Associated Press stories, Page 2298
Death toll rises as storm moves eastwards across Europe
BERLIN — A strong winter storm that has battered Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains has killed several people and caused severe travel disruption on Monday. There were reports of deaths directly linked to the storm with three drivers, one in the southwest of the Czech Republic, one in...
Sony, Amazon drop out of major European tech show over virus
LONDON — Sony and Amazon are the latest companies to pull out of a major European technology show due to fears over the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Sony said Monday it’s scrapping its appearance at Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest mobile industry trade fair, in Barcelona, Spain, this...
U.K. calls virus ‘serious’ health threat; will detain peopleVideo
LONDON — Britain has declared the new coronavirus that emerged from China a “serious and imminent threat to public health” and announced new measures Monday to combat the spread of the disease. The U.K. Department of Health and Social Care said people with the virus can now be forcibly quarantined...
South Koreans explode with joy over ‘Parasite’ Oscar wins
SEOUL, South Korea — South Koreans reacted with rare collective joy Monday after director Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” won the Oscar for best picture and three other awards, good news that came as their country struggles to guard against a new virus and counter North Korea’s nuclear threat. The movie’s...
German leader Merkel’s party in crisis as successor quits
BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s designated successor unexpectedly threw in the towel Monday, plunging her conservative party into deeper crisis as it struggles to agree on its future political direction after losing votes to the far right. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told leading members of the Christian Democratic Union that she...
Puerto Rico governor rejects new deal to cut debt by 70%
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Officials announced a settlement late Sunday with bondholders that would reduce Puerto Rico’s public debt by 70%, but the U.S. territory’s governor swiftly rejected it, saying it puts too heavy a burden on the island’s retirees. The settlement is the biggest one to date since...
Hurricane-force wind pounds U.K. and Europe, upends travel
LONDON — Storm Ciara battered the U.K. and northern Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains Sunday, halting flights and trains and producing heaving seas that closed down ports. Soccer games, farmers’ markets and cultural events were canceled as authorities urged millions of people to stay indoors, away from falling...
Scarlett Johansson among the bombshells on Oscars red carpet
NEW YORK — Scarlett Johansson showed up Sunday for her two-nomination night at the Oscars every bit the bombshell in a Champagne-colored Oscar de la Renta strapless gown embellished to the rafters, while fellow nominee Laura Dern brought her mom as she walked the red carpet in pale pink and...
Canadian Nick Taylor holds off Mickelson for win at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Nick Taylor had more trouble with the wind than he did with Phil Mickelson. The Canadian managed both just fine Sunday and won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for his second career victory. With the gallery eager to see Mickelson add a record sixth victory at...
Police say homicide suspect hired Uber to take victim to hospital
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of beating his girlfriend to death and calling an Uber to take her to a hospital was charged with murder, according to police records. Police said Nicholas Forman buckled 22-year-old Sabrina Harooni’s injured body into an Uber on Monday and had the driver take them...
In a win for the world, ‘Parasite’ takes best picture OscarVideo
LOS ANGELES — Subtitle this: “Parasite” is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards. Bong Joon Ho’s masterfully devious class satire took Hollywood’s top prize at the Oscars on Sunday night, along with awards for best director, best international film...
Utah sends employees to Mexico for lower prescription prices
SALT LAKE CITY — Ann Lovell had never owned a passport before last year. Now, the 62-year-old teacher is a frequent flier, traveling every few months to Tijuana, Mexico, to buy medication for rheumatoid arthritis — with tickets paid for by the state of Utah’s public insurer. Lovell is one...
AP Photos: Kids race llamas in Ecuador’s highlands
LLANGANATES, Ecuador — The tiny rider sat — well, was tied — atop the towering steed that would carry him to victory in the annual llama races at Ecuador’s Llanganates National Park. Wellington Barrera, clad in a wool poncho, sheep-leather pants and a cowboy hat, was the only finisher in...
Florida man charged with driving into GOP voter sign-up tentVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man in Florida is under arrest after he deliberately drove a van into a tent where voters were being registered by local Republicans, authorities in Jacksonville said Sunday. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said via social media that 27-year-old Gregory William Loel Timm has been charged with...
Erik Jones wins crash-fest at Daytona to open NASCAR seasonVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first race of the NASCAR season was a demolition derby that turned Daytona International Speedway into a giant junkyard. The Busch Clash? More like the Busch Crash. Erik Jones won Sunday’s race that left a multi-million dollar trail of destruction and masked the fact the...
Spain, U.K. see new virus cases; French focus on ski resortVideo
LISBON, Portugal — French medical authorities tested scores of children and their families Sunday for the new virus from China, zeroing in on a ski resort in the Alps that appeared linked to new infections in Britain and Spain. The U.K. announced its fourth case of the new virus and...
Ricky Stenhouse claims Daytona 500 pole in debut with new teamVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. needed just two days to get his new team to the top. Stenhouse won the pole Sunday for the season-opening Daytona 500 next weekend, putting JTG-Daugherty Racing in the NASCAR spotlight for a week. Stenhouse’s third pole in 257 Cup Series starts and...
Police: 3 killed, at least two injured in shooting in YoungstownVideo
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A shooting early Sunday near a club in Ohio left three men dead and at least two other people injured, police said. Officers were called to multiple reports of gunfire on the north side of Youngstown shortly before 4 a.m., police said. The shooting occurred in the...
Bubble watch: Purdue makes push for NCAA bid-securing finishVideo
Purdue is positioned to chase down an NCAA Tournament bid, thanks in part to the Big Ten’s depth of quality teams. The Boilermakers had 10 losses by the end of January and are one game better than .500 in conference play. Yet they are ranked No. 26 in the NCAA’s...
Officials: Gun discharge at church security office injures 2 in Lancaster County
LEOLA — An accidental discharge of a gun at a Pennsylvania church on Sunday morning injured two people, church officials said. Officials said the firearm “was accidentally discharged” inside the security office at Worship Center in Upper Leacock Township at about 10 a.m. Sunday. LNP newspaper reported. One of the...
Lindsey Graham: DOJ has process to review Giuliani’s Ukraine infoVideo
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a close ally of President Donald Trump, said Sunday that the Justice Department has established a way to review information gathered in Ukraine by Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has targeted Democrat Joe Biden and his son. Sen. Lindsey Graham,...
Trump’s $4.8 trillion budget proposal revisits rejected cuts
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is offering a $4.8 trillion election-year budget plan that recycles previously rejected cuts to domestic programs to promise a balanced budget in 15 years — all while boosting the military and leaving Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched. Trump’s fiscal 2021 plan, to be released...
Ex-Pirate Morton says he regrets not trying to stop Astros from stealing signsVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two-time All-Star pitcher Charlie Morton said he regrets not doing anything to try to stop the Houston Astros from illegally stealing signs and relaying the information to their hitters during the team’s 2017 World Series championship season. Morton, who pitched seven seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Iran again fails to put satellite into orbit amid U.S. worries
TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian rocket failed to put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, state television reported, the latest setback for a program the U.S. claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. The launch happened at 7:15 p.m. local time at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s Semnan province,...
Unique Illinois privacy law leads to $550M Facebook deal
CHICAGO — Adam Pezen, Carlo Licata and Nimesh Patel are among millions of people who have been tagged in Facebook photos at some point in the past decade, sometimes at the suggestion of an automated tagging feature powered by facial recognition technology. It was their Illinois addresses, though, that put...
