Year: 2021

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market has announced an agreement to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season. J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc. said Thursday

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Vatican has abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis. The live broadcast of Biden’s visit was trimmed to just the arrival of his motorcade in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. Cancelled was the live coverage of Biden, the

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government says a new airstrike has hit the capital of the country’s Tigray region and a doctor says 10 people have been killed, including children. This is the deadliest of the new round of airstrikes that began last week as the year-long war intensifies. A government spokesman tells The Associated

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — COVID-19 travel restrictions will cut the representatives of Pacific island nations attending U.N. climate talks that begin this weekend in Scotland. Their absence means the conference known as COP26 may not hear much from countries most threatened by climate change despite contributing only a fraction

MADRID (AP) — A top Spanish court has given a 2-year prison term to the former treasurer of Spain’s powerful conservative party for using a slush fund to pay for the renovation of the party’s headquarters in Madrid. In Thursday’s ruling, Spain’s National Court said it couldn’t establish if the leaders of the Popular Party

By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — With a buffalo plaid design and a nod to sustainability, Ralph Lauren on Thursday unveiled navy blue uniforms for Team USA to wear during the closing ceremonies of the winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. Just six months after the summer games closed in Tokyo, winter

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Hampered by rising COVID-19 cases and persistent supply shortages, the U.S. economy slowed to a 2% annual rate in the July-September period, the weakest quarterly growth since the pandemic recession erupted early last year. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic

NEW DELHI (AP) — Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s son has been granted bail in a high-profile drug case that led to the actor finding himself at the center of a boycott campaign. The Bombay High Court says it will release a detailed order on Aryan Khan’s bail on Friday, which means he is expected to

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a pandemic low last week, another sign that the job market and economy continue to recover from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 281,000, lowest since mid-March 2020, the Labor Department said

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have had their first conversation since Australia pulled out of a multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France. Macron’s office said Thursday that Macron said it’s up to Morrison’s government to repair the damaged relationship between their countries. Australia last month canceled a contract

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief executive is calling for climate leadership ahead of two major international meetings focused on curbing global warming. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Thursday that the world is facing “a moment of truth.” World leaders are gathering in Rome for a weekend summit of the Group