AP-National

By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Global Citizen NOW says it wants 2024 conference attendees to invest long-term in the African continent’s fast-growing youth population and increase outreach to young changemakers. Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans says he finds that conflicts around the world have made it even more important for leaders

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer’s deadly Maui wildfires, they would have used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a lawsuit. Alerts the county sent to cellphones warning people to immediately evacuate were

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared Thursday that the state won’t comply with a federal regulation that seeks to protect the rights of transgender students in the nation’s schools, joining other Republican-led states that are defying the new rules. Sanders signed an executive order stating

Associated Press The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state has jumped to 29, with another 60 people missing, according to the state’s civil defense agency. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to the state on Thursday to meet with local authorities and express his solidarity. Operators

By CHRISTINA MALKIA and MARK BANCHEREAU Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda this week seized Rubaya, a mining town in eastern Congo known for producing a key mineral used in smartphones, the group said in a statement. In a statement shared with The Associated Press, a spokesperson

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in connection with an encounter with Williston police in 2022 in which prosecutors say he shot at the officers. A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Eric Obregon Jr. to the prison term and three years of supervised release.

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writers LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single. The dissolution of the couple’s marriage was finalized Friday by a Los Angeles County judge, nearly two years after the two were married. The judgment comes hours after the 42-year-old pop superstar and the 30-year-old

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations says the world hasn’t seen anything like the unprecedented destruction of housing in Gaza since World War II, and it would take at least until 2040 to restore the homes devastated in Israel’s bombing and ground offensive if the conflict ended today.

By MATT OTT and PAUL HARLOFF Associated Press Sony Pictures and the private equity firm Apollo Global Management have expressed interest in buying Paramount Global for $26 billion, according to a person familiar with the details. Sony would be the majority shareholder and Apollo would have a minority stake, according to the person, who requested

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities have found tents and questioned three people in the case of two Australians and an American who went missing over the weekend in the Pacific coast state of Baja California. The state’s head prosecutor would not say whether the three people were considered possible suspects or witnesses in the

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he doesn’t see a significant issue with Russia moving some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain. Austin said late Thursday the Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to U.S.

By PETER SMITH Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching” — part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s longstanding disapproval of LGBTQ activity. The historic vote came

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The former leader of the Michigan House and his wife have pleaded not guilty to financial charges arising from an investigation of how they spent money from unregulated political funds. Lee Chatfield and Stephanie Chatfield appeared in a Lansing-area court by video conference from Kentucky, where they plan to attend

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has announced that it is suspending all imports and exports to Israel over its ongoing military action in Gaza. A staunch critic of Israel, Ankara said on Thursday the measures would remain in place until the Israeli government allows the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. A Trade Ministry statement

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News’ Bill Hemmer went on a road trip, but it was far from a beach vacation. The news anchor headed to the Arctic Circle for a documentary, “Battle for the Arctic,” that talks about U.S. military preparedness in the region, available on the Fox Nation streaming service. His trip included

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge granted a request Thursday by the widow of a deceased man who vanished under mysterious circumstances to set standards for a future independent autopsy of her late husband’s body. Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas formalized through a court order comments

By BECKY BOHRER and MARK THIESSEN Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says a witness saw smoke coming from one of the engines of an old military plane that crashed last week shortly after taking off on a flight to deliver fuel to a remote Alaska village. In a preliminary

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ exiled opposition leader says that she hasn’t heard from her imprisoned husband for 421 days. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Thursday that holding her husband incommunicado is part of the government’s repressive policies. Siarhei Tsikhanouski has been behind bars since being arrested in 2020 after announcing plans

NEW YORK (AP) — A festival celebrating Asian American literary works that was suddenly canceled last year by the Smithsonian Institution is getting resurrected. Organizers announced Thursday the Asian American Literature Festival is making a return. It will take place Sept. 14-22. And instead of only being in Washington, D.C., the in-person and virtual events

NEW YORK (AP) — Billie Jean King’s $5,000 check sure went a long way for women’s sports. King used the money from a sportswoman of the year award to launch the Women’s Sports Foundation 50 years ago in 1974. Since then, the foundation has invested more than $100 million to help girls and women gain