Asia Today: Japan debuts robots at hotels for virus patients
BANGKOK — Robot staff debuted at a Tokyo hotel used for mildly sick coronavirus patients under a new plan to free up beds at hospitals overburdened wi...
Queen and Adam Lambert honor global COVID-19 ‘Champions’
LONDON — Queen and singer Adam Lambert have a message for workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight: “You Are the Champions.”
‘Goonies’ cast, ‘Flintstones’ rescue TV viewers in pandemic
LOS ANGELES — Josh Gad had a notion about what might soothe the kid in him during a scary time and maybe do the same for others. The actor got to work...
Producer’s memoir talks life of hits, magic of Ed Van Halen
SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. — In a life full of magical musical moments, few compare for Ted Templeman to the night he first saw Van Halen in a mostly empt...
Dalla Torre, grand master of Knights of Malta, dies at 75
ROME — Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, an Italian aristocrat who steered the ancient Knights of Malta religious order after an institut...
Religious freedom watchdog pitches adding India to blacklist
NEW YORK — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is urging that the State Department add India to its list of nations with uniquely p...
Storybooks, radio connect kids isolated in far-flung Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — All it takes is a few words from a storybook to connect kids over the crackle of an AM radio station. It's not 1950s entertainment...
Charlize Theron launches initiative to fight gender violence
LOS ANGELES — Actress Charlize Theron and her foundation are committing $1 million to coronavirus relief efforts, with half of that dedicated to fight...
Virus spread scales down Warsaw Ghetto commemoration events
WARSAW, Poland — Sirens wailed and Jewish prayers were said for the heroes of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising, but the annual memorial observances wer...
Teachers on TV: Classes hit the airwaves during pandemic
TRENTON, N.J. — Using his cat’s blanket as green screen, history teacher Bill Smith recorded himself teaching a lesson on New Jersey’s underground rai...
TV doctors Oz and Phil explaining controversial Fox comments
NEW YORK — Two television doctors — Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil — are finding themselves trying to explain comments they made about coronavirus restrictions d...
NOT REAL NEWS: More falsehoods around the novel coronavirus
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared wid...
Louis Armstrong org starts COVID-19 fund for jazz musicians
NEW YORK — The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation has launched a $1 million emergency fund to support freelance New York City-area jazz musicians ...
Muslims grapple with Ramadan rituals in coronavirus era
WINTER PARK, Fla. — Seattle resident Maggie Mohamed was looking forward to spending the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in her native Egypt.
Amid lockdown, Danes find way to celebrate queen’s birthday
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Observing social distancing, Danes on Thursday sang birthday songs from homes, balconies, parks and public gardens to honor popu...
Feds: Online drug dealer planned to bomb Nebraska pharmacy
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A Maryland man who operated an online drug dealing website engaged in extensive plans to bomb and burn down a competing pharmacy i...
Devin Booker wins NBA 2K20 Players in all-Phoenix Suns final
Devin Booker won the NBA 2K20 Players Tournament on Saturday night, sweeping Phoenix Suns teammate Deandre Ayton in the best-of-three final.
Pope: Easter gives hope in our ‘darkest hour,’ despite fear
VATICAN CITY — Easter offers a message of hope in people’s “darkest hour," Pope Francis said, as he celebrated a late-night vigil Mass Saturday in St....
Church software companies rush to accommodate surge in usage
(RNS) — As in-person worship services and religious gatherings have been shut down around much of the country, faith leaders have been left scrambling...
Mosques, streets quiet as Indonesia’s capital tightens rules
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Mosques usually filled for Friday prayers and streets normally clogged with cars and motorcycles were empty as authorities in Ind...
Pope hails priests, health workers as ‘the saints next door’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Holy Thursday hailed priests and medical staff who tend to the needs of COVID-19 patients as “the saints next door.”
Dreaded uptick worldwide of dead spiritual leaders
The Louisiana pastor who preached courage from his deathbed. The nun who always insisted that her order “get down to brass tacks,” and help people. Th...
The Latest: Bars, clubs in Seoul closed to halt virus spread
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and pe...
The Cuomo show, Andrew and Chris, enliven coronavirus TV
NEW YORK — With all their familial love and drama, the Cuomo brothers — Andrew during the daytime, Chris at night — have become compelling figures in ...
DiCaprio, others launch $12M coronavirus relief food fund
LOS ANGELES — Leonardo DiCaprio will help launch America’s Food Fund, which has already raised $12 million to help communities impacted by the coronav...
Caylee Hammack’s band went from concerts to mowing lawns
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country singer Caylee Hammack and her band are facing months without income after the concert industry came to a halt to prevent th...
A ‘Solidarity Menu’ for poor Colombians, migrant Venezuelans
Emiliano Moscoso fights back tears.
Virus forces religions to improvise, isolate for holidays
SILVER SPRING, MD. — The global pandemic is upending the season’s major religious holidays, forcing leaders and practitioners across the spectrum to i...