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AP Technology Writer MENLO PARK, California (AP) — Meta unveiled updates to the company’s virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses on Wednesday as it tries to demonstrate its artificial intelligence prowess and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a prototype he called

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say the executive board of the International Fund has approved a new $7 billion loan for the country. The loan is aimed at boosting Pakistan’s ailing economy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement hailed the deal that his team had been negotiating with the IMF since June. The fund’s

AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Pearson is an ardent believer in the old adage: Nothing wagered, nothing gained. For Pearson, that means something a little different than most. Since he was a young boy, Pearson has had neurofibromatosis, a condition that covers much of his face with benign skin tumors. But far

AP Business Writer Italy’s antitrust watchdog is investigating the online fastfashion giant Shein for potentially making misleading claims about its sustainability practices. The country’s independent competition authority said in a statement that the probe would focus on Infinite Styles Serves Co. Limited. That’s a Dublin-based company that does business as Shein and operates the online

Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — A zoo in Finland has agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they have become too expensive for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors. The private Ähtäri Zoo in central Finland some 330 kilometers (205 miles)

Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A former Memphis police officer has testified under a plea deal that he told his supervisor the arrest of Tyre Nichols was handled “by the book” because he wanted to protect his job and hide a beating that was ultimately fatal for Nichols. Desmond Mills returned to the stand

Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland woman who pleaded guilty to conspiring with a neo-Nazi leader and plotting an attack on Baltimore’s power grid has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Prosecutors say Sarah Beth Clendaniel was working with neo-Nazi leader Brandon Russell to plan a series of “sniper attacks” on electrical substations

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a man set off an explosive device in the lobby a California courthouse, injuring five people and leading to the closing of the court complex and other city buildings. Sheriff’s officials say a 20-year-old man was detained following the blast reported shortly after 8:45 a.m. Wednesday at the

Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — An attorney for Karen Read has asked the highest court in Massachusetts to dismiss a murder charge and one other charge she faces in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend. Read’s attorneys filed a brief Tuesday to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court arguing that trying her again on

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Hundreds have protested in front of Congo’s top court to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures imprisoned on charges the opposition says are politically motivated. Protesters on Wednesday in the capital, Kinshasa, held banners that read, “Release political prisoners.” After the

MOSCOW (AP) — In a strong, new warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that any nation’s conventional attack on Russia that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. The threat, outlined in a revision of Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, was clearly aimed at discouraging the

AP Business Writer An arbitration board has ruled that U.S. Steel may proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel. The board, which was jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers to decide disputes between them, said Wednesday that U. S. Steel has satisfied each of the conditions of the successorship clause of

Associated Press JDEIDET YABOUS, Syria (AP) — Families fleeing the escalating conflict in Lebanon poured into Syria in growing numbers on Wednesday, waiting for hours in heavy traffic to reach the relative safety of another war-torn country. U.N. officials estimated that thousands of Lebanese and Syrian families had already made the journey. Those numbers are