Europe's economy shows modest growth after months of stagnation as rate hikes weigh on businesses
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European economy grew modestly in the most recent quarter, breaking out of a months of stagnation or contraction as higher interest rates designed to fight inflation make it more expensive for households and businesses to borrow, invest and spend.
The 20 countries that use the euro currency and their 346 million people saw 0.3% growth in the April-to-June period, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Monday. That’s an improvement over zero growth in the first quarter of this year and a slight decline in fourth quarter of last year, but not by much.
Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died. Reubens' publicist says he died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement. Reubens said in a statement that his fans should “accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years.”
If it seems like lottery jackpots topping $1 billion are more common noawadays, it's because they are. The latest is a $1.05 billion Mega Millions prize up for grabs Tuesday night. Since 2021, five prizes have topped $1 billion, not counting the latest game. The increased frequency is due to higher interest rates and worsened odds for winning a jackpot. The advertised lottery jackpot is for winners choosing payment through an annuity over 30 years. Higher interest rates mean a lump sum will grow larger when paid through an annuity over decades. And years ago, the odds were changed to make jackpots more rare, allowing prizes to roll over and become larger.
Paul Reubens, comic actor behind zany Pee-wee Herman character, dies of cancer at age 70.
Connor Ketterling and his wife are among millions of Americans who stopped paying on their federal student loans during the pandemic pause.
The San Francisco prosecutor’s office has started laying out its murder case against a tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee. The preliminary hearing began Monday before a judge who will decide if there's enough evidence for a trial against Nima Momeni. Momeni has pleaded not guilty and has remained in jail without bail since his arrest on April 13. That was more than a week after Lee was found bleeding in a deserted part of downtown San Francisco. He later died at a hospital. Prosecutors have argued that Momeni planned the attack, drove Lee to a secluded spot and stabbed him three times after a dispute related to Momeni’s younger sister.
Health care providers in Alabama have filed a lawsuit against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall over threats to prosecute people who help women arrange abortions outside the state. The lawsuit seeks a court declaration and injunction clarifying that the state’s criminal statute can’t be used to prosecute people who help women leave the state to obtain abortions. Meagan Burrows, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union which is representing the providers in the lawsuit, said the threats are an attempt to “effectively extend Alabama’s abortion ban outside of its borders.” Marshall's office did not have an immediate response.
The United States arrived at the Women’s World Cup as the favorites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title. But after an underwhelming draw against the Netherlands, there’s a real chance the Americans can be eliminated in group play for the first time in tournament history. The U.S. plays Portugal in the third and final match of Group E play, and if Portugal pulls off an upset Tuesday at Eden Park in Auckland, the Americans could be in big trouble. The United States needs to either win or draw against Portugal, one of eight teams playing in its first World Cup, to ensure the Americans continue to play in this tournament.
LOS ANGELES — Viola Davis says she is opposed to filming her next movie amid the simmering actors' and writers' labor strikes — even though she has SAG-AFTRA's blessing to do so.
Lady Gaga paid tribute to timeless singer and her "real true friend" Tony Bennett on Sunday, nearly a week after his death. In doing so, she vehemently urged fans take care of their elders.
Churchill Downs will implement safety measures for its September meet including new track surface maintenance equipment and additional monitoring and equine care following 12 horse deaths before and after the Kentucky Derby that spurred suspension of its spring meet. Racing is scheduled to resume Sept. 14 and run through Oct. 1 at the historic track, which paused racing operations on June 7 and moved the meet to Ellis Park. The track will work with HISA and industry experts to predict at-risk horses through advanced analytic techniques and form a safety management committee including horsemen, track employees and veterinarians.
Nathalie Stutzmann has become the second woman to lead a Richard Wagner opera at the Bayreuth Festival. The 58-year-old former contralto, fresh off her first season as Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director, drew a luminous performance of “Tannhäuser” at the Festpielhaus on Friday night in a revival of the Tobias Kratzer 2019 production. Launched by Richard Wagner in 1876 and currently run by great-granddaughter Katharina Wagner, the festival used only men as conductors until Oksana Lyniv led a new staging of “Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)” in 2021. The audience gave the production a boisterous 14-minute standing ovation, and Stutzmann has been invited back for the 2024 festival.
National Park Service rangers say an 8-year-old child has survived a cougar attack with minor injuries. The attack happened Saturday during a camping trip in Olympic National Park in Washington state. Rangers are searching for the animal and have shut down the campsite. Park officials say the cougar casually abandoned its attack after being yelled at by the child’s mother. The child was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Officials began looking for the animal on Sunday. If located, the cougar will be euthanized. Officials say cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extremely rare.
North Carolina Republicans say they are closing in on a final state budget that was supposed to be in place a month ago. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger say a tax deal and other unnamed key differences have been worked out after fruitful negotiations late last week. More talks are ahead. Legislative leaders say the tax agreement would lower rates on individuals more deeply than current law directs. But those deeper reductions wouldn't happen unless North Carolina state coffers meet revenue thresholds. Lawmakers aim to have final budget votes by mid-August. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper would be asked to sign a final bill into law.
Radioactive ooze generated the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse” has helped birth “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” the new animated feature about everyone’s favorite rambunctious, pizza-loving reptiles. Directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears sh…
NEW YORK, N.Y., July 31, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Join the staff and parishioners of the Church of Scientology and Community Center Harlem in a celebration of their July 31 anniversary. “Harlem – it’s pretty much inside of me,” says Phil, an executive at the Church of Scientology Harlem …
The wife of missing Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson said Sunday that she believes her husband used his boat’s life raft and “is still out there somewhere” as Mexican authorities continue their search for the 41-year-old whose boat was found capsized in the Pacific.
Even very successful actors often travel a rough road in their careers. Job opportunities prove erratic and today’s hit comedy may be tomorrow’s dusty DVD. One way actors can smooth the ride is by hosting TV’s multiple game shows. Think Drew Carey, Jane Lynch, Joel McHale.
MIAMI -- A property manager for Donald Trump, who is accused of collaborating with the former president to hinder U.S. government efforts to retrieve classified documents at his Palm Beach estate, appeared in Miami federal court Monday to face obstruction charges.
The National Institutes of Health is starting some studies to test possible treatments for long COVID. Millions of people are estimated to have the mysterious condition. The studies are small but each will tackle multiple possible therapies for things like brain fog, sleep disturbances and the theory that lingering virus may be at least partly to blame. The studies are part of the RECOVER project, which had to unravel what the most common and burdensome symptoms of long COVID are before doing studies.
A Fulton judge on Monday rejected a sweeping push from former President Donald Trump to gut the Fulton County district attorney’s investigation of interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election, which is expected to result in criminal charges in the weeks ahead.
Twitter has reinstated Kanye West’s account after he was suspended eight months for a series of antisemitic posts.
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 31, 2023--
Israel’s Supreme Court says that a full panel of 15 justices would hear petitions in September against a contentious judiciary law that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government passed last week that spurred mass protest. The court said Monday that a hearing concerning the law striking down the high court’s ability to annul government decisions considered “unreasonable” would take place Sept. 12 with a full bench of 15 justices. The Supreme Court typically hears cases with smaller panels, but appears to have opted for a full complement of judges in light of the highly delicate nature of the matter.
A tropical depression is expected to form in the next day or so to the far east of the Caribbean as odds drop for a “short-lived” tropical cyclone to form off North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said Monday.
Attorney General Chris Carr has told a growing number of Republican activists and elected officials that he will run for governor in 2026 to succeed incumbent Brian Kemp, a close political ally who can’t run for a third term.
Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis is taking aim at China with a 10-point economic plan he's calling a “Declaration of Economic Independence.” The Florida governor unveiled his plan Monday at a warehouse in New Hampshire. He promised to boost the economy and fight for the middle class, in part by wresting control from China. His plan calls for ending China's preferential trade status, banning imports of goods made from stolen intellectual property and preventing companies from sharing critical technologies with China. It's the third major policy proposal put forth by DeSantis, whose campaign has struggled in recent weeks.
If you believe Janelle Monae’s hyper-sexual expression is a front, think again. These days, Monae is unapologetically living her truth in a bold manner while trying to avoid negativity. The star, once known for sporting custom-made suits, has shed that attire to nearly bare all like on the cover of her fourth studio album “The Age of Pleasure,” where she’s seen swimming in a topless pool. Other instances of her exposing herself onstage have drawn criticism, which the singer brushes off. Monae spoke recently with The Associated Press about her supportive mother, side-stepping criticism and her upcoming 26-city tour that kicks off in Seattle on Aug. 30.
Hunter Biden’s former business partner has appeared for closed-door testimony on Capitol Hill, with Republicans planning to question him about claims that President Joe Biden was directly involved in his younger son’s financial dealings. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is holding a hourslong, transcribed interview Monday with Devon Archer as part of its expanding congressional inquiry into the Biden family businesses as the party explores a potential impeachment inquiry into the president. Archer served with Hunter Biden on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma. And he is seen by Republicans as a key witness in their so-far fruitless search to connect the president to his son’s various international business transactions.
Matildas fans had to hope for a new scorer with Sam Kerr sidelined yet again. Hayley Raso scored twice in the first half of a 4-0 win over Canada to keep Australia in contention in the Women’s World Cup it is co-hosting. Raso’s opening goal in the 9th minute was her first at a World Cup. Raso says “When I saw the girls put all their hands up, I actually didn’t hear that it was a goal,. I just fell to my knees.” She completed a brace in the 39th to give Australia a 2-0 lead over the Olympic champions. Mary Fowler and Steph Catley added goals in the second half of the win-or-go-home, group-stage game for the Matildas.
For six months in 2020, powerful police spy planes circled Baltimore for 12 hours a day, capturing nearly every movement of the city's residents.
The unsolved murder of the beautiful Dot King captivated New York. But the hype around the case proved insufficient to catch the killer. So what happened? Author Sara DiVello presents years of research in “Broadway Butterfly,” a jazzy true crime historical thriller. Witnesses, detectives and journalists attempt to find out what happened to the ambitious young woman whose life was suddenly and mysteriously snuffed out. Donna Edwards of The Associated Press says DiVello's tone is precise and transportive, replete with ′20s slang and swanky synonyms. “Broadway Butterfly” is scheduled for release on Tuesday from Thomas & Mercer.
The Mega Millions jackpot prize has grown to $1.05 billion ahead of Tuesday’s drawing.
As Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial draws closer, the political fallout inside the GOP is brewing.
For the first time, California’s leading air regulator acknowledged major roadblocks to meeting its ambitious carbon emissions target for 2030, a goal the agency set just months ago in a sweeping plan to tackle climate change.
The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is showcasing some of the best soccer on the planet — and some of the best photographs. Associated Press photographers are covering every match at the month-long tournament, including Zambia's Lushomo Mweemba celebrating a goal against Costa…
A Wisconsin judge has dismissed a GOP state lawmaker’s challenge over military voting records, saying that the lawsuit should have been brought against a local elections official, not the statewide elections commission. Rep. Janel Brandtjen, the former head of the Assembly elections commission who has embraced election conspiracy theories, sued in November to stop military absentee ballots from being counted. Brandtjen and a local veterans group also wanted to obtain a list of military voters to see if local clerks were keeping accurate records, as required by law. A Waukesha County judge refused to sequester military ballots in November and ultimately dismissed the lawsuit on Friday.
