ABBY SEWELL BEIRUT (AP) — Two weeks after clashes between armed factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp ended, militants are still occupying a United Nations-run school complex, U.N. officials have said. Dorothee Klaus, Director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, in Lebanon, said in a statement that the agency has

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer The U.S. labor market continues to flex its muscle, as applications for jobless claims fell again last week and remain at healthy levels despite high interest rates and elevated inflation. Applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 11,000 to 239,000 for the week ending August 12, down from 250,000 the

By MELISSA RAYWORTH Associated Press After a summer with the kids around, the start of school can be a chance for parents to focus more on their own projects and work. It isn’t just kids whose schedules will change. But experts recommend that parents come up with a plan to harness that back-to-school energy so

By DAVID BRUNAT Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Officials say a wildfire is burning out of control through the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, affecting nearly 8,000 people who have been evacuated or ordered to stay indoors. Canary Islands Regional President Fernando Clavijo said Thursday the blaze, which has scorched 2,600 hectares, or 6,400

By KARL RITTER and JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden has raised its terror alert to the second-highest level. The move comes after a string of public desecrations of the Quran sparked angry demonstrations across Muslim countries and threats from militant groups. The Swedish Security Service, known as SÄPO, lifted on Thursday the

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it has secured its largest-ever defense deal selling a sophisticated missile defense system to Germany for $3.5 billion after the United States approved the deal. Although Israel has long had close economic and military links with western European countries, the deal with

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military academies must improve their leadership, stop toxic practices such as hazing and shift behavior training into the classrooms, according to a Pentagon study aimed at addressing an alarming spike in sexual assaults and misconduct. U.S. officials said the academies must train student leaders

ROME (AP) — Italian police were searching a wooded area in the country’s north for a young Dutchman who allegedly stabbed to death his father and a family friend. Italian news reports on Thursday said the suspect is believed to have psychiatric problems. Authorities have been searching for the 21-year-old since the victims were stabbed

By NICOLAS GARRIGA and OLEG CETINIC Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The world’s top female triathletes rushed forward into the Seine in a key test event ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics. The famous river’s improved water quality allowed the race to take place. It comes after a previous test had to be canceled this

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday imposed a 3-million-ruble ($32,000) fine on Google for failing to delete allgedly false information about the conflict in Ukraine. The move by a magistrate’s court follows similar actions  in early August against Apple and the Wikimedia Foundation that hosts Wikipedia. The court found that the YouTube video

By OLIVIA CHEN of NerdWallet New rules from the Small Business Administration and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aim to expand capital access for small-business owners. The SBA is adding accredited lenders and updated lending criteria, while the CFPB is requiring additional applicant data, including demographic information such as ethnicity, race and sex. Industry leaders believe

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities said Thursday they have seized more than a ton of pangolin scales worth over 50 million baht ($1.4 million) that are believed to have been headed out of the country through a land border. The scales that cover a type of anteater were found Wednesday night in the northeastern province

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The world’s top chess federation has ruled that transgender women cannot compete in its official events for women until an assessment of gender change is made by its officials. The decision by the Switzerland-based federation FIDE has drawn criticism from advocacy groups and supporters of transgender rights.

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — One of Libya’s rival prime ministers has warned that his government would not tolerate any further militia fighting, days after the year’s bloodiest bout of clashes rocked the capital, Tripoli, killing at least 45 people. Health authorities say that at least 45 people were killed in militia

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Just a few days after the first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, two of the contenders will be hitting the same stage in front of the largest annual gathering of Republicans in early-voting South Carolina. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already been set as