AP-National

BEIRUT (AP) — An opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say an attack on pro-government fighters by suspected members of the Islamic State group in central Syria killed 22 pro-government fighters. Gunmen attacked a bus carrying members of the Quds Brigade, a government and Russian-backed faction of mostly Palestinian fighters in Syria, near

BEIJING (AP) — San Francisco is the latest U.S. city preparing to receive a pair of pandas from China, in a continuation of Beijing’s famed “panda diplomacy.”  San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the panda loan in Beijing on Friday, alongside officials from China Wildlife Conservation Association. It will be San Francisco’s first time hosting

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press VENICE, Italy (AP) — A pair of nude feet — dirty, wounded and vulnerable — are painted on the façade of the Venice women’s prison chapel. It is the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and part of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale in an innovative collaboration between

By MARK BAKER and KEIRAN SMITH Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Shoppers and workers returned to a “really quiet” Sydney mall Friday, where six days earlier an assailant stabbed six people to death and wounded more than a dozen others in an attack that police believe targeted women. Westfield Bondi Junction mall near world-famous Bondi

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The worst week for big technology stocks since the COVID crash in 2020 dragged Wall Street on Friday across the finish line of another losing week. The S&P 500 dropped 0.9% to close out its third straight losing week. That’s its longest such streak since

By BABA AHMED and CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Street vendors in Mali’s capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths and experts warn of more scorching weather ahead as

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Officials say three people have died in the United Arab Emirates as a result of heavy flooding caused by record-setting rains this week. A statement by the Philippine’s Department of Migrant Workers said two women suffocated inside their vehicle during the flooding, while a man died when his vehicle

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far

By ADIL JAWAD Associated Press KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vest near a van carrying Japanese autoworkers in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Friday, police said. They narrowly escaped the attack but three bystanders were wounded. Separately, an Afghan Taliban religious scholar was killed in an attack in the

By MATTHEW BROWN and AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys told a Montana jury Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. Attorneys

By The Associated Press Russian troops are ramping up pressure on exhausted Ukrainian forces to prepare to seize more land this spring and summer as muddy fields dry out and allow tanks, armored vehicles and other heavy equipment to roll to key positions across the countryside. With the war in Ukraine now in its third

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — They may look like little monsters. And their seemingly endless racket may be a nuisance. But as parts of the nation prepare for the emergence of trillions of noisy cicadas, bug experts say the little creatures can also be a tasty snack. The University of Maryland,

By The Associated Press World leaders are calling on Iran and Israel to try to avoid escalating tensions following the apparent Israeli strike near an Iranian air base and nuclear facility. Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Italy warned Friday of new sanctions against Iran for its drone and missile attack on Israel last

By MATT BROWN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The closure of Wadsworth Elementary School in 2013 was a blow to residents of the majority-Black neighborhood it served, symbolizing a city indifferent to their interests. So when the city reopened Wadsworth last year to shelter hundreds of migrants without seeking community input, it added insult to

By JUAN ZAMORANO Associated Press PANAMA CITY (AP) — Eight years after 11 million leaked secret financial documents revealed how some of the world’s richest people hide their wealth, more than two dozen defendants are on trial in Panama for their alleged roles. The repercussions of the leaks were far-ranging, prompting the resignation of the

By TERRY CHEA and JANIE HAR Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California pet owners struggling to find a rental that accepts their furry, four-legged family members could have an easier time leasing new housing under proposed state legislation that would ban blanket no-pets policies and prohibit landlords from charging additional fees for common companions

By PAMELA SAMPSON Associated Press RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival, the Israeli professional soccer player thought he would never again play the game he loved. “When I woke up,” the 29-year-old said,

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who are in prison after being convicted on federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion, on Friday challenged aspects of their convictions and sentences in a federal appeals court. The Chrisleys rose to fame with their show

By AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to check her in. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are taking a 50% pay cut — effectively reducing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency, again. Bitcoin’s latest “halving” occurred Friday night. Soon after the highly anticipated event, the price of bitcoin held steady at