Associated Press stories, Page 1873
Cher in Pakistan to help ‘world’s loneliest elephant’
ISLAMABAD — Iconic singer and actress Cher is in Pakistan to celebrate the departure of Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant,” who will soon leave a Pakistani zoo for better conditions after years of lobbying by animal rights groups and activists. Because of security concerns, Cher’s schedule was not made...
Putin foe Navalny urges EU to be ready for Russian election
BRUSSELS — Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny urged the European Union to reject the results of Russia’s parliamentary election next year if any candidates are blocked from taking part and he called Friday on the EU to impose sanctions on oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, a corruption investigator...
U.S. agency investigating Tesla front suspension failures
DETROIT — The U.S. government’s road safety agency is investigating complaints that suspensions can fail on nearly 115,000 Tesla electric vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has 43 complaints that linkages near the ball joints can fail, allowing contact between the tire and wheel liner. The probe...
Tokyo Olympic organizers plan to host 18 test events
TOKYO — The postponed Tokyo Olympics are getting a kickstart. Local organizers on Friday announced a series of 18 test events set to begin in March and run into May. The Tokyo Olympics are set to open July 23 after being postponed eight months ago because of the covid-19 pandemic....
Indonesian police move transgender celebrity to private cell
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police have moved a female transgender Instagram celebrity, Millen Cyrus, to a special cell following public outrage over her initial placement in a male detention cell after she was arrested as a suspect in a drug case. “As for her status on her ID, she is...
China slaps 200% tax on Australia wine amid tensions
BEIJING — China on Friday added wine to the growing list of Australian goods barred from its markets in a trade war against Australia over disputes including its support for a probe into the origin of the coronavirus. The Ministry of Commerce imposed import taxes of up to 212.1%, effective...
Report: Former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald tests positive for covid-19
Larry Fitzgerald and fellow Arizona Cardinals receiver Trent Sherfield have been placed on the reserve/covid-19 list. NFL Network reported Fitzgerald tested positive for the coronavirus and will not play against the New England Patriots on Sunday. The team said Fitzgerald (Pitt) and Sherfield were added to the list Thursday, three...
Gibson, Washington roll past Cowboys 41-16 on ThanksgivingVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Antonio Gibson ran for three touchdowns, Alex Smith had a scoring pass and Washington at least temporarily moved into first place in the woeful NFC East with a 41-16 Thanksgiving victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. Gibson’s second score was a 23-yard run on the first...
Antonio Gibson, Washington roll past Cowboys on Thanksgiving
ARLINGTON, Texas — Antonio Gibson ran for three touchdowns, Alex Smith had a scoring pass and Washington at least temporarily moved into first place in the woeful NFC East with a 41-16 Thanksgiving victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. Gibson’s second score was a 23-yard run on the first...
New Jersey man charged in $1.7M theft of armored car outside casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Describing it as “something out of the 1930s,” authorities say a former guard and two others stole more than $1.7 million from an armored car parked outside an Atlantic City casino earlier this month. Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said Tuesday that Dante McCluney of Newark...
Trump says he’ll leave White House if Electoral College seats BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalizes President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory — even as he insisted such a decision would be a “mistake” — as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that “massive fraud” and crooked officials...
Deshaun Watson’s 4 TDs lift Texans to 41-25 win over LionsVideo
DETROIT — Deshaun Watson had a pair of go-ahead touchdown passes in the first half and threw for two more scores in the fourth quarter to help the Houston Texans pull away and beat the Detroit Lions 41-25 Thursday. Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt had an early pick-6 and...
Derek Culver powers No. 15 West Virginia past VCU
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — West Virginia missed its first 10 shots of the game. The Mountaineers still raced to a 13-0 lead over VCU. Derek Culver had 23 points and 15 rebounds to help No. 15 West Virginia beat VCU, 78-66, on Thursday in the Bad Boys Mowers Crossover Classic...
Thousands bid farewell to Maradona in Argentina amid clashesVideo
BUENOS AIRES — Tens of thousands of fans, many weeping, filed past the coffin of soccer superstar Diego Maradona on Thursday in ceremonies that mixed head-of-state-like honors with the chaos of a rowdy stadium. Viewing was halted shortly before 6 p.m. as the family wished and the body of the...
Covid-19 remains biggest opponent for Big Ten football teams
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The coronavirus pandemic was considered by many coaches to be the biggest opponent for Big Ten Conference teams coming into this virus-delayed football season, and it certainly has been. With the annual bragging rights game between Minnesota and No. 18 Wisconsin called off on Tuesday because of...
They’re baaack: Trump and allies still refuse election lossVideo
WASHINGTON — Monday seemed like the end of President Donald Trump’s relentless challenges to the election, after the federal government acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden was the “apparent winner” and Trump cleared the way for cooperation on a transition of power. But his baseless claims have a way of coming back....
Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship
NEW YORK — The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other. Toy companies are targeting stuck-at-home grown-ups with latte-smelling Play-Doh and Legos that turn into Warhols. Those who added a puppy to their family during the pandemic will see tons of gift options for their...
High court blocks N.Y. coronavirus limits on houses of worship
WASHINGTON — As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide, the Supreme Court late Wednesday barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus. The justices split 5-4 with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the majority. It was...
No. 15 WVU men’s basketball opens season with win over South Dakota StateVideo
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — West Virginia faced South Dakota State in its own backyard at the Bad Boys Mowers Crossover Classic just 50 miles from campus, but with no fans in the building due to covid-19 restrictions, it felt like a neutral site for both teams. Miles McBride scored a...
Black Lives Matter flag becomes issue in Florida community
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As demonstrations against police brutality roiled the country earlier this year, Antoine Mickle began noticing the flags going up in his Jacksonville neighborhood declaring “Blue Lives Matter.” For months, those flags hung from his neighbors’ homes. But when Mickle decided to hang a flag of his own...
Delta won’t furlough pilots; job cuts possible at Southwest
DALLAS — Delta Air Lines on Wednesday dropped a threat to furlough more than 1,700 pilots after they ratified a cost-cutting agreement that the airline said was needed to help it cope with a downturn caused by the pandemic. The airline had planned to furlough about 13% of its 12,900...
Trump pardons Michael Flynn, taking direct aim at Russia probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday, taking direct aim in the final days of his administration at a Russia investigation that he has long insisted was motivated by political bias. “It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn...
Joe Biden appeals for unity in Thanksgiving-eve address
WILMINGTON, Del. — In a time of plague and raw division, President-elect Joe Biden appealed for unity Wednesday in a Thanksgiving-eve address to the nation asking Americans to “steel our spines” for a fight against the coronavirus that he predicted would continue for months. But even as he implored Americans...
Stocks move mostly lower even as Nasdaq edges toward record
Stocks are mostly lower on Wall Street in afternoon trading Wednesday, giving back some of their gains from a record-setting climb a day earlier. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% a day after setting an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped below 30,000, a day after crossing that...
The pandemic is changing Hollywood, maybe forever
NEW YORK — “No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on Oct. 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding. A century later, during another pandemic, movies — quotes no longer necessary — are again facing a critical juncture. But...
