Chinese e-commerce firms report growth in sales, shoppers for Singles' Day shopping festival

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s e-commerce firms reported an increase in the number of shoppers and a growth in sales for this year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival, although final figures were not publicly revealed. Alibaba, which operates the Taobao and Tmall e-commerce platforms,...

Theater festival offers solace in Burkina Faso, a nation torn by violence

OUGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The last three years have been tough for Fanta Charlotte Dabone, a mother of three from the conflict-battered West African country of Burkina Faso. She fled her village after it was attacked by extremists, leaving her husband and her farm behind....

Singles' Day shopping festival loses its shine under China's lagging economy

HONG KONG (AP) — Businesses and consumers in China found the annual Singles' Day shopping festival less attractive this year amid a sluggish economy, forcing e-commerce firms to look abroad for growth. Online service provider and e-commerce platform Alibaba started the now-famous...

Bolivians carry adorned human skulls asking for favors in the Ñatitas festival in La Paz

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Hundreds of Bolivian devotees arrived Friday at the municipal cemetery of La Paz carrying human skulls adorned with flowers for the Ñatitas festival, a custom rooted in the Andean region, but not recognized by the Catholic church. According to Bolivian...

At an art festival in Dakar, artists from both sides of the Atlantic examine the legacy of slavery

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A whirlwind of color and art at the opening of this year's Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art in the Senegalese capital stood in stark contrast to the serious topic of slavery featuring in the artworks of guest artists from the United States. The U.S....

AP PHOTOS: Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees flock to rivers for prayers to the sun god

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked to rivers and bodies of water across India to pray to the sun god as part of the Chhath festival this week. In Noida, on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi, families gathered at the Yamuna river, which is covered...

PHOTO COLLECTION: Chhath Puja Festival

Fair Isaac: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) on Wednesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $135.7 million. The Bozeman, Montana-based company said it had net income of $5.44 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $6.54...

Miami native 'Cuban Cowboy' Orlando Mendez returns home for Country Bay Musical Festival

MIAMI (AP) — Miami-native Orlando Mendez had been an aspiring actor when a pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020. But the break gave Mendez a chance to embrace his love of county music and reinvent himself as the “Cuban Cowboy.” After COVID-19 locked the world down,...

AP Photos: Garlands and treats for beloved dogs in Nepal’s annual Kukur Puja festival

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Dogs across Nepal were honored during the annual festival of “Kukur Puja” on Thursday, with offerings of flower garlands, treats and vermillion marks on their heads. In Nepal, the second day of Tihar — also known as Diwali — is Kukur Puja, dedicated...