Month: August 2023

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has rallied Malaysians to unite and reject racial and religious bigotry, as the country marked its 66th year of freedom from British rule with fireworks and colorful street parades. In a speech on the eve of National Day, he appealed to Malaysians not to let their differences

By SIBI ARASU Associated Press BENGALURU, India (AP) — When Preethi moved to Bengaluru in southern India 10 years ago after being kicked out of her family home for being transgender, she hoped for a better future. But 38-year-old Preethi, who only uses her first name, couldn’t get consistent work. For most of the decade,

By SIBI ARASU Associated Press BENGALURU, India (AP) — Groceries stashed in the back of an electric delivery scooter are an increasingly familiar sight in the Indian city of Bengaluru. In crowded markets, electric rickshaws drop off and pick up passengers. And the number of tech startups focused on electric transport has shot up as

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press A group focused on shedding more light on the troubled legacy of boarding schools where Indigenous children were stripped of their culture and language as part of assimilation efforts released a new interactive map that includes dozens of additional schools in the U.S. and Canada. The National Native American

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and 13 other top prosecutors from around the U.S. are throwing their support behind efforts to compensate people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing. The Democratic officials sent a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders, saying “it’s

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Marion County sheriff in Indianapolis has announced changes to a prisoner transport policy following the killing of a sheriff’s deputy during an escape attempt. Most significantly, Sheriff Kerry Forestal said Wednesday that all off-site medical transports will require two deputies. Authorities have said Deputy John Durm was alone in transporting murder

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press Nebraska’s governor has signed an executive order directing state agencies to use narrow definitions of a person’s sex. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday signed an order defining “female” and “male” as a person’s sex assigned at birth. He says it’s common sense that men don’t belong in women’s spaces.

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Residential customers of Georgia’s largest electrical utility could see their bills rise by $9 a month to pay for a new nuclear power plant. Under an agreement announced Wednesday, Georgia Power Co. says customers would pay $7.56 billion more for Plant Vogtle construction. The Georgia Public Service

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Mali’s military junta succeeded in kicking out the U.N. peacekeeping force, and on Wednesday its Russian allies scored yet another victory against the U.N.: They were able to terminate all U.N. sanctions on Malians and abolish a panel of experts which has been critical of

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A medical equipment sterilizing plant using a chemical whose emissions could lead to cause cancer and other health risks says it plans to close its Tennessee location by next spring. In a July letter to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis, lawyers for Sterilization Services of

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press/Report for America CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A school shooting that frightened students and left one faculty member dead at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has galvanized gun safety advocates. They rallied the grieving community Wednesday to fight for stricter state gun laws. A crowd of about

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press A nearly 200-year-old time capsule that appeared to yield little more than dust when it was opened at West Point actually contained centuries-old coins potentially worth thousands of dollars. The U.S. Military Academy says the lead box contained six silver American coins dating from 1795 to 1828 and a commemorative

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A Texas judge ruled Wednesday that a new law eroding the power of the state’s Democratic-led cities to impose local regulations on everything from tenant evictions to employee sick leave is unconstitutional and cannot take effect. The decision by state District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of Austin,

By FERNANDA PESCE Associated Press SAN FELIPE, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s Navy says it is planning to expand the area where it sinks concrete blocks topped with metal hooks to snag gill nets that trap vaquita marina porpoises. The Navy began dropping the blocks into the Gulf of California last year, in hopes it may

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press One of the reporters who works at the small Kansas newspaper that was raided by authorities earlier this month filed a federal lawsuit against the police chief Wednesday. Deb Gruver believes Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody violated her constitutional rights when he abruptly snatched her personal cellphone out of her

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner piled up plenty of awards in an impressive rookie season for the New York Jets. Gardner became the first rookie cornerback to earn All-Pro honors in 41 years. He was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. He even had a sauce named after him

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Justin Jefferson has been setting records and terrifying defenses since the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. It’s no surprise Jefferson was voted No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL by The Associated Press. A panel of nine AP Pro Football

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are advancing legislation to hold the state’s 2024 presidential primary earlier. It wouldn’t, however, give the state’s voters much more say in deciding presidential nominees. A Senate committee on Wednesday passed a bill to change the state’s primary from April 23 to March 19.

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The federal Medicaid agency says some children may have been wrongly dropped from the government health-care program as states undertake a massive eligibility review. Medicaid rolls swelled across the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic because states were prohibited from cutting off coverage. Annual eligibility

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped all felony charges against an Iowa man who was arrested in 2021 by Chicago police for having guns and ammunition in his hotel room overlooking a popular tourist attraction. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Cook County prosecutors dropped felony charges against Keegan Casteel on Monday after he pleaded guilty to