Month: May 2023

By ABBY SEWELL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press QAB ELIAS, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials have launched a crackdown on the country’s Syrian refugees against the backdrop of a worsening economic crisis and political stalemate. In recent weeks, the army has raided refugee camps and set up checkpoints to check the documentation of non-Lebanese citizens,

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Police have arrested suspects and raided homes across Germany and Italy in a massive effort to clamp down on member of the Italian ’ndrangheta organized crime syndicate. More than 1,000 officers searched dozens of homes, offices and stores in four German states early Wednesday,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark lending rate again to cool inflation and said it wasn’t sure what may come next. Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced while Seoul and Sydney declined. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Wall

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood writers picketing to preserve pay and job security outside major studios and streamers braced for a long fight at the outset of a strike that immediately forced late-night shows into hiatus, put other productions on pause and had the entire industry slowing its roll.

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military council says it is releasing more than 2,100 political prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. Thousands more remain imprisoned on charges generally involving nonviolent protests or criticism of military rule, which began when the army seized power in 2021. State-run MRTV television reported that the

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back to work after they rejected a bill setting out a new statewide drug policy — a development that has put the state on the brink of decriminalizing possession of fentanyl and other drugs while also depriving it of much-needed

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on new immigration policies meant to deter illegal border crossings while also opening up other pathways ahead of an expected increase in migrants following the end of pandemic restrictions next week. Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall spent Tuesday meeting with Mexico

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY AP Education Writer Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding of either subject. The scores were released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The same assessment reported

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Two decades after New Hampshire’s famous Old Man of the Mountain crumbled to pieces, the state is paying tribute to the granite profile that symbolizes its independence with new geological research, poetry, a song, and a scavenger hunt. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) natural rock formation — a

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is scheduled to execute a man for breaking into a woman’s home and stabbing her to death in 1986. Darryl B. Barwick is set to be executed Wednesday at Florida State Prison. The 56-year-old Barwick confessed to killing 24-year-old Rebecca Wendt in her Panama City apartment complex on March 31,

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signaled that it may now pause its streak of 10 rate hikes, which have made borrowing

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne visited the World Series champion Houston Astros Tuesday night before their game against the San Francisco Giants. The Louisiana-born rapper was in town for a show later Tuesday, but stopped by the ballpark to hang with the Astros before taking the