Associated Press stories, Page 600
5 Japanese workers in Pakistan escape suicide blast targeting their van; Pakistani bystander dies
KARACHI, Pakistan — A suicide bomber targeted a van carrying Japanese nationals in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Friday, police said. The Japanese nationals escaped unharmed but officials later said one bystander was killed. Initially, police said the van was heading to an industrial area where the five Japanese...
Ukraine, Israel aid advances in rare House vote as Democrats help Republicans push it forward
WASHINGTON — With rare bipartisan momentum, the House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support as a robust coalition of lawmakers helped it clear a procedural hurdle to reach final votes this weekend. Friday’s vote produced a seldom-seen outcome...
Biden’s new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but transgender sports rule still on hold
The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration. The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by...
Final jurors seated for Trump’s hush money case, with opening statements set for Monday
NEW YORK — The final jurors were seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, and an appellate judge rejected the former president’s latest bid to halt the case as a hectic day in court set the stage for opening statements to begin Monday. The panel of New Yorkers who...
Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska’s petroleum reserve
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm. The decision — part...
Apple pulls WhatsApp and Threads from App Store on Beijing’s orders
HONG KONG — Apple said it had removed Meta’s WhatsApp messaging app and its Threads social media app from the App Store in China to comply with orders from Chinese authorities. The apps were removed from the store on Friday after Chinese officials cited unspecified national security concerns. Their removal...
Explainer: 4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana’s high holiday
SEATTLE — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far their...
Bitcoin’s latest ‘halving’ has arrived. Here’s what you need to know
NEW YORK — The “miners” who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are taking a 50% pay cut — effectively reducing new production of the world’s largest cryptocurrency, again. Bitcoin’s latest “halving” appeared to occur Friday night. Soon after the highly anticipated event, the price of bitcoin held steady at...
Would you like a cicada salad? The monstrous little noisemakers descend on a New Orleans menu
NEW ORLEANS — As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it’s worth noting that they’re not just annoying, noisy pests — if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat. Blocks away from such French Quarter fine-dining stalwarts as Antoine’s and...
12 students and teacher killed at Columbine to be remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
DENVER — The 12 students and one teacher killed in the Columbine High School shooting will be remembered Friday in a vigil on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. The gathering, set up by gun safety and other organizations, is the main public event marking the anniversary,...
Tesla recalling more than 3,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks due to faulty pedal
Tesla is recalling more than 3,000 of its newly launched 2024 Cybertrucks because of the possibility that a pedal can get stuck and cause the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash. Tesla said that the accelerator pedal pad may dislodge and become trapped by the interior...
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
CAPRI, Italy — The U.S. told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn’t participate in the apparent attack, officials said. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized...
Review: Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is great sad pop, meditative theater
Who knew what Taylor Swift’s latest era would bring? Or even what it would sound like? Would it build off the moodiness of “Midnights” or the folk of “evermore”? The country or the ’80s pop of her latest re-records? Or its two predecessors in black-and-white covers: the revenge-pop of “Reputation”...
2 suspects detained in Poland after last month’s attack on a Navalny ally in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Two Polish citizens have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Russian activist Leonid Volkov, an ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Lithuania, officials said on Friday. Volkov was attacked on March 12 outside his home in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, where he...
Ukraine claims it shot down a Russian strategic bomber as Moscow’s missiles kill 8 Ukrainians
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s air force claimed Friday it shot down a Russian strategic bomber, but Moscow officials said the plane crashed in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes during...
Israel targets air defense system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday. The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site...
Netflix now has nearly 270 million subscribers after another strong showing to begin 2024
Netflix gained another 9.3 million subscribers to start the year while its profit soared with the help of a still-emerging expansion into advertising, but caught investors off guard with a change that will make it more difficult to track the video streaming service’s future growth. The performance announced Thursday demonstrated...
Bills’ Josh Allen credits Stefon Diggs for development in 1st comments since trade
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo. Allen made no mention of...
Utah’s new NHL team needs new name, as well
The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined. “We’ll start with Utah on the jersey, and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” new owner Ryan...
‘It’s wide open’ is theme as race to Stanley Cup begins
General manager Don Waddell likes how his Carolina Hurricanes finished the season, winning 16 of their final 21 games. He knows it means nothing now. “Your points get erased, and you all start with zeroes,” Waddell said. “Playoffs are a different time. That’s what’s great about the NHL. Once you...
Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear siteVideo
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel. No Iranian official...
Exhausted Scottie Scheffler opens with 69 at TBC Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Scottie Scheffler is running on fumes after an exhausting Masters victory just four days ago. He hit a shank from a bunker. He nearly lost his mind from mud on his golf ball. And he still managed a 2-under-par 69 on Thursday at the RBC...
Ancient snake might have been longer than a school bus, weighed a ton
WASHINGTON — A ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton, researchers reported Thursday. Fossils found near a coal mine revealed a snake that stretched an estimated 36 feet to 50 feet. It’s comparable to the largest known snake at about...
Rep. Omar’s daughter 1 of dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University
NEW YORK — New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. Several students involved in the protest said they also were suspended from Columbia and Barnard College, including Isra Hirsi,...
Man charged with 4 University of Idaho deaths was out for a drive that night, his attorneys say
MOSCOW, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man charged in the deaths of four University of Idaho students in late 2022, was out for a drive the night they were killed, his attorneys said in a new court filing that lays out more details of the alibi defense he intends to...
