By JILL COLVIN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice has informed former Vice President Mike Pence ‘s legal team that it will not pursue criminal charges related to the discovery of classified documents at his Indiana home. The department sent a letter to Pence’s attorney Thursday informing his team
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By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has launched its main summer theater and arts festival, dedicated this year to opera great Maria Callas who was born 100 years ago. Performances started with a novel interpretation of “Madame Butterfly” at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient stone theater built by the
Continue Reading NATICK, Mass. (AP) — The Wegmans supermarket chain is closing one of its largest and most unusual stores because it has not attracted enough business, the company said. The Natick, Massachusetts store will close on an undetermined date this summer, the Rochester, New York-based company said in a statement on Thursday. “Making these decisions is
Continue Reading By MUHAMMAD FAROOQ Associated Press KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Dozens of protesters are holding a rally in Pakistan’s biggest city of Karachi to demand the release of a top rights lawyer, after he was abducted by armed men the previous day. The lawyer’s family said Jibran Nasir was snatched from his car by more than
Continue Reading By GEIR MOULSON and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Iran has released one Danish and two Austrian citizens, according to the European countries. They thanked Oman and Belgium for their help in getting the trio freed. An Oman Royal Air Force Gulfstream IV, which had been on the ground in Tehran for several
Continue Reading COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s government wants to investigate whether the Danish arm of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club can be dissolved. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said Friday that the group’s “brutal violence and socially subversive activities create insecurity.” He added that a specialized police unit would probe whether to disband the chapter. A court of
Continue Reading BY DAVID CRARY AP National Writer In the year since the Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion, America’s religious leaders and denominations have responded in strikingly diverse ways — some celebrating the state-level bans that have ensued, others angered that a conservative Christian cause has changed the law of the land in
Continue Reading BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s national labor agency says the country has labor shortages in one-sixth of professions and the number is growing. Its assessment came Friday as ministers prepare to travel to Brazil to encourage the recruitment of caregivers. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy. The Federal Labor Agency said that its annual analysis showed that
Continue Reading By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press/Report for America FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members. The change was the most prominent
Continue Reading BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials this weekend as pressure mounts on Turkey to lift its objections to Sweden joining the military organization. NATO headquarters said Friday that Stoltenberg will attend Erdogan’s inauguration, after the long-term Turkish leader won an election
Continue Reading By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press LIBERTA, Antigua (AP) — On the same ground where their enslaved ancestors were forced to plant sugar cane, Rastafari in this small island nation are now legally growing and ritualistically smoking marijuana. For Rastafari, the practice brings them closer to the divine. But for decades, many have been jailed
Continue Reading The Associated Press Members of the Rastafari religion and political movement have for decades been persecuted and imprisoned for their ritualistic use of marijuana. But the tiny islands of Antigua and Barbuda recently became one of the first Caribbean nations to grant Rastafari official sacramental authorization to grow and smoke the herb that they deem
Continue Reading By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press LIBERTA, Antigua (AP) — On the same ground where their enslaved ancestors were forced to plant sugar cane, Rastafari on this small island nation are now legally growing and ritualistically smoking marijuana. For Rastafari, the practice brings them closer to the divine. But for decades, many have been jailed
Continue Reading CAIRO (AP) — Jill Biden has arrived in Cairo on the second leg of her six-day trip across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe that seeks to empower women and promote education for young people. Biden arrived from Jordan, where she attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif. The
Continue Reading BERLIN (AP) — The United Nations has warned that far too little aid is reaching cyclone-hit areas of Myanmar and the country could face a major food crisis soon if farmers are unable to plant crops. Cyclone Mocha struck the western state of Rakhine and nearby regions last month, killing hundreds of people and damaging
Continue Reading By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Ten-year-old Maholo Terajima Ghnassia is breaking conventions as one of the biggest emerging stars in Japan’s Kabuki theater tradition. Kabuki is passed from father to son and Japanese men typically play every role. Debuting with the stage name Maholo Onoe in a monthlong run in Tokyo, the
Continue Reading By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Polish soccer referee Szymon Marciniak has apologized for speaking at a business event tied to a far-right politician and was confirmed by UEFA to officiate next week’s Champions League final. Marciniak’s appointment for the game between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10 was at
Continue Reading By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Dozen of activists including Indigenous Sami are protesting outside the office of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The activists on Friday vowed to block entry to the complex to remind the government that they want a wind farm removed because they say it endangers
Continue Reading ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Biden administration is implementing a 20-year withdrawal banning oil and gas development outside the boundaries of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. The action taken by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in the nation’s No. 2 oil-producing state was announced Friday. It is intended to protect
Continue Reading By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda has said unexpectedly that he was proposing urgent amendments to a contentious law on Russian influences that he signed this week and that drew U.S. and European Union criticism. Duda said he was aware of the controversies including in Poland that surround
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