Top General News

Nearly 2,200 people have been arrested during pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses

May. 03, 2024 00:28 AM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. One officer accidentally...

The Latest | A hostage held in Gaza dies as Israel and Hamas work on a cease-fire deal

May. 03, 2024 05:11 AM EDT

Dror Or, a 49-year-old held captive in Gaza, has died, the Hostages Families Forum said Friday. Or marks the 38th hostage killed, the forum said. He was one of about 250 people abducted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians....

Michael Cohen hasn't taken the stand in Trump's hush money trial. But jurors are hearing his words

May. 03, 2024 00:31 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The prosecution's star witness has yet to take the stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial. But jurors are already hearing Michael Cohen's words as prosecutors work to directly tie Trump to payments to silence women with damaging claims about him before the 2016 election. ...

Arizona governor's signing of abortion law repeal follows political fight by women lawmakers

May. 03, 2024 01:23 AM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure that the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates...

For decades, Moscow has sought to silence its critics abroad

May. 03, 2024 00:22 AM EDT

From its earliest days, the Soviet Union's intelligence services — whether known as the Cheka or by the names of any of its successor agencies like the KGB — kept the government in power by pursuing its opponents no matter where they lived. Intelligence experts say that policy...

Colombia breaks diplomatic ties with Israel but its military relies on key Israeli-built equipment

May. 03, 2024 00:17 AM EDT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia has become the latest Latin American country to announce it will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, but the repercussions for the South American nation could be broader than for other countries due to longstanding bilateral...

Universities take steps to prevent pro-Palestinian protest disruptions of graduation ceremonies

May. 03, 2024 00:09 AM EDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, several major universities are intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies — joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends — go off without a hitch this weekend. ...

UK's governing Conservatives suffer big losses in local elections as Labour appears headed for power

May. 03, 2024 04:41 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Britain's governing Conservative Party is suffering heavy losses as an array of election results pour in Friday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a U.K. general election in which the main opposition Labour Party appears increasingly likely to return to power...

Sanctions and a hobbled economy pull the rug out from under Iran's traditional carpet weavers

May. 03, 2024 04:52 AM EDT

KASHAN, Iran (AP) — The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs under its ancient arches, their world has only unraveled since the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world...

A Chinese flavor of rap music is flourishing as emerging musicians find their voices

May. 03, 2024 03:28 AM EDT

CHENGDU, China (AP) — In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nation's entertainment industry: Don't feature artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any other subculture. Right after that well-known rapper GAI missed a gig on a...

Latest General News

China sends a probe to get samples from the less-explored far side of the moon

May. 03, 2024 05:34 AM EDT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly...

China launches the Chang'e-6 lunar probe on a mission to return samples from the less-explored far side of the moon

May. 03, 2024 05:32 AM EDT
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China launches the Chang'e-6 lunar probe on a mission to return samples from the less-explored far side of the moon.

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

May. 03, 2024 05:28 AM EDT

April 25 – May 1, 2024 From clashes in Istanbul, to protests in Berlin, people around the world demonstrated on May Day. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding. The Olympic flame started its journey to France...

Denmark to liberalize its abortion law to allow the procedure until 18th week of pregnancy

May. 03, 2024 05:17 AM EDT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark's government said Friday it is relaxing its restrictions on abortion for the first time in 50 years to make it legal for women to terminate pregnancies up to the 18th week from the previous 12th week. Officials said the law will also be changed to...

Biden to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 politicians, activists, athletes and more

May. 03, 2024 05:14 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Clarence B. Jones says he thought a prankster was on the line when he answered the telephone and heard the person on the other end say they were calling from the White House. “I said, ‘Is this a joke or is this serious?’" Jones recalled. The caller swore...

The Latest | A hostage held in Gaza dies as Israel and Hamas work on a cease-fire deal

May. 03, 2024 05:11 AM EDT

Dror Or, a 49-year-old held captive in Gaza, has died, the Hostages Families Forum said Friday. Or marks the 38th hostage killed, the forum said. He was one of about 250 people abducted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians....

Damaged in war, a vibrant church in Ukraine rises as a symbol of the country's faith and culture

May. 03, 2024 05:10 AM EDT

LYPIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — This Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church is bringing spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Two years ago, it also provided physical refuge from the horrors outside. Almost 100 residents sheltered in a...

Defense chiefs from US, Australia, Japan and Philippines vow to deepen cooperation

May. 03, 2024 05:08 AM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Defense chiefs from the U.S., Australia, Japan and the Philippines vowed to deepen their cooperation as they gathered Thursday in Hawaii for their second-ever joint meeting amid concerns about China's operations in the South China Sea. The meeting came after the...

Biden administration says 100,000 new migrants are expected to enroll in 'Obamacare' next year

May. 03, 2024 05:08 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance next year under a new directive the Biden administration released Friday. The move took longer than promised to finalize and...

Maui sues cell carriers over wildfire warning alerts that were never received during service outages

May. 03, 2024 04:53 AM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer's deadly Maui wildfires, they would have used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a lawsuit. Alerts the county sent to cellphones...