Month: August 2021

By ANNIE MA Associated Press The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit over a South Carolina law that bans school districts from imposing mask mandates. The lawsuit argues the ban effectively excludes vulnerable students from public schools and disproportionately impacts students with underlying health conditions or disabilities, who are at risk of

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new homes posted a modest 1% increase in July after three months of declines. The July sales increase left sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 708,000, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Sales had fallen in April, May and June. The median price

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zambia’s new president, longtime opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, has been sworn into power on Tuesday, raising hopes in the southern African country that in recent years has swung from prosperity and stability to massive debt, recession and repression. Hichilema told a cheering crowd that he would

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The office of a Wisconsin lawmaker who has been an outspoken critic of vaccine and mask mandates has declined to update his condition, even as a fellow legislator asked for prayers, saying the state senator was hospitalized with COVID-19-induced pneumonia. Wisconsin state Sen. Andre Jacque was hospitalized on Aug. 16 after

By MEHMET GUZEL and ROBERT BADENDIECK Associated Press VAN, Turkey (AP) — Plain concrete gravestones painted with a number and the word “Afghan” mark the final resting places of dozens of unidentified migrants who died trying to enter Turkey through the rugged border with Iran. Hundreds of people escaping poverty or conflict, mostly from Afghanistan,

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Attorneys for former reality TV star Josh Duggar have filed motions seeking to dismiss child pornography charges against him. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that documents filed Friday ask for the charges to be dismissed. The motions also ask for evidence to be suppressed, including all statements Duggar made to investigators,

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Doobie Brothers are celebrating their 50th anniversary in their 51st year, heading out on a delayed tour and hoping they can keep doing what their big hits call for: taking it to the streets and letting audiences listen to the music. The pandemic prompted

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president has prolonged the special powers he granted himself a month ago when he began ruling by decree after firing the prime minister and freezing parliament. President Kais Saied had been expected to step back within 30 days, the time the Tunisian Constitution allows

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Walt Disney Company and a coalition of unions have agreed that workers at Disney World will have to get COVID-19 vaccinations to keep their jobs. The deal reached Monday requires the union workers to show proof of vaccination by Oct. 22 unless they get a medical or religious exemption. Disney

By JOSEPH KRAUSS and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press In a mountain valley north of Kabul, the last remnants of Afghanistan’s shattered security forces have vowed to resist the Taliban in a remote region that has defied conquerors before. But any attempt to reenact that history could end in tragedy or farce. Under the leadership of

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists say an explosion at the base of an al-Qaida-linked group in northern Syria has killed eight fighters and wounded others. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the blast Tuesday at the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham base in northwestern Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in the country. The Britain-based

By BABACAR DIONE Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegalese officials say that Chad’s former dictator Hissene Habre has died at the age of 79 of COVID-19 in Senegal. Habre was convicted of crimes against humanity in 2016 by a special African court set up in Senegal after the former president spent decades in luxurious