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By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — The Paralympics have begun in the same empty National Stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics. Japanese Emperor Naruhito again had the official honor of getting it all started. The Paralympics open with COVID-19 cases on the rise in Tokyo and

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has decriminalized the possession and sale of kratom, a plant that’s native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant and painkiller. Kratom also has a following in the United States for its pain-relieving qualities. Thailand’s justice minister says thousands of legal cases

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian government forces have killed two senior rebel commanders and three other militants in two separate counterinsurgency operations in disputed Kashmir. The killings come during an intensified government offensive against anti-India rebels in Kashmir. Rebels have also killed several members of India’s governing party in the region and carried out attacks

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Airbnb is offering free housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees globally and sought more assistance from hosts who rent property through the home-sharing company. In a tweet early Tuesday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote, “The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. and elsewhere is one of the

BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s national labor agency says the country needs significantly more immigrants to plug gaps in the work force as the population ages. The chairman of the Federal Labor Agency said in Tuesday’s edition of the daily newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that he expects the number of working-age people in Europe’s

LONDON (AP) — McDonald’s says it has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers. The fast-food chain says it is also experiencing shortages of bottled drinks. McDonald’s says that “we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s health minister has announced plans to impose new testing requirements and attendance restrictions on people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. The measures will be in effect from Sept. 13 until March 31. They include requiring weekly or twice-weekly testing for unvaccinated workers and allowing

By AMRITA JAYAKUMAR of NerdWallet Financial literacy hasn’t traditionally been a high priority in schools, but that is changing. The number of states that now require some form of personal finance instruction in schools more than doubled over the past decade. Since the Great Recession, growing student loan debt and advocacy efforts, there’s greater awareness

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Please disregard US–New York Governor, published on Aug. 24, 2021, at 6:34 a.m. (ET) and datelined in ALBANY, N.Y.. A version of that story, currently slugged US—New York Governor, 1st-Ld Writethru, moved earlier and customers should use that instead.

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president has urged closer ties between the ex-Soviet nation and NATO and the European Union in a speech marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Ukraine celebrated its independence day on Tuesday with a military parade in the capital Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that