Pope Francis meets more than 100 comedians at the Vatican: ‘You also make God smile’
By GIADA ZAMPANO Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy’s southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven…
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NATO approves a plan to speed security aid and training to Ukraine’s beleaguered armed forces
By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO defense ministers have approved a plan to provide reliable long-term security aid and military…
Continue Reading Here’s what to know about a stalled $237M donation to Florida A&M
By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — In early May, Florida A&M University announced a stunning $237 million gift from a…
Continue Reading Rare twin elephants in Thailand receive monks’ blessings a week after their tumultuous birth
By NAPAT KONGSAWAD Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Buddhist monks in Thailand have blessed twin baby elephants, one male and the other female, a…
Continue Reading Florida A&M, a dubious donor and $237M: The transformative HBCU gift that wasn’t what it seemed
By JAMES POLLARD Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — It would have been the largest-ever private gift to a historically Black college or university.…
Continue Reading Beachgoer fatally struck by police truck on South Carolina beach, highway patrol says
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say a woman died after being struck by a police truck on a South Carolina beach. Lance Cpl. Lena Butler of…
Continue Reading AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Virginia’s state primaries
By LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good faces a challenge from another Republican in the 5th…
Continue Reading Nigeria bets on a new $2.25B World Bank loan to support reforms that have resulted in hardship
By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The World Bank has approved a $2.25 billion loan for Nigeria to shore up revenue and back…
Continue Reading Sweden summons Iraqi diplomat to protest death penalties reportedly handed to 2 Swedes
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s Foreign Ministry says officials have summoned the Iraqi chargé d’affaires to protest against death…
Continue Reading Report finds Colorado was built on $1.7 trillion of land expropriated from tribal nations
By GRAHAM LEE BREWER Associated Press A report published this week by a Native American-led nonprofit examines in detail the dispossession of $1.7…
Continue Reading AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Oklahoma’s state primaries
By MAYA SWEEDLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters will decide almost 60 contested primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives and both…
Continue Reading Japan has no plans to seek a suspension of Osprey flights despite restrictions in US
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense chief says Japanese and American V-22 Ospreys are being safely operated in the…
Continue Reading UN agencies urge Greece to shed light on migrant shipwreck that killed hundreds one year ago
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The United Nations’ refugee and migration agencies are criticizing Greece’s failure over the past year to shed light on…
Continue Reading AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Georgia’s primary runoffs
By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A southwest Georgia Republican who went to prison for his actions inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan.…
Continue Reading Putin offers truce if Ukraine exits Russian-claimed areas and drops NATO bid. Kyiv rejects it
By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Friday to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and start…
Continue Reading US Navy faces its most intense combat since World War II against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels
By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press ABOARD THE USS LABOON IN THE RED SEA (AP) — The U.S. Navy prepared for decades to potentially fight the Soviet…
Continue Reading Explosions in a Swiss garage have left 2 people dead and 11 injured
BERLIN (AP) — Authorities say two people have been found dead after explosions in an underground parking garage at an apartment building in…
Continue Reading Niger’s highest court lifts immunity of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum
By MONIKA PRONCZUK Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The highest court in Niger lifted the immunity of the country’s democratically…
Continue Reading Greece’s prime minister tweaks his government to focus on cost of living and labor
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is tweaking his Cabinet with a focus on cost-of-living and labor policies after his…
Continue Reading Swedish officials say weak replacement parts caused a fatal roller coaster derailment last year
By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Swedish accident investigators say the country’s oldest amusement park did not…
Continue Reading Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to 5 years in prison
BEIJING (AP) — Supporters say a a Chinese journalist who promoted women’s rights as part of the country’s nascent #MeToo movement has…
Continue Reading Iran installing and starting cascades of advanced centrifuges as tensions high over nuclear program
By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and plans to install…
Continue Reading South Africa’s President Ramaphosa is reelected for second term after a dramatic late coalition deal
By GERALD IMRAY and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been reelected by…
Continue Reading Canada’s defense investment plans put it on track to meet NATO guideline, minister says
By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair says his country looks on track to meet NATO’s military…
Continue Reading R.E.M. reunite at Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony also honoring Timbaland and Steely Dan
By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A comet must have landed at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The members of…
Continue Reading AI startup Perplexity wants to upend search business. News outlet Forbes says it’s ripping them off
By MATT O’BRIEN and SARAH PARVINI AP Technology Writers The artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI has raised tens of millions of…
Continue Reading Chinese soccer fans are pouring money into a food stall run by Singapore’s goalkeeper. Here’s why
By FU TING Associated Press Chinese soccer fans have poured their love — and money — into a Singaporean goalkeeper’s food stall after his…
Continue Reading Stock market today: Wall Street hangs around its records after European stocks slump
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks hung around their record levels on Friday as Wall Street remained relatively quiet…
Continue Reading A pond in warming Mali is disappearing, and a UNESCO-listed fishing tradition is in danger
By MOUSTAPHA DIALLO Associated Press SAN, Mali (AP) — For hundreds of years, people have gathered in the southern Mali town of San for a collective…
Continue Reading Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodríguez, icon of the revolution, dwells on island’s troubles in new album
By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ and CRISTIANA MESQUITA Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — He was the poetic voice of the Cuban Revolution, an inspiration for…
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