AP National News

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Belarusian Olympic sprinter says she feels safe after finding refuge in Poland to avoid punishment at home for criticizing her team officials at the Tokyo Games. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya now hopes to focus on how to keep up her world-class sprinting career. In an interview Wednesday

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for another album more than a dozen years after their collaboration “Raising Sand” became a critical and commercial hit, earning six Grammy Awards. The 12-track “Raise the Roof” will be out Nov. 19 from Rounder Records and is

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Official figures show the British economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of 2021 as lockdown restrictions were lifted. The Office for National Statistics also said that the British economy grew by 1% in June alone, the fifth straight month of growth. The lifting of pandemic

BERLIN (AP) — Striking railway workers in Germany are halting much of the country’s train service for a second day. German news agency dpa reported that one-quarter of long-distance trains and about 40 % of regional and local commuter trains were running on Thursday. Members of the railway workers union GDL are staging the work

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Rescue workers in far eastern Russia are searching for eight people who are missing and fear dead after a helicopter carrying tourists crashed into a deep volcanic lake. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says 13 tourists and three crew members were aboard the helicopter when it went down Thursday

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities say the death toll from the severe floods and mudslides that struck the north of the country has risen to 17. One other person was reported missing Thursday. The floods battered the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun on Wednesday, demolishing homes and bridges and

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambians are voting in tense elections that the president and his main rival have said are a test of the southern African country’s reputation as a stable democracy. Polling began in the presidential and legislative elections across the country at more than 12,000 polling stations, including

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Purdue Pharma’s quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over OxyContin’s toll has entered its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those who have claims against the company. A confirmation hearing opened in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday for a deal that removes control

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A day before he is released on parole, Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong has appeared in a South Korean court for another trial. It’s a reminder of his looming legal risks even as he leaves prison. Lee is among some 800 prisoners being released before a

By ANNABELLE LIANG Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed ahead of more regional economic releases that could hint at how the delta variant is affecting growth. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.1% and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 added 0.5% on Friday. Benchmarks in Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai slipped. Japan and Thailand will

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Some Afghans blame neighboring Pakistan for the successes of the Taliban as the insurgents rapidly sweep up more territory. Pressure is mounting on Pakistan to press the Taliban to stop the onslaught. Islamabad insists it opposes a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and denies it supports the

BEIJING (AP) — China has dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences Chinese courts handed to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Ottawa of making unwarranted, groundless accusations that “grossly interfered in China’s

By EDNA TARIGAN and DAVID RISING Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has apologized for the manhandling of a Nigerian diplomat, and says a formal investigation of the incident has been launched. The apology Thursday came after Nigeria earlier this week recalled its ambassador to Indonesia and summoned Indonesia’s ambassador in Abuja

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Since its launch in 2017, the #MeToo movement has experienced some fits and starts. But many associated with the movement have been buoyed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that he’s resigning amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations, seeing the outcome as a sign of

By RANDALL CHASE Associated Press DOVER, Del. (AP) — An attorney for the Boy Scouts of America says the group’s national board never adopted a resolution approving an $850 million agreement that is the linchpin of the Boy Scouts bankruptcy plan. That acknowledgment came during a court hearing that began Thursday. The Boy Scouts are

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Falling rocks have forced rescuers to suspend their search for victims of a large landslide that swept across a highway in the mountains of northern India, killing at least 14 people. With darkness falling, the search for 25 to 30 people believed still missing is unlikely

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian rocket has failed in its attempt to put a satellite into orbit to provide real-time images used to monitor cyclones and other potential natural disasters. The space agency said a technical fault occurred in the third and final ignition stage shortly after the rocket

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Volunteers are scrambling to hand out water to homeless people in isolated encampments in Portland, Oregon, as the Pacific Northwest sweats through a heat wave that is gripping the normally temperate region. Authorities trying to provide relief to vulnerable people are mindful of a record-shattering heat

By MATTHEW BROWN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LAME DEER, Mont. (AP) — Wildfires tearing through eastern Montana and elsewhere in the U.S. West are devouring vast areas of rangeland that ranchers depend upon. That’s setting the stage for a potential shortage of pastureland and forage for cattle as the hot, dry summer grinds on.

By ALI SWENSON Associated Press Medical experts say there’s no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, influence your chances of getting pregnant. That’s despite a myth suggesting otherwise. Experts say there’s no biological reason the shots would affect fertility. And real-world evidence offers more assurance for anyone worried about their chances of conceiving. In