Associated Press stories, Page 1777
Muted Mardi Gras: Closed bars, barricaded Bourbon Street
NEW ORLEANS — Music blared from the courtyard of a French Quarter restaurant on Mardi Gras morning but nobody was there to hear it until Tom Gibson and Sheila Wheeler of Philadelphia walked out of their hotel’s nearly empty lobby. “We were expecting a little bit lower key than the...
Belarus targets journalists, activists in new raids
KYIV, Ukraine — Authorities in Belarus raided homes and offices of journalists and human rights activists Tuesday in the latest move to squelch protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Police searched the offices of the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Viasna human rights center as well as the apartments...
Democrat’s lawsuit accuses Trump of inciting deadly Capitol riotVideo
WASHINGTON — The House Homeland Security chairman accused Donald Trump in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and conspiring with his lawyer and extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden....
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi faces new charge as crackdown intensifies
YANGON, Myanmar — Police in Myanmar filed a new charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer said Tuesday, in a move that may allow her to be held indefinitely without trial as part of an intensifying crackdown by authorities who seized power in a coup. Suu Kyi,...
In Athens, rare snow blankets Acropolis, halts vaccinations
ATHENS, Greece — Heavy snowfall blanketed the Acropolis and other ancient monuments in Athens and halted covid-19 vaccinations in the Greek capital Tuesday as the weather brought many services across the country to a standstill. The snow, an unusual sight in the city of more than 3 million residents, also...
Cost of a single Bitcoin exceeds $50,000 for first timeVideo
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The seemingly unstoppable rise of Bitcoin continued Tuesday with the cost of a single unit of the digital currency rising above $50,000 for the first time. The price of Bitcoin has risen almost 200% in the last three months and its volatility was on display Tuesday....
Biden extends pandemic help for homeowners, renters wait
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures to June 30 to help homeowners struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The moratorium on foreclosures of federally guaranteed mortgages had been set to expire on March 31. On his first day in office, Biden had extended the moratorium...
S. Korea spy agency: N. Korea hackers targeted vaccine tech
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean hackers attempted to steal information about coronavirus vaccines and treatments, South Korea’s intelligence service said Tuesday, but it denied a lawmaker’s claim that vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. was targeted. Earlier Tuesday, Ha Tae-keung, a member of parliament’s intelligence committee, told reporters that the National...
France, West Africa to step up counterterrorism efforts
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged West African leaders to step up efforts in the fight against Islamic extremists in the Sahel region both on the military and political fronts, with support from the international community. Macron joined by video from Paris Tuesday a summit held in...
Right-wing friendly Parler announces re-launch
BOSTON — The right-wing friendly social network Parler, which was forced offline as a result of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, says it is re-launching. The Twitter alternative has been struggling to return online since Amazon stripped it of web-hosting service...
Rockets strike near U.S. base in Iraq, killing 1, wounding 8
BAGHDAD — Rockets struck Monday outside Irbil international airport near where U.S. forces are based in northern Iraq, killing one U.S.-led coalition contractor and wounding at least eight people, Iraqi security and coalition officials reported, sparking fears of new hostilities. At least three rockets hit areas between the civilian airport...
N.C. GOP votes to censure Sen. Richard Burr for impeachment vote
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Republican Party unanimously approved a resolution Monday to censure Sen. Richard Burr over his vote to convict former President Donald Trump during Trump’s second impeachment trial. Michael Whatley, the state party chairman, said the central committee’s decision serves as a symbolic gesture of the party’s...
Gov. Cuomo: New York should have released care home death data fasterVideo
NEW YORK — Under fire over his management of the coronavirus’ lethal path through New York’s nursing homes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the state didn’t cover up deaths but should have moved faster to release some information sought by lawmakers, the public and the press. “All the deaths in...
Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson downplays attack on U.S. Capitol
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson downplayed the storming of the U.S. Capitol last month, saying on conservative talk radio Monday that it “didn’t seem like an armed insurrection to me.” Johnson’s comments on WISN-AM in Milwaukee came after he voted Saturday to acquit former President Donald...
Bubba Wallace 1st Black driver to lead Daytona 500 lapVideo
Bubba Wallace ran into trouble early and late in his first Daytona 500 driving for Michael Jordan. He still came out of NASCAR’s marquee race with another milestone, becoming the first Black driver to lead a lap in the Daytona 500. Wallace dipped to the low line late in the...
Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson found dead in hotel room
BRANDON, Fla. — Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead Monday at a Florida hotel room, days after authorities spoke with him as part of a welfare check, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. A housekeeper discovered the 38-year-old’s body at around 11:30 a.m. Monday, official said....
Covid-hit Boston College fires men’s basketball coach Jim ChristianVideo
BOSTON — Boston College is down another man. The basketball team that struggled to fill out a lineup as covid-19 protocols chipped away at the roster lost coach Jim Christian on Monday when he was fired with three weeks remaining in his seventh season. The Eagles are 3-13 with just...
Pistons holding out Blake Griffin while resolving his futureVideo
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons plan to keep Blake Griffin out of the lineup while he and the organization work out a decision on his future, a sign the star forward’s days with the team could be numbered. “After extensive conversation with Blake’s representatives, it has been determined that we...
UCF hires former Auburn coach Gus MalzahnVideo
Gus Malzahn had planned take a season off from coaching and maybe do some TV work. Then the UCF job opened up. “I truly believe that this is a program of the future in college football,” Malzahn said. “The reason I believe that is the foundation has been built.” Central...
Pelosi says independent commission will examine Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi said the commission will “investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic...
Cavaliers to sit Andre Drummond while pursuing tradeVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers will make center Andre Drummond inactive for upcoming games as they pursue a trade for him, a person familiar with the team’s plans told the Associated Press on Monday. Drummond did not dress for Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers and will continue...
Egypt: Archaeologists unearth ancient beer factory in Abydos
CAIRO — American and Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed what could be the oldest known beer factory at one of the most prominent archaeological sites of ancient Egypt, a top antiquities official said. Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the factory was found in Abydos, an...
Pennsylvania GOP may meet to discuss Toomey impeachment vote
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is planning a meeting to potentially censure U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey amid a growing GOP backlash over his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial, county party officials said Monday. County party chairs said the state GOP chairman, Lawrence Tabas,...
Biden faces questions about commitment to minimum wage hike
WASHINGTON — Union activist Terrence Wise recalls being laughed at when he began pushing for a national $15 per hour minimum wage almost a decade ago. Nearly a year into the pandemic, the idea isn’t so funny. The coronavirus has renewed focus on challenges facing hourly employees who have continued...
Okonjo-Iweala becomes 1st woman, African to lead WTO
FRANKFURT, Germany — Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Monday to head the World Trade Organization, becoming the first woman and first African to take on the role amid rising protectionism and disagreement over how the body decides cases involving billions in sales and thousands of jobs. Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was...
