SHANGRI-LA TOWN, China (AP) — First-grade students, hands folded on their desks, watch a teacher write a brush-like stroke on a blackboard in their Tibetan alphabet. Outside, craggy mountains climb toward the brightest of blue skies. The air is clean and crisp at 2,800 meters (9,100 feet), if a bit thin. The Shangri-La Key Boarding
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo’s three celebrity giant pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November.The zoo’s exchange agreement with the Chinese
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — “Stop the bombs and save lives!” the Palestinian ambassador pleaded at an emotional U.N. meeting Thursday on the war in Gaza. But Israel’s envoy was adamant, declaring again, “We will not rest until Hamas is obliterated.”The war sparked by Gaza’s Hamas rulers’ surprise attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 played out
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of a 39-member global advisory panel to report on international governance of artificial intelligence and its risks, challenges and key opportunities.The U.N. chief told a news conference the gender-balanced, geographically diverse group which spans generations will issue preliminary recommendations by the end
NEW YORK (AP) — A month after federal officials recommended new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten a shot. One expert called the rates “abysmal.” The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from a national survey of
A volunteer youth bowling coach known for encouraging children and a bar manager whose father said died “a hero” were among the at least 18 people killed and 13 injured in two mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. According to Maine State Police, seven people died Wednesday night at Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, six were male
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court ruled Thursday that former prime minister Sali Berisha, who is accused of corruption, must report to prosecutors and not leave the country while his case is under investigation.The ruling came from the country’s Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which was created in 2019 to handle corruption
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace on Thursday urged Greece to abandon a deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean, citing newly published research to argue that its impact on endangered whales and dolphins would be greater than previously believed.The environmental group said a survey last year in waters off southwestern Greece and Crete that are
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday said Russia is executing soldiers who have failed to follow orders and threatening entire units with death if they retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire. It’s a development that U.S. national security officials believe reflects Russia’s morale problems 20 months into its grinding invasion of Ukraine, said White
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Africa’s fashion industry is rapidly growing to meet local and international demands but a lack of adequate investment still limits its full potential, UNESCO said Thursday in its new report released at this year’s Lagos Fashion Week show.Currently valued at $15.5 billion worth of exports annually, the earnings from the continent’s
