AP National News

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities say they plan to amend a film censorship law to forbid screenings of movies deemed contrary to national security. The proposed changes to Hong Kong’s Film Censorship Ordinance would step up censorship of movies in the semi-autonomous city, expanding an ongoing crackdown on political dissent that has led

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ROBERT BURNS AND RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press U.S. President Joe Biden says he will stick with his Aug. 31 deadline for finishing a U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others. He said the longer troops remain at the airport, the greater the risk of attacks by terror groups. The decision opens

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities say seven people at a university in western Germany have received medical treatment after showing symptoms of poisoning, and prosecutors have opened an investigation into suspicions of attempted murder. The employees and students at the Technical University in Darmstadt, south of Frankfurt, experienced medical problems on Monday. olice say that milk

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Kathy Hochul has become the first female governor of New York. In her first hours on the job Tuesday, she sought to bring a new sense of urgency to immense problems that went unaddressed during Andrew Cuomo’s distracted final months in office. She said in an

BERLIN (AP) — Official statistics show that Germany’s economy grew by 1.6% between April and June compared with the previous quarter, a slightly better showing than initially reported. The Federal Statistical Office said Tuesday that the gain followed a decline of 2% in the first quarter. In preliminary figures at the end of July, it

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa will extradite Mozambique’s former finance minister Manuel Chang to his home country instead of to the United States where he faces corruption and fraud charges. Chang is expected to stand trial in Mozambique on charges of being involved in a $2.2 billion loan scam while

By WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-backed Palestinian activists in the Gaza Strip have launched a new wave of incendiary balloons into Israel. The move Tuesday further raises tensions after a night of Israeli airstrikes on the seaside territory. The enemy sides this week have engaged in their heaviest cross-border

By UROOBA JAMAL Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A breed of gig apps tailored for short-term work slots — from Stint to Instawork to Gigpro — is gaining popularity in the United Kingdom as well as in the United States as one response to the peculiar ways in which economies have been rebounding from the

By NINIEK KARMINI and TATAN SYUFLANA Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Hundreds of Afghan refugees living in Indonesia held a rally decrying the Taliban’s takeover of their country and calling for resettlement outside Indonesia. Most are members of Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic minority, and they say they’re extremely worried about their families back home. Tuesday’s

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s government has adopted an interim plan that it hopes will win support from fishermen and other concerned groups for a planned release into the sea of treated but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The government decided in April to start discharging the

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street hit a new high as investors looked ahead to a Federal Reserve gathering for an update on U.S. stimulus. Shanghai and Sydney advanced while Hong Kong and South Korea declined. Tokyo was unchanged. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500

By SAMYA KULLAB and ELAINE GANLEY Associated Press Employees of the collapsed Afghan government, civil society activists and women are among the at-risk Afghans who have gone into hiding or are staying off the streets since the Taliban takeover of the country. They fear a massive rollback of women’s rights and are deeply mistrustful of

By MATTHEW LEE, JILL LAWLESS and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sharply divided leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies have clashed over U.S. President Joe Biden’s insistence on withdrawing from Afghanistan by August 31 in the face of the Taliban takeover. In a partial show of unity, G-7 leaders agreed on

By DAVID RISING Associated Press Bangkok (AP) — The former longtime military ruler of Myanmar, Than Shwe, and his wife have been released from a capital city hospital after both being successfully treated for COVID-19, a hospital official said. The 88-year-old and his wife were discharged from a military hospital in Naypyitaw on Friday. That’s

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The speedy Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has revived alarms about a resurgent al-Qaida and new terrorism threats against the U.S.  The group’s danger to the United States had been eclipsed in the past two decades by other threats, but experts are concerned that al-Qaida could again be

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Ginkgo trees have survived as a species virtually unchanged for 200 million years, and patterns on their leaves may help scientists decipher ancient climates. Pores essential for photosynthesis multiply based on the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So Smithsonian scientists are growing ginkgos today

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is beginning her term in office with plenty of challenges. But she also is starting with an historic opportunity as the first woman to hold one of the most prominent governorships in the U.S. When Hochul took over Tuesday for resigned Gov. Andrew Cuomo,

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, ROBERT BURNS and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An administration official says President Joe Biden has decided to stick with his Aug. 31 deadline for completing a U.S.-led evacuation of Americans and at-risk Afghans from the Kabul airport and for withdrawing the remaining U.S. forces. The decision reflects a growing

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A wide Broadway coalition of theater owners, producers, union leaders, creators and casting directors have hammered out a series of reforms and commitments for the theater industry to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. The New Deal for Broadway emerged following a summit of industry