Social Studies (general)

A show inside a cathedral featured raw chickens in diapers. The German president was in the audience

Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

A show inside a cathedral featured raw chickens in diapers. The German president was in the audience

Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

BERLIN (AP) — A performance inside a Catholic cathedral in Germany earlier this month that featured raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers onstage — and the country's president and the local archbishop in the audience — has prompted the church and municipal leaders to apologize that the show “hurt religious feelings."

The show, "Westphalia Side Story,” was part of a May 15 celebration to mark the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany.

Video footage shows one woman and two shirtless men singing “Fleisch ist Fleisch” (“Meat is meat”) — apparently spoofing Austrian band Opus' 1984 pop song “Live is Life” — with scythes and dancing with the dead chickens on a stage in front of Paderborn Cathedral's altar.

Performance company bodytalk said in a statement Friday that the show featured work-in-progress excerpts from “Westphalia Side Story" — which references the American musical "West Side Story."

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

This grab taken from video shows performers dancing as they hold raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers, inside Paderborn's cathedral, Germany, Friday May 16, 2025. (RTL via AP)

This grab taken from video shows performers dancing as they hold raw, plucked chickens wrapped in diapers, inside Paderborn's cathedral, Germany, Friday May 16, 2025. (RTL via AP)

Supreme Court lets Trump end legal protections for 500,000 migrants, exposing more to deportation

Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Supreme Court lets Trump end legal protections for 500,000 migrants, exposing more to deportation

Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.

The justices lifted a lower-court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The decision comes after the court allowed the administration to revoke temporary legal status from about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case.

The court did not explain its reasoning in the brief order, as is typical on its emergency docket. Two justices publicly dissented.

The administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Boston blocked the administration’s push to end the program. The Justice Department argues that the protections for people fleeing turmoil in their home countries were always meant to be temporary, and the Department of Homeland Security has the power to revoke them without court interference.

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

FILE - Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Hudbay Minerals staff evacuate Flin Flon, Man., due to wildfires

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Hudbay Minerals staff evacuate Flin Flon, Man., due to wildfires

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Hudbay Minerals Inc. says its non-essential staff in the Flin Flon, Man., area are evacuating because of wildfires in the region.

The company says it hasn't been actively mining at its Flin Flon site since 2022, but it still runs care and maintenance work and also has services there to support its Snow Lake operation.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba have declared provincewide states of emergency to deal with the wildfires that, in Manitoba, has forced 17,000 residents to evacuate including 6,000 in and around the northwest city of Flin Flon.

Hudbay says the evacuation order because of wildfires will likely affect production at Snow Lake because a large portion of its staff live in Flin Flon, which sits about 200 kilometres west, but it still expects to reach its guidance for the year.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A wildfire in the Flin Flon, Man. area is shown in a government handout photo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — Manitoba Government *MANDATORY CREDIT*

A wildfire in the Flin Flon, Man. area is shown in a government handout photo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — Manitoba Government *MANDATORY CREDIT*

US government is investigating messages impersonating Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles

Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

US government is investigating messages impersonating Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles

Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is investigating after elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures in recent weeks received messages from someone impersonating Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump's chief of staff.

Trump said Wiles is “an amazing woman” and “she can handle it.”

“They breached the phone; they tried to impersonate her,” Trump told reporters on Friday. “Nobody can impersonate her. There's only one Susie.”

A White House official confirmed the investigation Friday and said the White House takes cybersecurity of its staff seriously. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

FILE - White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Canada international Achini Perera takes to the street for Cricket to Conquer Cancer

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Canada international Achini Perera takes to the street for Cricket to Conquer Cancer

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

TORONTO - Achini Perera gets to tick a few boxes Saturday, playing cricket and helping raise money for a good cause.

The Canadian international cricketer is taking part in the inaugural Cricket to Conquer Cancer, a street cricket fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

More than 40 teams will be participating at Celebration Square in suburban Mississauga, Ont., with celebrities including singer Jully Black, former soccer star Dwayne De Rosario and former Raptor Jamaal Magloire and West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite.

Like many taking part, Brathwaite has a personal connection to the cause. His mother is a cancer survivor.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Canadian cricketer Achini Perera (26) is shown in action at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier, which ran March 10-17, 2025, in Buenos Aires, where the Canadian women finished runner-up to the U.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — International Cricket Council (ICC) *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Canadian cricketer Achini Perera (26) is shown in action at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier, which ran March 10-17, 2025, in Buenos Aires, where the Canadian women finished runner-up to the U.S. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — International Cricket Council (ICC) *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Pakistan announces it will send an ambassador to Afghanistan to upgrade diplomatic ties

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Pakistan announces it will send an ambassador to Afghanistan to upgrade diplomatic ties

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan announced Friday that it is upgrading its diplomatic representation in neighboring Afghanistan from chargé d’affaires to ambassador, a move aimed at improving bilateral relations between the two neighbors.

The announcement by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar comes a week after he met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, alongside China’s top diplomat during a trilateral meeting in Beijing.

Hours later, Kabul welcomed the Pakistani decision, saying it will also reciprocate by upgrading ties with Pakistan to ambassador's level.

In a statement, Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, a Taliban Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson, said the elevation of the level of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in many areas.

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Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

Japan’s palace confirms former princess Mako has first baby

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Japan’s palace confirms former princess Mako has first baby

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

TOKYO (AP) — Former Japanese princess Mako Komuro has given birth to her first child, palace officials confirmed Friday, though they gave no details, saying she is no longer a royal member.

The Imperial Household Agency said both the mother and child are in good health, but did not disclose the baby's date of birth or gender.

The former princess, 33, is a niece of Emperor Naruhito. She married a former college classmate Kei Komuro, a commoner, and renounced her royal status in 2021 as required by Japan's Imperial House Law. Days after their marriage, the couple moved to New York where her husband works as a lawyer.

Officials said that while the birth involved a former royal, the palace decided to publicly confirm the news after media reports earlier this month on the baby's arrival. They added that they hoped Mako would live in a quiet environment.

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Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

FILE - Japan's Princess Mako and her fiance Kei Komuro look at each other during a press conference at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, on Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool, File)

FILE - Japan's Princess Mako and her fiance Kei Komuro look at each other during a press conference at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, on Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool, File)

Teen arrested in South Carolina party boat shooting that hurt 11 people

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Teen arrested in South Carolina party boat shooting that hurt 11 people

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. (AP) — A 19-year-old has been taken into custody in Illinois and authorities said they plan to charge him in a shooting that hurt 11 people after a party boat cruise in South Carolina.

The shooting happened Sunday night on a dock in Little River after a fight on the boat during the three-hour cruise, Horry County Police said.

The suspect is expected to be charged with several counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and then officials will seek to extradite him from Lake County, Illinois, back to South Carolina, police said.

The investigation into the shooting continues and more people could be charged, authorities said.

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Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

In this photo provided by the Horry County Police Department, police officers respond to the scene of a shooting on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Little River, S.C. (Horry County Police Department via AP)

In this photo provided by the Horry County Police Department, police officers respond to the scene of a shooting on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Little River, S.C. (Horry County Police Department via AP)

Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike

Associated Press, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Mother of jailed Egyptian democracy activist hospitalized after resuming hunger strike

Associated Press, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

LONDON (AP) — The mother of a pro-democracy activist imprisoned in Egypt is seriously ill in a London hospital after resuming a hunger strike aimed at pressing for her son’s release, her family said Friday.

Laila Soueif was admitted to St Thomas’s Hospital on Thursday night with dangerously low blood sugar levels.

“A couple of hours ago I thought we were going to lose her,” her daughter, Sanaa Souief, said outside the hospital. “The bottom line is, we’re losing her.”

She added: “(Prime Minister) Keir Starmer needs to act now. Not tomorrow, not Monday, but right now.”

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

FILE - Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike for more than 129 days seeking the release of her son Alaa Abdel Fattah from prison in Egypt, sits outside Downing Street in London, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Laila Soueif, who has been on hunger strike for more than 129 days seeking the release of her son Alaa Abdel Fattah from prison in Egypt, sits outside Downing Street in London, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

CFL, nine member clubs donate over $4.5 million to grassroots football programs

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

CFL, nine member clubs donate over $4.5 million to grassroots football programs

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

TORONTO - The CFL and its nine member clubs invested over $4.5 million into amateur football last year.

The league announced Friday that it and the nine franchises combined to donate $4,518,900 to grassroots football initiatives, projects and programs throughout Canada in 2024.

"The community involvement of the CFL, its clubs and players is something that sets us apart from other leagues," said CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston. "To be able, among all of the clubs in the league, to donate over $4.5 million is encouraging participation and exposure to the game and ultimately having kids fall in love with the sport.

"That's wonderful for a number of reasons, one of which is the game of football teaches such great skills that can be applied to life."

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Canadian Football League logo seen on a football during CFL training camp at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont., Sunday, May 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

Canadian Football League logo seen on a football during CFL training camp at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont., Sunday, May 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

Syria’s only female minister says lifting of economic sanctions offers hope for recovery

Ghaith Alsayed, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Syria’s only female minister says lifting of economic sanctions offers hope for recovery

Ghaith Alsayed, The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

DAMASCUS (AP) — The lifting of economic sanctions on Syria will allow the government to begin work on daunting tasks that include fighting corruption and bringing millions of refugees home, Hind Kabawat, the minister of social affairs and labor, told The Associated Press on Friday.

Kabawat is the only woman and the only Christian in the 23-member cabinet formed in March to steer the country during a transitional period after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December. Her portfolio will be one of the most important as the country begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war.

She said moves by the U.S. and the European Union in the past week to at least temporarily lift most of the sanctions that had been imposed on Syria over decades will allow that work to get started.

Before, she said, “we would talk, we would make plans, but nothing could happen on the ground because sanctions were holding everything up and restricting our work.” With the lifting of sanctions they can now move to “implementation.”

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Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Flin Flon, Man., virtually deserted, thousands more evacuees expected as fires rage

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Flin Flon, Man., virtually deserted, thousands more evacuees expected as fires rage

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

WINNIPEG - Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says thousands more evacuees are expected and the city of Flin Flon is virtually deserted as wildfires continue to rage in his province.

Kinew told a Friday news conference that the mayor, councillors, health-care staff and other officials have had to depart Flin Flon.

"The only folks remaining on the ground are firefighters and folks in the office of the fire commissioner and RCMP, who are there to battle the blaze," Kinew said.

"We do expect some very, very challenging conditions in Flin Flon and in the surrounding community."

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Jennifer Chretien and her husband Rob Burroughs sit with their dogs Taco and Gunner on their truck outside of a reception centre for evacuees of the wildfires in northern Manitoba at the Century Arena in Winnipeg, Thursday, May 29, 2025. The couple drove from Flin Flon as evacuations were ordered, and will be spending the night at the community centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

Jennifer Chretien and her husband Rob Burroughs sit with their dogs Taco and Gunner on their truck outside of a reception centre for evacuees of the wildfires in northern Manitoba at the Century Arena in Winnipeg, Thursday, May 29, 2025. The couple drove from Flin Flon as evacuations were ordered, and will be spending the night at the community centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

A suspected drone attack on a hospital in Sudan kills 6, activists say

The Associated Press 2 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — A suspected drone attack by Sudanese paramilitaries Friday hit a hospital in southern Sudan, killing at least six people and knocking the facility out of service, officials and rights advocates said.

The Emergency Lawyers, a rights group, blamed the Rapid Support Forces for the attack on the Obeid International Hospital, al-Dhaman, in Obeid, the capital city of North Kordofan province. At least 15 others were wounded in the attack, it said.

In a statement on social media, the hospital said the attack resulted in severe damage to its main building. Services at the hospital, the main medical facility serving the region, were suspended until further notice, it said.

Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country.

US inflation gauge cools with little sign of tariff impact, so far

Christopher Rugaber, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

US inflation gauge cools with little sign of tariff impact, so far

Christopher Rugaber, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key U.S. inflation gauge slowed last month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs have yet to noticeably push up prices. Spending by Americans slowed despite rising incomes, potentially an early reaction to higher prices on some imported goods.

Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.1% in April compared with a year earlier, down from 2.3% in March and the lowest since September. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier, below the March figure of 2.7%, and the lowest in more than four years. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.

The figures show inflation is still declining from its post-pandemic spike, which reached the highest level in four decades in July 2022. Economists and some business executives have warned that prices will likely head higher as Trump’s widespread tariffs take effect, though the timing and impact of those duties are now in doubt after they were struck down late Wednesday in court.

On a monthly basis, overall prices and core prices both increased just 0.1% from March to April. The cost of big-ticket manufactured goods rose a hefty 0.5%, though that increase was offset by a 0.1 decline in other goods, such as groceries. The cost of services rose just 0.1% from March to April.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

A shopper surveys goods on display in a Costco warehouse Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Lone Tree, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A shopper surveys goods on display in a Costco warehouse Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Lone Tree, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Ukraine says it’s ready to resume talks with Russia but needs clarity on Kremlin’s terms

Illia Novikov, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Ukraine says it’s ready to resume talks with Russia but needs clarity on Kremlin’s terms

Illia Novikov, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is ready to resume direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, following days of uncertainty over whether Kyiv would attend a further meeting proposed by Moscow.

But Ukrainian officials have insisted that the Kremlin provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the more than three-year war, before the two delegations sit down to negotiate.

“Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion,” Andrii Yermak said in a statement on the website of Ukraine’s Presidential Office late Thursday.

"This means it is important to receive Russia’s draft. There is enough time – four days are sufficient for preparing and sending the documents,” Yermak said.

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Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

In this photo taken on May 27, 2025 and provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade press service, a soldier prepares a 120mm mortar to fire towards Russian army positions near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

In this photo taken on May 27, 2025 and provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade press service, a soldier prepares a 120mm mortar to fire towards Russian army positions near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

RioCan REIT asks court to put joint venture with Hudson’s Bay into receivership: docs

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

RioCan REIT asks court to put joint venture with Hudson’s Bay into receivership: docs

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

TORONTO - RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust is pushing to put a joint venture it owns with Hudson's Bay into receivership.

A motion filed late Thursday from the real estate firm asks the Ontario Superior Court to appoint FTI Consulting Canada Inc. receiver of the companies that span the venture.

“The proposed receivership proceedings will provide the appropriate forum to protect the interests of the stakeholders of the joint-venture entities and maximize value,” RioCan’s chief financial officer Dennis Blasutti said in an affidavit filed alongside the motion.

Receivers are empowered by courts to take control of a company’s assets, oversee their liquidation and repay creditors.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

People cycle past the Hudson's Bay department store in downtown Montreal on Monday, March 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

People cycle past the Hudson's Bay department store in downtown Montreal on Monday, March 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Cyprus shows off its new Airbus military helicopters touted as more advanced than what Germany has

Menelaos Hadjicostis, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus on Friday unveiled four of its newly-delivered Airbus H145 helicopters that officials say are among the most advanced rotorcraft in the word with a proven track record that gives the Cypriot National Guard an operational edge.

The helicopter is currently used by Germany, the U.S. Hungary, Belgium, Ireland and other militaries with over 500 variants currently in operation, logging over 8 million flight hours, according to Cyprus Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas.

“The new helicopter is a multi-role, digital instrument that is geared toward the demands of the 21st century,” Palmas told a ceremony at Cyprus’ main Paphos air base.

Two more of the state-of-the-art aircraft will be delivered, while the contract with Airbus allows for the purchase of additional helicopters, said Airbus Senior Vice President for the H145 program Daniela Dudek.

Floods kill at least 111 as northern Nigeria battles climate change, dry spells and heavy rainfall

Taiwo Adebayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Floods kill at least 111 as northern Nigeria battles climate change, dry spells and heavy rainfall

Taiwo Adebayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Torrents of predawn rain unleashed flooding that killed at least 111 people in a market town where northern Nigerian farmers sell their wares to traders from the south, officials said Friday, predicting the death toll would grow.

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency did not immediately say how much rain fell after midnight Thursday in the town of Mokwa in the state of Niger more than 180 miles (300 kilometers) west of Abuja, the capital of Africa's most populous nation.

Communities in northern Nigeria have been experiencing prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change and excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during the brief wet season.

In videos and photos on social media, floodwaters covered neighborhoods and homes were submerged, with their roofs barely visible above the brown colored waters. Waist-deep in water, residents tried to salvage what they could, or rescue others.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

The map above locates Mokwa, Nigeria, where floods have submerged the town and caused at least 100 deaths. (AP Graphic)

The map above locates Mokwa, Nigeria, where floods have submerged the town and caused at least 100 deaths. (AP Graphic)

Live updates: Hamas considers Gaza ceasefire proposal as Israeli strikes kill at least 27

The Associated Press 12 minute read Preview

Live updates: Hamas considers Gaza ceasefire proposal as Israeli strikes kill at least 27

The Associated Press 12 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 27 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial cool response.

President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy had expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement that could halt the Israel-Hamas war, allow more aid into Gaza, and return more of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, around a third of whom are alive.

Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians to the brink of famine.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead.

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

Palestinian children get food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian children get food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Russian captain denies manslaughter in North Sea collision as he faces UK trial

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Russian captain denies manslaughter in North Sea collision as he faces UK trial

The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

LONDON (AP) — The Russian captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker in the North Sea pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of one of his crew at a U.K. court hearing on Friday.

Vladimir Motin, 59, from St. Petersburg, appeared by video link from prison for the pretrial hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court. Assisted by a Russian interpreter, he denied a charge of gross manslaughter over the death of 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia.

Motin was ordered detained until his next hearing, and his trial was set for Jan. 12.

The Portugal-flagged cargo ship Solong was traveling at about 15 knots (17 mph or 28 kph) when it hit the anchored tanker MV Stena Immaculate about 12 miles (19 kilometers) off the coast of northeast England on March 10, sparking a fire that lasted nearly a week. The tanker was transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military.

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Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

FILE - Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in England. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the Yorkshire coast, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in England. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Trump has long warned of a government ‘deep state.’ Now in power, he’s under pressure to expose it

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Trump has long warned of a government ‘deep state.’ Now in power, he’s under pressure to expose it

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 7 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — As he crisscrossed the country in 2024, Donald Trump pledged to supporters that voting him back into the presidency would be “our final battle.”

“With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state,” he said repeatedly on the campaign trail. “We will liberate our country from these tyrants and villains once and for all.”

Four months into his second term, Trump has continued to stoke dark theories involving his predecessors and other powerful politicians and attorneys — most recently raising the specter of nefarious intent behind former President Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign papers. The administration has pledged to reopen investigations and has taken steps to declassify certain documents, including releasing more than 63,000 pages of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Yet many of Trump’s supporters say it’s not enough.

Some who take him at his word are beginning to get restless as they ask why his administration, which holds the keys to chasing down these alleged government secrets, is denying them the evidence and retribution they expected.

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Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, and FBI Director Kash Patel speak during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, and FBI Director Kash Patel speak during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

New Zealand hails ‘breakthrough’ in trade talks with India, but no timeline for deal

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

New Zealand hails ‘breakthrough’ in trade talks with India, but no timeline for deal

The Associated Press 2 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

NEW DELHI (AP) — New Zealand’s deputy prime minister said on Friday that talks over a free trade agreement between his country and India were ongoing, but he didn't provide a timeline for when the two nations could eventually sign a deal.

Winston Peters, who is on a two-day visit to India, said that the negotiations were “going with real meaning now," calling them “a breakthrough in our economic relationship.”

India and New Zealand began negotiations in March for a trade pact, and had aimed to sign a deal in 60 days. The deal will significantly bolster economic ties between the two countries, but it has faced delays because of differences over tariffs on dairy products.

Bilateral trade between India and New Zealand stood at $1.7 billion in the 2023-24 financial year.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, right, climbs a staircase with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on X, via AP)

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, right, climbs a staircase with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in New Delhi, India, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on X, via AP)

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams wins libel case against BBC over claim he sanctioned killing

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams wins libel case against BBC over claim he sanctioned killing

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

LONDON (AP) — Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams won his libel suit against the BBC on Friday over a claim that he authorized the killing of an informant inside the Irish republican movement.

A jury at the High Court in Dublin ruled in Adams’ favor and awarded him 100,000 euros ($113,000) in damages. Jurors deliberated for just under seven hours after the monthlong trial before reaching a verdict, rejecting the BBC's argument that it had acted in good faith and in a “fair and reasonable” way.

Adams sued Britain’s public broadcaster over a claim in a decade-old television documentary and online article that he sanctioned the killing of Denis Donaldson, a long-serving Sinn Fein official who acknowledged in 2005 that he had worked for British intelligence. He was shot dead at his cottage in rural Ireland four months later.

In the BBC program, broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Adams gave “the final say.”

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Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025

Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams walks outside the High Court where he is bringing a legal action against the BBC over allegations about the murder of an MI5 spy in 2006,in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday May 28, 2025. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams walks outside the High Court where he is bringing a legal action against the BBC over allegations about the murder of an MI5 spy in 2006,in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday May 28, 2025. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Prosecutor says suspect in Liverpool soccer parade ramming used vehicle as a weapon

Brian Melley, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Prosecutor says suspect in Liverpool soccer parade ramming used vehicle as a weapon

Brian Melley, The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

LONDON (AP) — The ramming suspect in Liverpool deliberately used his vehicle as a weapon when he plowed his car into a crowd of soccer fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship, a prosecutor said Friday.

Paul Doyle, wearing a black suit, white shirt and gray tie, looked emotional and hung his head during his initial court appearance in Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

Doyle, 53, is charged with dangerous driving and six serious assault charges alleging that he caused or tried to cause grievous bodily harm to the two children and four adults who suffered the worst wounds among the 79 people injured, prosecutor Philip Astbury said.

“He used his vehicle deliberately as a weapon to injure those individuals,” Astbury said.

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Tuesday, Jun. 3, 2025

Fans leave as Police and emergency personnel deal with an incident after a car collided with pedestrians near the Liver Building during the Premier League winners parade in Liverpool, England, Monday, May 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

Fans leave as Police and emergency personnel deal with an incident after a car collided with pedestrians near the Liver Building during the Premier League winners parade in Liverpool, England, Monday, May 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Jon Super)