Albert Wagner 
RIO DE JANEIRO – To thunderous applause, Rio de Janeiro’s mayor coronated King Momo on Friday, marking the beginning of the symbolic Carnival monarch’s five-day reign over the revelry. “I officially declare Carnival 2024 open!” King Momo said after Mayor Eduardo Paes bestowed upon him a gigantic, silver and gold key. Confetti flew … Read more
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A central Ohio city agreed this week to a settlement with a former K-9 officer and a truck driver involved in an attack last year, video of which garnered national attention and raised questions about the use of dogs to apprehend suspects. Records shared with The Associated Press by the … Read more
It’s National Pizza Day – so let’s wrap ourselves in the warm, gooey embrace of cheese, settle into a heavenly array of toppings and chomp down on some delectable crust. The celebration comes every Feb. 9, but it’s hardly the only pizza-positive spot on the calendar. Still to come: National Cheese Pizza Day … Read more
JASPER, Ala. – The theft of a giant radio tower has silenced what used to be the voice of a small Alabama town and the surrounding county, the radio station’s general manager said. A thief or thieves made off with the 200-foot (61-metre) tower, shutting down WJLX radio in Jasper, Alabama. So far, … Read more
OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma judge agreed to step down Friday after she was caught sending hundreds of texts from the bench while overseeing a murder trial in the killing of a 2-year-old boy, including messages that mocked prosecutors and were sprinkled with emojis. District Judge Traci Soderstrom also agreed to not seek … Read more
SURREY, B.C. – Pierre Poilievre says a Conservative government will establish mandatory minimum prison sentences for people convicted of extortion. The opposition leader says extortion-related crime has skyrocketed with police in multiple provinces dealing with organized crime threats against businesses. Poilievre’s remarks were delivered in a commercial centre in Surrey, B.C., where … Read more
DOHA, Qatar – Canada’s artistic swimming team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a seventh-place finish in the free competition Friday at the world aquatics championships. The result gave Canada the fifth-best aggregate score over the team acrobatic, technical and free competitions among nationals that had not already qualified for the Olympics. … Read more
JERUSALEM – Israel has imposed financial restrictions on the main UN agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip, a measure which prevented a shipment of food for 1.1 million Palestinians from reaching the war-battered enclave, the agency’s director said Friday. The restrictions deepened a crisis between Israel and UNRWA, whose operations have been … Read more
Amazon.com was sued in a proposed U.S. class action accusing the online retailer of violating a consumer protection law by steering hundreds of millions of shoppers to higher-priced items in order to earn extra fees. According to a complaint filed on Thursday in federal court in Seattle, Amazon’s algorithm for choosing what to … Read more
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Astronauts from Turkey, Italy and Sweden returned to Earth on Friday, ending a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. The trio were accompanied by a retired NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the chartered flight. The crew returned in a … Read more
