CALIFORNIA (AP) -- Apple introduced a cheaper version of its smartwatch, its latest attempt to broaden the appeal of its trend-setting products while many consumers are forced to scrimp during the coronavirus pandemic. The scaled-down Apple Watch follows on the heels of a budget iPhone the company released five months ago as the economy cratered and unemployment rates rose above the levels reached during the Great Recession more than a decade ago. Apple also took the wraps off a new high-end

Technology Sept. 16, 2020

TOKYO (AP) -- Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new head of Japan's ruling party on Monday, virtually guaranteeing him parliamentary election as the country's next prime minister. Suga received 377 votes in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party election to pick a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced last month that he would resign due to health problems. The other two contenders received a combined 157 votes -- former Foreign minister Fumio Kishida got 89 and former Defense Mini

World News Sept. 14, 2020

General Motors formed its second major electric vehicle partnership in less than a week, this time a $2 billion deal with startup Nikola. GM will take an 11 percent ownership stake in the Phoenix company and will engineer and build Nikola's Badger hydrogen fuel cell and electric pickup truck. The Badger is expected to be in production by the end of 2022. GM also will help with cost reductions for Nikola's other vehicles including heavy trucks, and the company will use GM's battery system and

World Business Sept. 8, 2020

Swedish staff have left the country's embassy in North Korea but the diplomatic mission in Pyongyang remains open and is being staffed by local employees, officials said Tuesday. "The main reason is that we have temporarily relocated our diplomats who are either on holiday or are part of a (scheduled) rotation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Anton Dahlquist said. "Let me stress that we maintain our diplomatic relations with North Korea." But Dahlquist added that "the situ

North Korea Aug. 18, 2020

LONDON (AP) -- The Rolling Stones are threatening President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies despite cease-and-desist directives. The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump‘s reelection campaign. "The BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorized use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licensing

World News June 28, 2020

NEW YORK (AP)  -- There will be protest, and rainbow flags and performances -- it is LGBTQ Pride, after all. But what is normally an outpouring on the streets of New York City is going to look a little different this year, thanks to social distancing rules required by the coronavirus. With the city‘s massive Pride parade canceled, the performances Sunday will be virtual, the flags will be flying in emptier than normal spaces, and the protesters will be masked. The disruption

World News June 28, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) -- Protests erupting across the nation over the past week -- and law enforcement's response to them -- are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to track and contain the spread of coronavirus  just as those efforts were finally getting underway. Health experts need newly infected people to remember and recount everyone they've interacted with over several days in order to alert others who may have been exposed, and prevent them from spreading the disease fur

World News June 1, 2020

ROME (AP) -- The first day of June saw coronavirus restrictions ease from Asia to Europe on Monday, even as US protests against police brutality sparked fears of new outbreaks. The Colosseum opened its ancient doors in Rome, ferries restarted in Bangladesh, golfers played in Greece, students returned in Britain and Dutch bars and restaurants were free to welcome hungry, thirsty patrons. Countries around the Mediterranean Sea began tentatively to kickoff a summer season in which tourists c

World News June 1, 2020

ORLANDO (AP) -- Walt Disney World plans to reopen its restaurant and entertainment area later this month, though the theme parks and hotels will remain closed. Disney Springs vice president Matt Simon posted Thursday on the official Disney Parks Blog that the area will reopen May 20 with enhanced safety measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Those measures include increased cleaning procedures, the use of appropriate face coverings by both cast members and guests, limited-co

World News May 8, 2020

ATLANTA (AP) -- As the global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, countries took cautious steps toward easing some lockdowns, while fears of infection made even some pandemic-wounded businesses reluctant to reopen. The states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska started loosening restrictions on businesses despite warnings from experts that such steps might be coming too soon. Some owners said they weren’t yet ready to reopen or were doing so only on a limited basis

World News April 26, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump announced what he described as a "temporary suspension of immigration into the United States." But the executive order would bar only those seeking permanent residency, not temporary workers. Trump said Tuesday he would be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a US economy wrecked by the coronavirus. The order would include "certain exemptions," he said, but he declined t

World News April 22, 2020

The South Korean government on Tuesday was looking into US media reports saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was in fragile condition after surgery. Officials from South Korea's Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service said they couldn't immediately confirm the report. CNN cited an anonymous US official who said Kim was in "grave danger" after an unspecified surgery. The Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said it couldn't confirm another r

North Korea April 21, 2020

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — UN experts have recommended blacklisting 14 vessels for violating sanctions against North Korea in a report that accuses the country of increasing illegal coal exports, imports of petroleum products and continuing with cyber attacks on financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges to gain illicit revenue. The 267-page report, obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, also accused North Korea of importing luxury vehicles, watches and liquor and other sanctione

World News April 19, 2020

TOKYO (AP) -- IOC member John Coates, who oversees planning for next year's Tokyo Olympics, has claimed the postponed games could help "kick start" Japan's economy. Japan has been devastated like many countries by the coronavirus pandemic and could be in a recession when the Olympics are to open on July 23, 2021. "These games are a very positive opportunity for an economic stimulus," Coates said in a teleconference on Thursday with the Tokyo organizing committee. "T

International April 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was cutting off US payments to the World Health Organization during the coronavirus pandemic, accusing the organization of failing to do enough to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China. Trump, who had telegraphed his intentions last week, claimed the outbreak could have been contained at its source and that lives could have been saved had the UN health agency done a better job investigating the early reports

World News April 15, 2020