LONDON (AP) — Maggie Smith, who died Friday aged 89, appeared in dozens of films over more than 60 years. Roles ranged from her iconic turn in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” to her Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven Harry Potter films, and films from Shakespeare’s “Othello” to the animated “Gnomeo & Juliet.” She
Continue Reading Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An appeals court says a museum in Australia was within its rights to bar men from a controversial art exhibit for women meant to underscore their exclusion from segments of the male-dominated society. Friday’s decision is the latest in the long-running saga of the “Ladies Lounge” exhibition that
Continue Reading AP Basketball Writer Joe Wolf, a former North Carolina captain for Dean Smith who went on to play for seven teams in an 11-year NBA career before becoming a coach, died unexpectedly Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced. Wolf, an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd — the Bucks’ G League affiliate — was 59. “Throughout
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Since its inception more than two decades ago, the experimental rock band Xiu Xiu has danced between extremes. They’ve made music — drenched in synthesizers, breathy vocals and distorted guitar — that is somehow both cacophonous and beautiful, frightening yet poignant, avant-garde yet (mostly) melodic. In other words, Xiu
Continue Reading SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a lawsuit brought by authors including comedian Sarah Silverman accusing the company of copyright infringement to train its artificial intelligence technology. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hixson rejected Meta’s bid to bar the deposition of Zuckerberg in a decision Tuesday, saying there
Continue ReadingSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a lawsuit brought by authors including comedian Sarah Silverman accusing the company of copyright infringement to train its artificial intelligence technology. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hixson rejected Meta’s bid to bar the deposition of Zuckerberg in a decision Tuesday, saying there
Continue Reading HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a 12-year-old boy died after he was struck by a tree that fell at a southeastern Michigan nature center where he and classmates were on a field trip. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office says Declan Carter was at the Howell Nature Center on Thursday when the tree fell and
Continue Reading SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Hungary’s right-wing prime minister has accused European Union officials of denting North Macedonia’s “national pride” by further delaying the country’s troubled bid to join the bloc. During a visit to North Macedonia, Viktor Orbán has also offered to mediate with EU member Bulgaria, whose dispute with Skopje over Balkan history
Continue Reading Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled to the world from the United Nations that the multiple conflicts in the Middle East were far from resolved. He vowed to continue to battle the Lebanese Hezbollah and defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip until “total victory.” Shortly after he spoke, blasts
Continue Reading Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who was seeking to retain tenure after his dismissal as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for making pornographic films. Joe Gow, who had served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse for nearly 17
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Friday that it’s clearing Amazon’s partnership with artificial intelligence company Anthropic because the $4 billion deal didn’t qualify for further scrutiny. The Competition and Markets Authority approval comes after it started looking into the deal, part of wider global scrutiny for the wave of investment from Big Tech
Continue Reading Associated Press BELLVUE, Colo. (AP) — Camille Stevens-Rumann crouched in the dirt and leaned over evergreen seedlings, measuring how much each had grown in seven months. “That’s two to three inches of growth on the spruce,” said Stevens-Rumann, interim director at the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. Her research team is monitoring several species planted two
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BELLVUE, Colo. (AP) — Camille Stevens-Rumann crouched in the dirt and leaned over evergreen seedlings, measuring how much each had grown in seven months. “That’s two to three inches of growth on the spruce,” said Stevens-Rumann, interim director at the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. Her research team is monitoring several species planted two
Continue Reading PRAGUE (AP) — Czechs are casting ballots in the second round of voting for a third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house. The main opposition group led by former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis has the most candidates advancing from last week’s first round to the runoffs for 27 seats in the 81-seat Senate.
Continue Reading Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for the 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “ Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, died Friday. She
Continue Reading AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure on Friday provided the latest sign that price pressures are easing, a trend that is expected to fuel further Fed interest rate cuts this year and next. Prices rose just 0.1% from July to August, the Commerce Department said, down from the previous
Continue Reading AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — Loewe’s latest collection dazzled at Paris Fashion Week Friday, presenting an explosion of flowers and form that showcased designer onathan Anderson’s innovative spirit. A striking white gown adorned with vibrant floral prints captured the collection’s dynamic essence, while whimsical designs like a surreal giant hoop skirt added an eccentric
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the meeting of world leaders kicked off at the United Nations on Sunday, across Manhattan on an elevated park that runs along old rail lines, throngs of people streamed through a “climate science fair” showcasing work on nature, food and the energy transition. Emerson Collective funds the nonprofits,
Continue Reading Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the meeting of world leaders kicked off at the United Nations on Sunday, across Manhattan on an elevated park that runs along old rail lines, throngs of people streamed through a “climate science fair” showcasing work on nature, food and the energy transition. Emerson Collective funds the nonprofits,
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — Meta was punished Friday with a fine worth more than $100 million from the social media giant’s European Union privacy regulator over a security lapse involving passwords for Facebook users. The Irish Data Protection Commission said it slapped the U.S. tech company with the 91 million euro ($101.6 million) penalty following an
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