AP National News

By ROBERT BURNS, MATTHEW LEE and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Just weeks before the U.S. military is scheduled to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Pentagon is rushing 3,000 fresh troops to the Kabul airport to help with a partial evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The move highlights the stunning

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and DAISY NGUYEN Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 at indoor restaurants, bars, gyms and entertainment venues. Mayor London Breed said Thursday that it’s needed to protect the health of workers, customers and the city overall. The mandate is more stringent

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has jailed a specialist in hypersonic technologies pending trial on charges of high treason. It’s the latest in a series of espionage cases targeting Russian scientists. The court ruled at a hearing behind closed doors that Alexander Kuranov, the director-general and chief designer of the St.Petersburg-based Hypersonic Systems

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press School systems across the U.S. are setting up their own virtual academies in growing numbers to accommodate families who feel remote instruction works best for their children, regardless of the rise or fall of COVID-19 infection rates. A majority of the 38 state education departments that responded to an Associated

The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — AEG Presents, a major tour and festival promoter, announced that COVID-19 vaccines would be required for concertgoers at its clubs, theaters and festivals. The company says Thursday in a news release that the requirement is set to go into full effect no later than Oct. 1. AEG owns

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua’s storied La Prensa newspaper says it will suspend its print edition after the government once again withheld newsprint paper. La Prensa has been criticial of President Daniel Ortega, who has also recently arrested dozens of opposition figures. La Prensa said Thursday it will continue an online edition. The move marks

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Wendy’s plans to open 700 delivery-only kitchens by 2025 to meet the growing demand from people who want their fast food brought to them. Wendy’s says the kitchens will primarily operate in big cities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. The company will open its first 50

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press The U.S. became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the non-Hispanic white population dropped for the first time on record, the Census Bureau reported Thursday as it released a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw the nation’s political maps. The new figures

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina authorities have dropped criminal charges related to a 2019 boat crash against a member of a prominent legal family after he and his mother were found shot dead earlier this year. The state Attorney General’s Office officially dropped the charges against Paul Murdaugh last week in what officials described

LONDON (AP) — French authorities say an undocumented migrant has been airlifted to hospital from the English Channel after a boat carrying about 40 people trying to reach the U.K. started to sink. A joint French-Belgian search and rescue effort began Thursday after a cargo ship reported that the boat was in difficulty off the

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago health officials say they’ve found 203 cases of COVID-19 connected to Lollapalooza, but aren’t yet reporting any hospitalizations or deaths. The four-day music festival drew about 385,000 people to the city’s lakefront. Critics questioned holding an event with packed crowds during the pandemic. But city officials

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul waited more than a year to disclose that his wife bought stock in a company that makes a COVID-19 treatment. It’s an investment that was made after Congress was briefed on the threat of the virus but before the public was largely aware

By DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — The former longtime military ruler of Myanmar, Than Shwe, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is expected to remain hospitalized for two weeks. A hospital employee says the 88-year-old was admitted to a military hospital along with his wife about three or four days ago after they

BERLIN (AP) — Victims of communism in East Germany have criticized the decision to grant electric automaker Tesla a subsidy of almost $10 million from a trust fund managing what’s left of the regime’s fortune. German media reported that the state of Brandenburg is allocating the funds to pay for infrastructure costs related to the

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s military says an accidental explosion at the country’s key weapons-producing factory has killed at least three employees and wounded two. The military said in a statement that the explosion on Thursday took place at one of the plants of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories that is located about 40 kilometers, or 25

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The fourth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season has formed far off the coast of Mexico, but it’s not expected to directly threaten land. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Linda had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) Thursday morning while centered about 365 miles (590 kilometers) southwest

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese mayor has apologized for biting the Olympic gold medal of a softball player who had paid a courtesy visit after Japan beat the United States in the final. Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura had praised pitcher Miu Goto during the Aug. 4 visit, but his eyes

By MATT SEDENSKY AP National Writer Sexual harassment allegations cost New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo his job. Now, many want to see him answer for a scandal that cut to the heart of his reputation as a pandemic hero and may have had life-and-death consequences — his administration’s handling of outbreaks in nursing homes. Families

TOKYO (AP) — A cargo ship has broken into two pieces after running aground in a northern Japanese port and is spilling oil into the sea. The ship’s Japanese operator says all 21 Chinese and Filipino crew members were safely rescued by the coast guard. Japan’s coast guard says the wood-chip carrier Crimson Polaris went

NEW YORK (AP) — Rachel Maddow is contributing a foreword to “Pegasus,” a book by two Paris-based investigative reporters on the phone malware allegedly used by governments to monitor and sometimes attack journalists, human rights activists and lawyers among others. Authors Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud run Forbidden Stories, a nonprofit journalism organization which last