ROME (AP) — A judge in Milan has ordered an Italian journalist to pay 5,000 euros or nearly $5,500 in damages to Premier Giorgia Meloni for making fun of her height in social media posts. The judge ruled on Wednesday that two social media posts by journalist Giulia Cortese amounted to “body shaming.” Cortese was
Continue ReadingAP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A swath of Americans watching President Joe Biden is seeing something beyond debate-stage stumbles and prime-time miscues: Themselves. Debate about the 81-year-old Democrat’s fitness for another term is especially resonating with other older Americans who, like him, want to stay on the job. “People were telling me I
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Much of the world faced online disarray Friday as a widespread technology outage affected companies and services across industries — grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air. At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Retired Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg has been released from jail in New York City after serving a sentence for lying under oath. The city Department of Correction’s online inmate database shows he was released Friday. The agency and Weisselberg’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The
Continue ReadingAssociated Press In early 2022, Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal wrote on social media that “reporting on Russia is now also a regular practice of watching people you know get locked away for years.” A year later, he was the one locked up after he was arrested in March 2023 on
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan President William Ruto has appointed the first 11 members of his Cabinet. Ruto on Friday retained six former ministers in the key portfolios of defense and interior. The president last week dismissed all but one minister and said he would form a broad-based government that would help him
Continue ReadingWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He, his employer and the U.S. government say all the charges against him are fabricated. The 32-year-old journalist appeared after the verdict in court in Yekaterinburg on Friday in a glass defendants’ cage, his head shaved. The
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer Ten years ago, “Weird Al” Yankovic made history. “Mandatory Fun,” his 14th and final studio album, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. To celebrate a decade of “Mandatory Fun,” Yankovic’s biggest album, the comedian has released “Polkamania!,” a polka medley of some of the biggest hits of the last 10 years,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — To borrow a favorite phrase from the man himself, President Joe Biden is at an inflection point. Is his on-the-ropes reelection campaign about public service or his ego? About securing his legacy or shaping the future? Such opposing forces of American politics have been clashing with each other since his
Continue ReadingAP Media Writer From a media perspective, Donald Trump failed to stick the landing at the Republican convention that nominated him as its presidential candidate for a third time. His acceptance speech, which exceeded 90 minutes and stretched past midnight Eastern time into Friday, won him wide praise for its vivid recounting of last weekend’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Activists who marched outside the Republican National Convention are trumpeting their efforts, despite crowd estimates falling short. Milwaukee police are praising their cooperation with other agencies in convention security, even as Ohio officers face scrutiny for the shooting death of a man. Some activists and attendees say there was more
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department is warning that state laws that restrict banks from considering environmental, social and governance factors could harm efforts to address money laundering and terrorism financing. The Associated Press obtained a copy of a letter sent Thursday to lawmakers. The letter singles out a law signed by Florida
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan counterterrorism police say they have arrested an al-Qaida leader who was a close aide to Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Deputy inspector general of police Usman Gondal identified the man as Amin ul Haq and said he was
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The new Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story” takes viewers to wild, vertigo-inducing heights. The film is about Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, Russian rooftoppers who take jaw-dropping photos on some of the world’s tallest buildings. Filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist and his team spent six years following the couple as they traveled to
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — The Vatican has released on Friday the program for Pope Francis’ trip to Belgium and Luxembourg in late September, where he will celebrate Mass for the faithful, as well as meeting with religious and political authorities. During the four-day visit, on Sept. 26-29, he will also hold private talks with his brethren
Continue ReadingBANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has held a wreath-laying ceremony in the country’s largest city to mark the 77th anniversary of the assassination of the country’s fallen independence heroes, including Gen. Aung San, the father of the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Neither Suu Kyi, who is imprisoned, nor Senior Gen. Min
Continue ReadingHANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and the country’s most powerful politician, has died following months of ill health, official media said Friday. He was 80. “General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party Nguyen Phu Trong passed away at 13:38 on July 19, 2024, at
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Korean Football Association has filed a complaint with FIFA over an alleged racist remark toward Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-chan during a recent preseason match against an Italian team in Spain and urged for stronger anti-racism measures. The incident involved an alleged anti-Asian comment from a Como player and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Officials say two Australian and three Indonesian nationals have survived after a tourist helicopter crashed in Bali, due to being entangled in a kite string. Indonesia’s Transportation Minister said Friday that the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter, owned by PT. Whitesky Aviation, came down in Pecatu village in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — The last time Republicans gathered for a full convention, they were plagued by internal division and fear. Morale was near rock bottom. And the party’s presidential nominee showed little desire, or capacity, to add new voters to his political coalition. What a difference eight years make. The Republican officials, strategists
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