Asian shares steady after Wall St caps best week since 1974
BANGKOK — Asian shares are steady in quiet Good Friday trading after Wall Street closed out its best week in 45 years thanks to the Federal Reserve's ...
US job losses surge as world leaders urge Easter distancing
NEW YORK — A staggering 16.8 million Americans lost their jobs in just three weeks, a measure of how fast the coronavirus has brought world economies ...
Mad magazine illustrator Mort Drucker dies at 91
NEW YORK — Mort Drucker, the Mad Magazine cartoonist who for decades lovingly spoofed politicians, celebrities and popular culture, died Thursday at 9...
Biden aims to connect with voters one Zoom call at a time
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is America's newest podcast host, recently interviewing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Obama administration's point per...
Biden woos skeptical Sanders backers on health, college debt
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled plans to expand eligibility for Medicare and forgive college debt for millions of Americans, as the presum...
Yellowstone closure likely to delay summer tourist season
CODY, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park likely won't reopen until May or later, delaying the start of its traditional summer season for millions of tou...
Senators block new virus aid, Pelosi decries ‘stunt’
WASHINGTON — Senators torpedoed quick passage of a new coronavirus aid package Thursday, with Democrats rejecting a Trump administration request for $...
Record 16.8 million have sought US jobless aid since virus
WASHINGTON — With a startling 6.6 million people seeking jobless benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: More than one in 1...
Lockdowns mean millions of women can’t reach birth control
JOHANNESBURG — The callers were in tears. One by one, women in homes across rural Zimbabwe had a pleading question: When would family planning service...
AP PHOTOS: Virus stills Iran’s frenetic capital, Tehran
TEHRAN, Iran — The typically frenetic streets of Iran's capital, Tehran, have fallen silent and empty over recent days due to the new coronavirus outb...
Asian shares mixed, Tokyo lower as Wall Street rally fades
BANGKOK — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a 3.4% gain on Wall Street overnight as investors chose a positive focus for data about the coro...
Feds loosen virus rules to let essential workers return
WASHINGTON — In a first, small step toward reopening the country, the Trump administration issued new guidelines Wednesday to make it easier for essen...
Congress in standoff on virus aid but first checks coming
WASHINGTON — Congress is rushing headlong into a conflict over the next coronavirus aid package as White House wants to pump $250 billion into a small...
Saudi officials announce Yemen cease-fire amid pandemic
CAIRO — The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced Wednesday that its forces would begin a cease-fire starti...
VP talk could intensify with Harris fundraising moves
California Sen. Kamala Harris made two notable fundraising moves Wednesday that are sure to fuel speculation about her prospects to be Joe Biden's run...
Countries start thinking about easing up on restrictions
NEW YORK — Even as coronavirus deaths mount across Europe and New York, the U.S. and other countries are starting to contemplate an exit strategy and ...
Review: Alvarez returns with a stunning reflection on loss
“Afterlife,” by Julia Alvarez (Algonquin Books)
Mayor says virus has hit black, Hispanic New Yorkers hard
NEW YORK — New York City's death toll from the coronavirus has been disproportionately high in black and Hispanic communities, and the city is startin...
UN health agency on defensive after Trump slams it on virus
GENEVA — The World Health Organization was on the defensive Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump blasted the U.N. health body over its recommen...
Celebrated singer-songwriter John Prine has died at 73
John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sa...
Masked crowds fill Wuhan’s streets, trains as lockdown ends
WUHAN, China — Amid streets newly bustling with cars and pedestrians, Wang Chun celebrated the lifting of a virus lockdown on her hometown of Wuhan on...
Italy, Spain ICU pressures decline, but emotional toll rises
ROME — Maddalena Ferrari lets herself cry when she takes off the surgical mask she wears even at home to protect her elderly parents from the coronavi...
Census sends paper forms to laggards as Midwest sets pace
ORLANDO, Fla. — If you're a census slacker and haven't yet filled out the form for the 2020 head count, the federal government is trying another way t...
Pandemic deals blow to plastic bag bans, plastic reduction
PORTLAND, Ore. — Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shopp...
DC fights to enforce distancing and braces for looming surge
WASHINGTON — Pick-up basketball games. Crowds gathering at an outdoor fish market. Family hikes along trails in Rock Creek Park. The warmer weather is...
Asian shares mostly lower on worries about pandemic damage
TOKYO — Asian shares were mostly lower, gyrating in early Wednesday trading amid uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak, which continues to claim m...
NYC virus deaths exceed 4,000, topping toll for 9/11 attacks
NEW YORK — New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus rose past 4,000 on Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. ...
Twitter’s Dorsey sets up $1B fund; consumers get some breaks
The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Tuesday related to the gl...