Associated Press stories, Page 1607
U.S. health experts urge flu shots to avoid ‘twindemic’
The U.S. is gearing up in case of a bad flu season on top of the continuing covid-19 crisis, with a plea Thursday for Americans to get vaccinated against both. “I get it: We are all tired of talking about vaccines,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for...
18 ex-NBA players charged in $4M health care fraud scheme
NEW YORK — Eighteen former NBA players were charged Thursday with pocketing about $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan in a scam that authorities said involved claiming fictitious medical and dental expenses. “The defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception,” U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told...
Africa welcomes new malaria vaccine as a ‘game-changer’
LAGOS, Nigeria — African health officials are optimistic that the world’s first malaria vaccine endorsed by the World Health Organization will “dramatically change” the way the continent of 1.3 billion people fights the disease. The new malaria vaccine is “a game-changer” in combating the disease which accounts for hundreds of...
Microsoft: Russia behind 58% of detected state-backed hacks
Russia accounted for most state-sponsored hacking detected by Microsoft over the past year, with a 58% share, mostly targeting government agencies and think tanks in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members, the company said. The devastating effectiveness of the long-undetected SolarWinds hack — it mainly...
Tanzanian Abdulrazak Gurnah awarded Nobel literature prize
STOCKHOLM — U.K.-based Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose experience of crossing continents and cultures has fed his novels about the impact of migration on individuals and societies, won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday. The Swedish Academy said the award was in recognition of Gurnah’s “uncompromising and compassionate penetration...
Baylor, West Virginia trying to get run games going again
Baylor wants to regain its swagger in the run game. West Virginia would be satisfied with any progress. The Bears and Mountaineers meet Saturday in Waco, Texas, after both lost games in which they failed to score in the first half. Baylor had averaged 272 rushing yards in its first...
Stocks close higher as receding debt fears spur rally
Technology companies helped lift stocks Thursday on Wall Street broadly higher as investors welcomed the end of a standoff in Congress over extending the federal debt ceiling. An agreement to temporarily extend the government’s borrowing authority into December gives lawmakers more time to reach a permanent solution, averting for now...
Oklahoma schools leader switches parties to run for governor
OKLAHOMA CITY — State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who has clashed repeatedly with Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and his appointees over the state’s response to covid-19 in schools, said Thursday she will switch parties and run as a Democrat against him next year. A longtime Republican first elected in 2014, Hofmeister...
Senate dodges debt disaster, votes to extend borrowing
WASHINGTON — The Senate dodged a U.S. debt disaster Thursday night, voting to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December and temporarily avert an unprecedented federal default that experts warned would devastate the economy and harm millions of Americans. The vote of 50-48 in support of the bill to raise...
Canada’s NHL teams embrace return to normal divisions
TORONTO — Tyler Toffoli had just filled the net on back-to-back nights against his former team. The Montreal winger registered a hat trick in a 6-5 shootout loss to Vancouver and followed that up with two goals and an assist 24 hours later in a 7-3 victory. Toffoli then spent...
State TV says Iranian speedboats intercepted U.S. Navy vessel
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV reported Thursday that speedboats belonging to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard have intercepted a U.S. vessel in the Persian Gulf. A U.S. Navy spokesman said he was not aware of any such encounter at sea over the past days. The region remains on edge...
U.S. jobless claims fall to 326,000, first drop in 4 weeks
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, another sign that the U.S. job market and economy continue their steady recovery from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims fell by 38,000 to 326,000, the first drop in four weeks, the Labor Department said Thursday. Since...
Pfizer’s request to OK shots for kids a relief for parentsVideo
Parents tired of worrying about classroom outbreaks and sick of telling their elementary school-age children no to sleepovers and family gatherings felt a wave of relief Thursday when Pfizer asked the U.S. government to authorize its covid-19 vaccine for youngsters ages 5 to 11. If regulators give the go-ahead, reduced-dose...
Strong earthquake in southwest Pakistan kills at least 23
QUETTA, Pakistan — A powerful earthquake collapsed at least one coal mine and dozens of mud houses in southwest Pakistan early Thursday, killing at least 23 people as the death toll continued to creep higher. At least another 200 people were injured, an official said. The death tally was expected...
Shell warns of possible $500 million hit from Hurricane Ida
LONDON — Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell warned Thursday that it will take an earnings hit of up to $500 million as a result of the disruptions caused by Hurricane Ida, which hit the Gulf of Mexico in late August. In an update to shareholders, the company said the hurricane,...
Chris Taylor hits walk-off HR, Dodgers beat Cards in wild-cardVideo
LOS ANGELES — Chris Taylor hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers past the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Wednesday night in the NL wild-card game. The 106-win Dodgers advanced to a best-of-five NL Division Series against the rival Giants. Game...
Montreal star goaltender Carey Price steps away for mental health help
MONTREAL — Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has voluntarily entered the NHL/NHL Players’ Association joint player assistance program, a stunning announcement Thursday less than a week before start of the season and just three months after the former NHL MVP backstopped Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. The league and players’...
Thai riverside restaurant finds silver lining in floods
NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its water-logged deck to eat amid the lapping tide. Now, instead of empty chairs and vacant tables, the Chaopraya Antique Café is as full as ever, offering an...
IndyCar rookies Jimmie Johnson, Romain Grosjean take first laps on Indy’s famed ovalVideo
Jimmie Johnson’s “childhood dream came true” Wednesday when he drove an Indy car on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first time. Next up the Indianapolis 500? Not quite yet. “I’m as close as I’ve ever been,” Johnson said. “The racer in me is taking a real serious...
QB, line questions haunt No. 14 Notre Dame ahead of game at Virginia TechVideo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Coach Brian Kelly knows who No. 14 Notre Dame’s starting quarterback is and he doesn’t plan to reveal it before Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. “We know exactly who it is,” Kelly said Monday. “We’re going to have one guy, and we’re going to let him...
Judge orders Texas to suspend new law banning most abortions
AUSTIN — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Texas to suspend the most restrictive abortion law in the United States, which since September has banned most abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state. The order by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman is the first legal blow to the Texas law...
Indians manager, New Brighton native Terry Francona confident he’ll return in 2022Video
CLEVELAND — Indians manager Terry Francona is confident he’ll return next season after missing most of the past two because of serious health issues. Francona, a New Brighton native, was forced to step away from the club in late July to undergo hip replacement surgery as well as a procedure...
Scrappy defending AL champ Rays poised to open ALDS against big-market Red SoxVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have won more games than any other team in the American League over the past two seasons, going about their business with a quiet confidence that has the full attention of the Boston Red Sox. The AL East rivals meet in a...
77-year-old Tony La Russa back in MLB postseason with White Sox against AstrosVideo
HOUSTON — A three-time World Series winner, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa certainly couldn’t be nervous as his team prepares for the opener of a best-of-five AL Division Series against the Houston Astros on Thursday. Except he is — and it has nothing to do with the Hall...
MLB finalizing policy to mandate vaccine for minor leaguers
Major League Baseball is finalizing a policy that will mandate covid-19 vaccines for minor league players for the 2022 season. While the league could face legal challenges in requiring vaccination for major leaguers without the cooperation of the players association, minor leaguers are not included in the big league union....
