Associated Press stories, Page 2184
Travelers rush to Moroccan airports for evacuation flights
RABAT, Morocco — Foreigners stranded in locked-down Morocco are getting on evacuation flights Friday as governments try to repatriate their citizens after days of travel frustration. Visitors from around the world have found themselves stuck in Morocco since the North African country suspended all international passenger flights and passenger ships...
Official says 25 Afghan forces killed in insider attack
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 25 police and army personnel were killed in an apparent insider attack early Friday, Afghan officials said. The attack took place in southern Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. Assadullah Kakar, a provincial council member, said the Taliban carried out the attack, but with the assistance...
Africa’s busiest airport says foreigners can’t disembarkVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Anxiety rose in Africa’s richest nation Friday as South Africa announced coronavirus cases jumped to 202, the most in the sub-Saharan region, while the country’s largest airport announced that foreigners would not be allowed to disembark. And state-owned South African Airways suspended all international flights until June. “The...
2020 campaigns go digital amid fears of coronavirus spread
WASHINGTON — No more rallies. No more door-knocking. And no more in-person fundraisers, raking in dollars from dozens of millionaires at once. The coronavirus has disrupted American life, and the 2020 presidential campaign is no exception. Amid calls for social distancing to stop the pandemic’s spread, President Donald Trump and...
Virus pandemic’s reach worsens; 10,000 dead worldwideVideo
PARIS — The U.S. warned Americans to avoid all international travel and told citizens abroad to return now or face an “indefinite” absence, and California’s governor asked all 40 million residents to stay home, to try to slow a pandemic death toll that on Friday surpassed 10,000 people worldwide. Wuhan,...
California governor orders statewide stay-at-home order
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered the state’s 40 million residents to stay at home, restricting non-essential movements to control the spread of the coronavirus that threatens to overwhelm the state’s medical system. “This is a moment we need to make tough decisions,” Newsom said. “We...
The shots that helped put the madness in MarchVideo
This is the time of year people usually start tweeting at Ali Farokhmanesh. The Northern Iowa fans who remember his back-to-back buzzer-beaters to beat UNLV and Kansas and usher the Panthers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a decade ago. The Missouri and Kansas State fans still thankful...
Rockies manager Bud Black pitches doubleheaders to make up gamesVideo
Let’s play two? Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black would be down for doubleheaders. Maybe even a couple a week. That might be a necessity to make up games once a baseball season delayed by the new coronavirus gets underway. “In theory, yeah, I think all of us would be up...
NBA shutters facilities as more players test positive for coronavirusVideo
The number of known coronavirus cases within the NBA doubled to 14 on Thursday, when Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics pleaded with people to take social distancing more seriously and the league ordered all teams to shutter their training facilities indefinitely. Smart revealed he tested positive, and the Los...
Red Sox ace Chris Sale to have Tommy John surgeryVideo
BOSTON — Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, an operation that would keep him out the entire 2020 baseball season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic. The team made the announcement Thursday, two weeks after saying that the...
Saints’ Sean Payton tests positive for coronavirusVideo
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton learned Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, he told ESPN. Payton is the first employee of either an NFL team or the league to make such a diagnosis public. He told the network that he came forward to motivate people...
Cautious optimism on Wall Street sends stocks higher
NEW YORK — Stocks capped a wobbly day on Wall Street with solid gains Thursday, reflecting cautious optimism among investors that emergency action by the U.S. government and central banks will cushion the global economy from a looming recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The swings in the market were...
U.S. seeks $3 billion to boost oil producers as prices plunge
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday that it is seeking $3 billion from Congress to top up the country’s strategic petroleum reserves, potentially propping up U.S. oil producers after crude prices crashed globally. President Trump had directed the Energy Department last week to fill the United States’ emergency stash...
Layoffs spike in U.S., Europe as virus shuts businesses
WASHINGTON — Just a couple of weeks ago, Erika Vega hoped her temp job at a cafeteria would soon become permanent. But instead, the viral outbreak shut down the building where she worked and left her wondering where her next paycheck will come from. Like millions of Americans and people...
Eagles trade pair of picks for Lions CB Darius SlayVideo
Darius Slay got what he was waiting for — a trade out of Detroit and a big new contract. The Lions agreed to trade Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles, ending the standout cornerback’s seven-year stint in Detroit. Agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the trade Thursday and that Slay agreed to a...
AP source: Broncos waiving injured QB Joe FlaccoVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Another veteran NFL quarterback is hitting the open market. The Denver Broncos are waiving Joe Flacco with a failed physical designation, a person with knowledge of the move told the Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the...
Los Angeles Rams release running back Todd GurleyVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams released Todd Gurley, their superstar running back with a massive contract and a troubling injury history. The Rams made the move Thursday, several minutes before roughly $10 million in the three-time Pro Bowl selection’s contract became fully guaranteed. Gurley will consume $20.15 million...
MLB gives minor leaguers spring per diems; salaries TBDVideo
NEW YORK — Minor league players shut out of spring training camps will receive allowances from teams through April 8, and a plan is underway to compensate those players during the postponed portion of the regular season. Major League Baseball said Thursday that minor leaguers will receive their allowances —...
Italian death toll overtakes China’s as virus spreadsVideo
ROME — The death toll in Italy from the coronavirus overtook China’s on Thursday in a stark illustration of how the outbreak has pivoted toward Europe and the United States. Italy, with a population of 60 million, recorded at least 3,405 deaths, or roughly 150 more than in China —...
U.S.-Canada border to close late Friday to non-essential trips
TORONTO — The Canadian government said Thursday the Canada-U.S. border will be closed to all non-essential travel in both directions Friday night. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said it will take “weeks to months” for social-distancing measures in his country to be lifted amid the coronavirus pandemic. Both the U.S....
Trump weighs controls on companies that take coronavirus bailouts
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday the government should take an equity stake in some companies that need bailouts because of devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. economy. Trump told a briefing he has executive authority to curb the impact on businesses. “There’s a lot of...
Rosie O’Donnell revives talk show for one time only
Rosie O’Donnell is reviving her old daytime talk show for one time only — and her guest list is impressive. A who’s-who of Broadway and Hollywood — including Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, Neil Patrick Harris, Morgan Freeman, Gloria Estefan and Barry Manilow — plan to join O’Donnell March...
Minnesota jury acquits sheriff’s deputy in shooting death
STILLWATER, Minn. — A Minnesota sheriff’s deputy was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter on Thursday in the 2018 fatal shooting of a suicidal man who held a gun to his own head as he knelt in the street during a 40-minute standoff with police. Prosecutors said Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian...
England suspends soccer until April 30, will extend season
English soccer authorities reached an unprecedented agreement to extend the season “indefinitely” on Thursday in an effort to complete all competitions disrupted by the virus outbreak that has brought sport almost to a standstill worldwide. As well as announcing that the professional game in England will remain suspended until at...
Celebrities get coronavirus tests, raising concerns of inequality
WASHINGTON — Celebrities, politicians and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn’t have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms. That’s fueling a perception that the wealthy and famous have been able to jump to the...
