China investigates party member critical of Xi over outbreak

BEIJING (AP) — A prominent Communist party member who criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak is being investigated on suspicion of a “severe violation of discipline and law,” a joint government-party watchdog said. Ren Zhiqiang is a former head of...

UN urges swift release of Mali's kidnapped opposition leader

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council urged the government of Mali and armed groups Tuesday to accelerate implementation of a 2015 peace agreement and called for “the swift liberation” of kidnapped opposition leader Soumaila Cisse. The council also called on Mali's government...

Celebrated singer-songwriter John Prine has died at 73

John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday at the age of 73. His family announced his...

China's virus pandemic epicenter Wuhan ends 76-day lockdown

WUHAN, China (AP) — After 11 weeks of lockdown, people went outdoors and by the thousands boarded the first trains and planes leaving Wuhan as the last restrictions on movement were lifted Wednesday in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began. Wuhan's unprecedented lockdown was a model for...

NYC virus deaths exceed 4,000, topping toll for 9/11 attacks

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus rose past 4,000 on Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lay in intensive care, believed to be the first major world leader hospitalized with the virus. The twin...

Wisconsin voters wait for hours, others stay home amid virus

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Despite federal health recommendations, thousands of Wisconsin voters waited hours in long lines outside overcrowded polling stations on Tuesday so they could participate in a presidential primary election that tested the limits of electoral politics in the midst of a pandemic....

The Latest: South Korea to tighten border to slow virus

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. TOP OF THE HOUR: — South Korea to tighten border controls to slow import of...

Trump upends virus oversight, removing key official

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is moving aggressively to challenge the authority and independence of agency watchdogs overseeing his administration, including removing the inspector general tasked with overseeing the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package that passed Congress with bipartisan...

A representative for John Prine said the singer died Tuesday from complications of the coronavirus at 73.

AP PHOTOS: Wuhan a city in slumber before the lockdown's end

WUHAN, China (AP) — Wuhan was released from coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday, and it’s as if the Chinese city where the pandemic started late last year has awakened from a long slumber. For more than two months, the once-bustling city of 11 million people was all but silent. Its borders were...