AP National News

AP Health Writer More than 200 cities and counties declared racism was a public health crisis in the past few years, mostly after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis in May 2020. Racial justice advocates say they felt heard by the swell of political will to address disparities like disproportionate COVID-19 deaths or

BERLIN (AP) — Prosecutors say a man armed with a machete has been overwhelmed and arrested after threatening to kill officers at a police station in western Germany. Investigators believe he had an Islamic extremist motive. The 29-year-old Albanian citizen arrived at the police station in the small town of Linz am Rhein at about

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — In a big milestone for Japan’s royal family, Prince Hisahito has turned 18, becoming the first male royal family member to reach adulthood in almost four decades. It is a significant development for a family that has ruled for more than a millennium but faces the same existential problems as

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The final act of the Paralympics in Paris will be a giant dance party. That’s a promise from Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. Jolly says 24 DJs will perform thumping techno and dance music at the Stade de France on Sunday

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — One doesn’t need to know sign language to understand what Michael Connolly feels about his colleagues’ efforts to break down the barriers posed by his deafness. When asked what he thought of his teammates’ decision to learn British Sign Language, the 45-year-old autoworker at the Nissan plant in Sunderland, England,

Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s justice minister has denied corruption allegations against her related to a mutual bank scandal in which thousands of retirees lost their life savings. VBS Mutual Bank was declared insolvent and bankrupt in 2018 after it emerged that more than 2 billion rand or $112 million had been stolen

Associated Press LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Thousands of mourners gathered Friday for funeral services in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv for victims of a Russian missile attack that killed seven people, including a mother and her three daughters. The pre-dawn blasts earlier this week in the historic center of the city also injured dozens

AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly two decades ago, Paris Hilton released her debut album, 2006’s eponymous “Paris,” at one height of her powers — an album of breezy pop music that offered a soundtrack to her cheery and decadent public-facing lifestyle, anchored by the reggae-lite sugar rush of “Stars Are Blind.” Not

AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — The parent company of the Japanese 7-Eleven convenience store chain is turning down a takeover offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard of Canada. In a letter made public Friday, Stephen Dacus, who heads a special committee examining the proposed takeover, said the committee carefully reviewed the offer to acquire all outstanding

Associated Press Sweden says children under the age of 2 should not be exposed to any digital screens. The recommendations were issued by the Scandinavian country’s public health agency earlier this month. The suggestions are the latest in a worldwide effort to limit screen time for young children. The coronavirus lockdowns exacerbated the problem as

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Japanese man has been arrested in Belarus and is facing charges of working for Japan’s special services by photographing military and civilian infrastructure near the border with Ukraine. A report on Belarusian state TV said suspect Masatoshi Nakanishi was arrested in July and faces seven years in prison if convicted.

Associated Press PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The European Union envoy for the Western Balkans has urged Kosovo and Serbia  step up their efforts at normalization talks, saying these are decisive on their path toward membership into the bloc. Miroslav Lajcak was visiting Kosovo’s capital Pristina Friday, where he met with Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi,