Associated Press stories, Page 321
French lawmakers mull banning headscarves in sport. Amnesty International says it’s discriminatory
Amnesty International is urging French lawmakers to reject a bill this week that would ban headscarves in all sporting competitions. The bill is backed by right-wing senators and will be debated from Tuesday in the upper house of the French parliament. Its aim is to ban all “ostensibly religious” clothing...
Hamas says it will free 6 living hostages and hand over 4 bodies, accelerating Gaza releases
CAIRO — A top Hamas leader says the militant group will release six living Israeli hostages Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise increase that apparently comes in return for Israel allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip. The six are the...
American arrested in Moscow on drug smuggling charges is freed ahead of Russia-U.S. talks
Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official. The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Kalob Byers, 28, was detained...
Cambodia passes bill toughening penalties for denial of Khmer Rouge genocide
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodian lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that will toughen penalties for anyone denying that atrocities were carried out in the late 1970s under the rule of the communist Khmer Rouge, whose brutal policies are blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people. A statement...
Pro-Russian hackers attack Italian websites after president compares invasion of Ukraine to Nazis
MILAN — A pro-Russian hacker group attacked Italian government websites on Tuesday in what it said was a reaction to a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella that compared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Nazis’ “wars of conquest.” The NoName57 hacker group, which announced the attacks on social media,...
UN human rights chief accuses Rwanda-backed rebels in east Congo of killing and recruiting children
DAKAR, Senegal — The U.N. human rights chief accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Congo of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid. Volker Türk said in a statement Tuesday that his office “confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23...
Top Russian, U.S. officials discuss improving ties and ending Ukraine war — without Kyiv
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine — talks that reflected a major and rapid change in American foreign policy under President Donald Trump. No Ukrainian officials...
Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid, jeopardizing care for millions
WASHINGTON — Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program. The signing up of millions of additional Americans for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable...
Having already clinched spot in final, U.S. falls to Sweden at 4 Nations Face-Off
BOSTON — The first matchup between the United States and Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off left both sides — and most hockey fans, too — wanting more. And that’s just what they’ll get. The North Americans played their way into a rematch in the championship game, even with the...
Aaron Judge disagrees with Juan Soto saying Mets have better chance for titles than YankeesVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge naturally takes issue with Juan Soto’s conclusion that the New York Mets have a better chance to win World Series titles than the Yankees. Soto left the Yankees as a free agent in December for a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, turning...
‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump, Musk
BOSTON — Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate Monday at rallies corresponding with the Presidents Day holiday. Dubbed “No Kings on Presidents Day” by the 50501 Movement, the latest protests came less than two weeks after a similar nationwide event on Feb. 5...
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon ready to partner with Tom Cruise on ‘Days of Thunder’ sequelVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Help him, Tom Cruise! NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon wants a “Days of Thunder” sequel and said at Daytona International Speedway that he’s been in touch with the Hollywood actor about making the project come to life. “I’ve absolutely talked to Tom about it because...
Why can’t Kyle Larson win the Daytona 500? Jeff Gordon believes defeats are ‘getting in his head’Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Owen Larson called it when he said his dad wouldn’t win the Daytona 500 because “he probably needs to try really hard because he’s not good at superspeedway racing.” The 10-year-old was right in his assessment. Kyle Larson can win just about anywhere in any type of...
Sidney Crosby scores as Canada beats Finland to set up rematch with U.S. in 4 Nations finalVideo
BOSTON — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice. Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist. Sidney Crosby flipped in an empty-netter from center ice after Finland cut a four-goal deficit to one in the final minutes. Canada’s best players came through in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday to earn a...
All 80 aboard Delta flight survive after jet flips upon arrival in TorontoVideo
TORONTO — A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its roof while landing Monday at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, but all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airport’s chief executive said. Snow blown by winds gusting to 40 mph swirled when the flight from...
Notre Dame moves up to No. 1 in AP poll for 1st time since 2019 after UCLA suffers 1st loss
Notre Dame is the new No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll, ascending to the top spot Monday for the first time since 2019. The Fighting Irish replaced UCLA, which lost its first game of the season last week, falling to rival USC, 71-60. Notre Dame...
Mexico awaits new response from Google on dispute over Gulf of Mexico name before filing lawsuit
MEXICO CITY — Mexico said Monday it’s awaiting a new response from Google to its request that the tech company fully restore the name Gulf of Mexico to its Google Maps service before filing a lawsuit. President Claudia Sheinbaum shared a letter addressed to her government from Cris Turner, Google’s...
Top Russian and American officials will hold talks on ending the Ukraine war without Kyiv
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Senior American and Russian officials, including the countries’ top diplomats, will hold talks on improving their ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, officials said Monday, in what would be the most significant meeting between the sides since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its...
Pope will remain hospitalized as doctors treat a complex respiratory tract infection, Vatican says
ROME — Pope Francis’ respiratory infection is presenting a “complex clinical picture” that will require further hospitalization, the Vatican said Monday, as concerns grew about the increasingly frail health of the 88-year-old pontiff. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the results of tests conducted in recent days and Monday indicate the...
Auburn stays at No. 1 in AP Top 25 for 6th straight week, Florida up to No. 2; Louisville returns
Auburn’s win at Alabama assured the Tigers would keep the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a sixth consecutive week. The Tigers (23-2) received 59 of 60 first-place votes in Monday’s poll, reclaiming nearly all the support lost when they fell at...
4 top New York City officials resign as turmoil ripples over Mayor Adams’ corruption case
NEW YORK — Four top deputies to New York City Mayor Eric Adams are resigning in the latest fallout from the Justice Department’s push to end a corruption case against Adams and ensure his cooperation in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — a bargain that has raised questions about the...
Trump nominates Ed Martin, an ally who defended Jan. 6 rioters, to stay as top D.C. federal prosecutor
WASHINGTON — Conservative activist Ed Martin, who echoed Donald Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen 2020 election and defended Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioters, was nominated by the president on Monday to be the top federal prosecutor in Washington on a permanent basis. Martin had been serving as U.S....
Yankees’ Stanton hasn’t swung bat in 3 or 4 weeks and is unsure of whether he can play in opener
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in three or four weeks and isn’t sure whether he will be ready for opening day because of painful tendinitis in both elbows. Speaking Monday before the team’s first full-squad workout, the five-time All-Star revealed he played...
‘Life-threatening cold’ expected as polar vortex stretches across U.S. after deadly weekend floodingVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Harsh weather moved west on Monday as a polar vortex was expected to grip the Rockies and the northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 10 people, including nine victims in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rain....
Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal D.C. plane crash
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had...
