Associated Press stories, Page 8
NFL and referees agree on a 7-year collective bargaining agreement, avoiding potential work stoppage
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association agreed Friday on a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement that avoids a potential work stoppage and use of replacement officials. The agreement, which was approved by the union’s board of directors and ratified by a vote of the membership, runs through the 2032...
A Canvas outage tied to a cyberattack has wreaked havoc on colleges’ final exam season
Schools and universities across the country are recovering from an outage that knocked down Canvas, an online platform that manages exams, course notes, lecture videos and grades. The disruption tied to a cyberattack hit in the middle of finals period for many colleges, a high-stress time when students and instructors...
Joni Lamb, who started of one of the largest Christian TV networks, has died
Joni Lamb, who with her late husband founded the Daystar Television Network and guided it to become one of the world’s largest Christian TV networks, died Thursday. She was 65. Lamb, the network’s president, had been suffering from serious health issues before sustaining a back injury that caused her health...
UAE reports drone and missile attack after U.S. says it traded fire with Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates said it responded to another Iranian missile barrage on Friday, hours after the U.S. said it traded fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest blows to a shaky month-old ceasefire. The UAE’s Defense Ministry said three...
A massive 11,000-carat ruby has been unearthed in Myanmar’s war-scarred gemstone heartland
BANGKOK — Miners in Myanmar have discovered a rare ruby of enormous size, considered to be the second-largest by weight ever found in the conflict-battered Southeast Asian nation, state media reported Friday. The ruby, measuring 11,000 carats (4.8 pounds), was unearthed near the town of Mogok, in the upper Mandalay...
Bright lights and hot orbs: UFO files shed light on sightings but leave interpretation to the public
WASHINGTON — Buzz Aldrin observing a “fairly bright light source” while aboard the Apollo 11. A mysterious object making “multiple 90-degree turns” at a speedy clip. A blaringly bright object doing corkscrew twists over the skies in Kazakhstan. Those are some of the details in a new batch of files...
Does NHL need more replay reviews for penalties, or would they slow the game?
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour figures the NHL has the best officials in the world. He still thinks they could use some help in sorting through the chaos — both before and after the whistle — that comes with the NHL playoffs. Brind’Amour has backed the idea...
At least 40 killed in Islamic State-affiliated group attack on Congo villages, local group says
KINSHASA, Congo — An Islamic State-affiliated group attacked villages in Congo near the border with Uganda, killing at least 40 people and burning and looting homes, a local civil society group said on Friday. The attacks were carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces overnight from Wednesday through Thursday afternoon,...
Japanese video-game maker Nintendo raises Switch price, forecasts lower profits
TOKYO — Nintendo’s annual profit surged 52% in the last fiscal year, lifted by solid sales of its Switch 2 machines and software, the company announced Friday. The Japanese video-game company behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises also announced it was raising prices, citing challenging business conditions. It recorded...
Spain readies for evacuations as a hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for the Canary Islands
MADRID — Spanish authorities on Friday were preparing to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands, where health officials have said they will perform careful evacuations. The vessel is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off...
LIV Golf had a blank canvas. The PGA Tour could use one as it tries to solve a packed schedule
LIV Golf had a seemingly endless supply of Saudi money that suddenly is coming to an end. Overlooked is another of its assets — this one with no price tag — the PGA Tour would love to have. A blank canvas. Even as LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil was trying...
Formula 1’s electrical revolution is losing spark; V8 power could return
Four races into Formula 1’s new era, and the peak of electrical power’s influence on the sport may already be in the rearview mirror. The Miami Grand Prix was the first under changes that slightly limited the role of the electrical power which has redefined racing this year. The president...
Hurricanes beat Flyers in Game 3, move within a win of 2nd straight sweep
PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, and Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, keying a special teams effort that helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their seventh straight playoff game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes — who...
Trump drives across Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to inspect new blue coating he’s putting on it
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday went on an unannounced trip to the Lincoln Memorial to see the Reflecting Pool after he had it coated in a color he calls “American flag blue.” He did more than just see it — the Republican president was driven across the new...
Southern Poverty Law Center leader pleads not guilty for organization in federal donor fraud case
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday on behalf of the organization to charges that the civil rights group defrauded donors by failing to disclose that money would be paid to informants inside extremist groups. The group’s interim president and CEO, Bryan...
Martin Laird gets in Myrtle Beach as an alternate and leads with a 64
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Martin Laird didn’t find out he was in the Myrtle Beach Classic until Monday. Three days later, he tied his personal-best with nine birdies in a 7-under-par 64 that gave him a one-shot lead Thursday in only his second PGA Tour start of the year. Aaron...
James Comey seeks to cancel upcoming court appearance in North Carolina in Trump threat case
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey asked Thursday to cancel his upcoming court appearance in North Carolina, saying it was unnecessary because he had already surrendered in Virginia and faced a judge on charges that he threatened President Donald Trump. The Department of Justice is supporting the request. Comey...
U.S. isn’t looking at imminent military action in Cuba despite Trump threats, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — The United States is not looking at imminent military action against Havana despite President Donald Trump’s repeated threats that “Cuba is next” and that American warships deployed in the Middle East for the Iran conflict could return by way of the island, U.S. officials say. The officials involved...
Judge rules Trump administration’s cancellation of humanities grants was unconstitutional
The Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $100 million in humanities grants to scholars, writers, research groups and other organizations was unconstitutional, and the Department of Government Efficiency had no authority to end the funding, a federal judge in New York ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in...
How public health officials are tracing people who came in contact with hantavirus victims
NEW YORK — Hantaviruses do not spread easily between people, which makes health officials confident the recent outbreak on a cruise ship that has killed three people will not turn into an epidemic. But, still, they need to make sure. So health officials in several countries are contact tracing: trying...
Ex-Ohio State players, including NFL veterans, to join sexual abuse lawsuit against the school
Thirty former Ohio State football players, including some former NFL players, have agreed to join a federal lawsuit against the university over the sexual abuse of student athletes decades ago by a team doctor, a lawyer in the case said Thursday. The lawyer, Rocky Ratliff, said in an interview that...
U.S. military says it intercepted Iranian attacks on 3 Navy ships in Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.” The exchange occurred Thursday as U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in...
Federal court rules against new global tariffs Trump imposed after loss at the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — A federal court ruled Thursday against the new global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued. The...
March Madness tournaments will expand to 76 teams each starting next season
The NCAA announced Thursday that it will expand its two March Madness tournaments by eight teams each next season, a long-expected move that will drop more games into the first week of the highly popular and lucrative showcase without substantially changing its overall form. The new, 76-team brackets will jam...
U.S. will start revoking passports for thousands of parents who owe child support
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department will begin revoking the U.S. passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support. The department told The Associated Press on Thursday that the revocations would begin Friday and be focused on those who owe $100,000 or more. That...
