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Pope replaces saint-making chief as corruption scandal grows

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis named a new head for the Vatican’s saint-making office Thursday to replace the once-powerful cardinal at the center of a growing corruption scandal that has raised questions about the curre…

Israel OKs more than 3,000 West Bank settlement homes

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Thursday pressed forward on plans for more than 3,000 West Bank settlement homes, making 2020 one of the most prolific years for settlement building, according to a settlement watc…

India rejects China criticism of development of border area

NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Thursday rejected criticism from China of its infrastructure building in border areas which Beijing has described as a root cause of surging tensions between the two countries.

Pandemic driving children back to work, jeopardizing gains

JOTOLCHEN, Mexico (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is threatening the future of a generation of the world’s children, depriving them of schooling and sending them to work. Across the developing world, two decades of…

Embed-Chart-Unemployment Benefits-Initial Claims, ADVISORY

VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS-INITIAL CLAIMS — Chart. This digital embed shows the national weekly initial jobless claims of U.S. workers over time, which has been highly elevated since the coronavirus outbr…

After Americans freed, Yemen sides swap prisoners

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's warring sides on Thursday kicked off a long-awaited prisoner exchange, a day after the country's Iran-backed rebels freed two Americans and released the remains of a third who had died i…

Escaped Kentucky inmate captured in southern Indiana

HANOVER, Ind. (AP) — An inmate who escaped from a Kentucky jail last month by climbing through a hole in a jail window has been captured in southern Indiana, authorities said.

Minnesota town residents oppose church listed as hate group

MURDOCK, Minn. (AP) — Residents packed a town hall in a tiny western Minnesota community to voice opposition to plans by a controversial Nordic heritage church that has been identified as a white supremacist group.

The Latest: Dr. Fauci criticizing concept of 'herd immunity'

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci is criticizing a declaration by a group of scientists that supports the concept of “herd immunity,” which the White House is using to bolster a push to reopen schools and businesses.

Over 5,600 Afghan families displaced by fighting in south

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Renewed fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces in southern Helmand province has forced more than 5,600 families to flee their homes, officials said Thursday, the l…

AP Entertainment Digest for Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020

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US layoffs remain elevated as 898,000 seek jobless aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 898,000, a historically high number and evidence that layoffs remain a hindrance to the economy’s recovery from the pandemic…

The Latest: London at second-highest coronavirus alert level

LONDON — Britain’s health secretary says London has moved to the second-highest coronavirus alert level amid a rise in cases.

US official holds Beirut meetings after Israel-Lebanon talks

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s parliament speaker met Thursday with a visiting U.S. official, a day after Beirut began indirect negotiations with Israel over their disputed maritime border.