Associated Press stories, Page 1236

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state lawmakers are advancing proposed new limits on fireworks in response to growing complaints after a 5-year-old state law greatly liberalized their sales and use. The House of Representatives voted 160-38 on Wednesday for legislation that would restrict their use to 10 a.m.-10 p.m. except during July...

PHILADELPHIA — Two men are facing murder charges and have been arrested in Virginia in the death of two bystanders in last weekend’s shooting in a busy entertainment district in Philadelphia, officials said Thursday. The men will be extradited to face charges in Philadelphia and will not be given bail...

DETROIT — Teslas with partially automated driving systems are a step closer to being recalled after the U.S. elevated its investigation into a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles or trucks with warning signs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is upgrading the probe to...

NEW YORK — Fresh off his legal battle with his ex-wife, Johnny Depp has announced that he and legendary guitarist Jeff Beck will release an album of mostly covers next month. The duo’s 13-track album is titled “18” and will drop on July 15. They said they titled the album...

GENEVA — Over two years after the coronavirus was first detected in China, and after at least 6.3 million deaths have been counted worldwide from the pandemic, the World Health Organization is recommending in its strongest terms yet that a deeper probe is required into whether a lab accident may...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden launched a renewed push Thursday to reduce the costs of shipping goods across oceans, a major challenge for retailers that the White House said has pushed up prices as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. The White House released a video featuring Biden talking...

BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Two British citizens and a Moroccan were sentenced to death Thursday by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic found the three men guilty of working toward a violent overthrow of power, an offense punishable by...

VIENNA — Iran has started removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites across the country, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog said Thursday, warning this could deal a “fatal blow” to the tattered nuclear deal as Tehran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. The development comes a...

ABUJA, Nigeria — Attacks by armed gangs on motorcycles are blamed for the deaths of at least 32 people in rural northwestern Nigeria, residents told The Associated Press. The gunmen attacked four villages in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state on Sunday, said Monday Solomon, a resident of the area...

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson launched tee shots in the Saudi-funded golf league Thursday, and it wasn’t long before the PGA Tour said its players who took part were no longer welcome, even if they already had resigned. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan held a hard line on his pledge...

AMSTERDAM — The European Central Bank said Thursday that it would carry out its first interest rate increase in 11 years in July, followed by another hike in September, as it catches up with other central banks worldwide in pivoting from supporting the economy during the pandemic to squelching soaring...

WASHINGTON — The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds....

HARRISBURG — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary on Wednesday, narrowly defeating former hedge fund CEO David McCormick after a dayslong recount. Oz will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in November in a race that could...

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House voted unanimously on Wednesday to erase the word “homosexuality” from the definition of prohibited sexual acts in the state Crimes Code. The 198-0 vote was on a bill to clean up language that supporters said does not belong there because homosexuality is not a crime....