News

By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A surge of COVID-19 cases is prompting federal courts to impose new restrictions and requirements for mask-wearing and vaccinations. In many cases that move is setting up a dynamic where lawyers and plaintiffs who oppose mask mandates and other restrictions must mask up and

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists say government forces have shelled a northwestern village, killing five people, most of them children. Thursday’s selling of the village of Belshoun killed one women, three of her children and another child. That’s according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. The Syrian civil

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An Olympic athlete from Poland auctioned her silver medal from the Tokyo Games to raise money for a life-saving operation for an infant boy and then was told by the buyer that she could keep her prize. Maria Andrejczyk is a 25-year-old javelin thrower who overcame bone cancer and a shoulder

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The foreign ministries of Germany, France and Britain have expressed “grave concern” over the latest report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog that said Iran continues to produce uranium metal, which can be used in the production of a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat has assured his Libyan counterpart that Moscow supports the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from the North African country and is prepared to help work out the details with other countries. Russia was among the foreign powers backing the warring sides in Libya’s conflict, with some officials and media

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials have launched a review of climate damage from coal mining on public lands as the Biden administration expands scrutiny of government fossil fuel sales that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Interior Department officials said Thursday that their review also will look at whether companies

By MATTHEW LEE and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his national security team say the Trump administration tied their hands when it came to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The argument that President Donald Trump’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban set the stage for the weekend chaos that

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s space agency plans to bring soil samples back from the Mars region ahead of the U.S. and Chinese missions now operating on Mars. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to launch an explorer in 2024 to land on the moon Phobos to collect a small amount

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer American gymnast Simone Biles says she wouldn’t change anything about her second Olympic experience. Biles exited five of the six finals at the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental health. Biles says it was a small sacrifice to make if it opens the door for others to realize

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Rolling Stones are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their album “Tattoo You” with a remastered collection that includes nine previously unreleased tracks. The newly-remastered 11-track album is out on Oct. 22, including songs “Hang Fire,” “Waiting on a Friend” and the opening track, “Start

By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — No more break for Ed Sheeran. The British pop star announced Thursday that his upcoming studio album “Equals” will release on Oct. 29. He unveiled his 14-song track list, which includes his recently released single “Bad Habits.” Sheeran calls his new album “really personal.” He says his

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is scaling its production back 40%, affecting 14 auto assembly plants in Japan, as the surging coronavirus pandemic in Southeast Asia crimps parts supplies. Japan’s top automaker says production will halt completely next month at some plants and partly at others, affecting a wide range