AP National News

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawyer for New York real estate heir Robert Durst says his client is an old, defenseless man who was beaten up and demonized by prosecutors to cover up a lack of evidence in their murder case against him. Attorney Dick DeGuerin told jurors Thursday that

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing for a modern counterpart to the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps. They call it the Civilian Climate Corps and say it would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. The White House says the program would address both jobs and

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer In pre-COVID times, business events like conferences and trade shows routinely attracted more than 1 billion participants and $1 trillion in direct spending each year. The pandemic brought those gatherings to a sudden halt. More than a year later, in-person meetings are on the rebound from Las Vegas to

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Sailboats wafted by on the Hudson River and the setting sun sparkled on the water as Proenza Schouler celebrated a return to in-person fashion shows against the spectacular setting of New York’s buzziest waterfront locale, Little Island. The show by designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack

JOHNSON LAI Associated Press SU’AO, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president has overseen the commissioning of a new domestically made navy warship as part of the island’s plan to boost indigenous defense capacity amid heightened tensions with China. President Tsai Ing-wen spoke Thursday at a naval base on the island’s east coast, saying the ship “proves

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has extended a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and 18 other areas until the end of September as health care systems remain under severe strain, although new infections have slowed slightly. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says serious cases remain high and are still overwhelming many

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — The leaders of Canada’s opposition parties have used the second debate of the campaign to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for calling parliamentary elections during a pandemic. Trudeau called the vote last month hoping to win a majority of seats in Parliament, but polls indicate his Liberal

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s SBS TV has quoted a Taliban spokesperson as saying women’s sports will be banned by his group in Afghanistan. The network quoted Taliban cultural commission deputy head Ahmadullah Wasiq in reference to women’s cricket: “They might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An anti-abortion rights billboard along a New Mexico interstate is tapping the image of a famous Albuquerque police officer to promote its political message. But police officials say he didn’t give the anti-abortion group permission to use his picture. Like soldiers

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Civil defense forces carrying rifles and health workers wearing gas masks and red hazmat suits have paraded in North Korea’s capital in a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was a marked departure from past militaristic displays. The parade, overseen by a noticeably thinner

By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers defending the founders of Backpage.com against allegations they knowingly ran ads for prostitution say the adult service ads published by their clients were controversial but ultimately protected by the First Amendment. Attorneys for Michael Lacey and James Larkin said the site ran legally allowable ads for

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The new head of the U.N. nuclear test ban treaty organization says his goal is to have the treaty enter into force, which would require ratification by eight countries — the United States, China, Iran, Israel, Egypt, India, Pakistan and North Korea.  Robert Floyd said

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Nearly three weeks after armed far-right and far-left protesters violently clashed in the streets of a diverse neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, the city’s mayor says the lack of police intervention was “not the right strategy.”  Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police and public health officials in North Macedonia say at least 10 people have died and many others injured by a fire at a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients. The incident occurred in the western city of Tetovo, where the facility was set up following a recent spike in infections

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer United Airlines says more than half its workers who weren’t vaccinated last month have gotten the shots since the airline announced that it will require proof of vaccination. The airline is detailing rules around its requirement that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 by late September. United officials said Wednesday

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer The Toronto International Film Festival is uniquely reliant on crowds, which has made its 2021 edition particularly challenging during the pandemic. A year after turning largely to virtual screenings and drive-ins, the Toronto International Film Festival will be more fully in-person beginning Thursday with the premiere of the Broadway

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES and DIANE JEANTET Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The Brazilian Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Luiz Fux has issued a sharp rebuttal to President Jair Bolsonaro, one day after the right-wing leader escalated his feud with the court by vowing to no longer abide by one of its justice’s rulings. Fux said

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Former Puerto Rican boxer Juan Manuel López has been charged in a domestic violence case and released under electronic surveillance after posting a $175,000 bail. The charges filed Wednesday include seven counts of aggravated assault and physical and psychological abuse. Authorities say the charges stem from four separate incidents

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky has formed a new studio to make documentaries and other unscripted programming, primarily for CBS News and the Paramount+ streaming service. The See It Now Studios will start fast, with two 9/11-related projects premiering over the next two days.

By DON BABWIN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A lawsuit filed six years ago that alleged the Chicago Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy targeted Black and Hispanic people who hadn’t committed any crime has been granted class-action status by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood issued her ruling on Aug. 31 and the attorneys