Pen pal program forges connections beyond nursing homes
CONCORD, N.H. — Rich Vanderweit saw the loneliness of older people in the COVID-19 pandemic, and he devised a modest effort to ease their isolation.
American convicted of spying in Russia, gets 16 years
MOSCOW — A Russian court convicted an American corporate security executive Monday of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison after a closed...
Auto workers chief, prosecutor to discuss reforming union
DETROIT — The head of the United Auto Workers will meet this month with the U.S. attorney in Detroit to discuss potential changes for the union follow...
To help distance learning absentees, educators go sleuthing
HARTFORD, Conn. — After a knock on his door, third-grade student Jamie-Lee emerged to see his school principal smiling at him from his doorstep. She h...
Europe’s borders reopen but long road for tourism to recover
BERLIN — Borders opened up across Europe on Monday after three months of coronavirus closures that began so chaotically in March. But many restriction...
Philippine journalist convicted of libel, given 6-year term
MANILA, Philippines — An award-winning journalist critical of the Philippine president was convicted of libel and sentenced to jail Monday in a decisi...
Experts hail swift moves in wake of Atlanta police shooting
Atlanta police on Sunday quickly released body-camera and other footage that captured the shooting death of a black man by a white officer who was swi...
Accuracy still unknown for many coronavirus tests rushed out
WASHINGTON — How accurate are the coronavirus tests used in the U.S.?
Russia’s low virus death toll still raises questions in West
MOSCOW — When Leonid Shlykov's father, Sergei, died in a Moscow hospital last month after 11 days on a ventilator, the death certificate listed the co...
As US seethes over race, Trump calls out ‘evil of slavery’
WEST POINT. N.Y. — As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Point's graduating class Saturday to “ne...
Atlanta police chief resigns after fatal police shooting
ATLANTA — Atlanta's police chief resigned Saturday hours after a black man was fatally shot by officers in a struggle following a field sobriety test....
Spike in deaths in Darfur points to virus’ invisible spread
CAIRO — In the sprawling refugee camps of Darfur, the war-scarred western region of Sudan, officials say the elderly are falling sick and dying at ast...
Lives Lost: Weatherman built career on skills learned in war
PORTLAND, Maine — Robert Fleury knew he wanted to serve his country when he was a teenager, so he signed up for one of the most remote assignments in ...
Blue shirts, no ties: New dress code for Mormon missionaries
SALT LAKE CITY — The white shirts and ties that have long been the signature outfit for young men serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of L...
Trump says chokeholds by police should generally ‘be ended’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he’d like to see an end to the police use of chokeholds, except in certain circumstances.
Some states hit pause, others press on amid spike in virus
AUSTIN, Texas — Utah and Oregon put any further reopening of their economies on hold amid a spike in coronavirus cases, but there was no turning back ...
Q&A: What’s next for Seattle protesters’ ‘autonomous zone’?
SEATTLE — For nearly a week, people opposing police brutality and racial injustice have turned a Seattle neighborhood into ground zero for their prote...
Lebanese fear currency will further tumble despite promises
BEIRUT — For months, Kamal Nasser, a successful plumbing contractor in Lebanon, has seen his business base erode.
‘Denied the truth’ says son of black man who died in custody
SHREVEPORT, La. — The son of a black man who died in police custody in Louisiana after a videotaped altercation that appears to show officers hitting ...
Fed says ‘full range of tools’ in play to counter pandemic
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is promising to use its “full range of tools” to pull the country out of a recession brought on by a global pandemic,...
A dozen Confederates are honored with US Capitol statues
WASHINGTON — At least 12 figures in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection honor men who gave their allegiance to the Confederate States...
Minnesota pardons black man in century-old lynching case
Minnesota's pardons board on Friday granted a posthumous pardon to a black man imprisoned a century ago in the alleged rape of a white woman, part of ...
Retail sales look to recover; nations eye economic concerns
The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Friday related to the nat...
Syria economic meltdown presents new challenge for Assad
BEIRUT — In scenes not witnessed for years in government-controlled parts of Syria, dozens of men and women marched through the streets this week, pro...
Indian capital’s crematoriums overwhelmed with virus dead
NEW DELHI — When Raj Singh’s 70-year-old mother died from the coronavirus in India's capital, he took comfort in the prospect of a proper cremation, t...
Historical figures reassessed around globe after Floyd death
The rapidly unfolding movement to pull down Confederate monuments around the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police has exten...
Downplaying virus risk, Trump gets back to business as usual
WASHINGTON — At the White House, aides now routinely flout internal rules requiring face masks. The president's campaign is again scheduling mass aren...
AP PHOTOS: Venezuelan migrants make long trek back home
BOGOTA, Colombia — A couple pushing their 6-month-old twins in a stroller. A family with their life’s belongings stuffed into one large cloth sack. Yo...
Authorities: Suspect in ambush on California deputy is dead
LOS ANGELES — A gunman believed to have shot a Central California sheriff's deputy and targeted others in a series of attacks was shot dead Thursday a...