PIURA, Peru — Residents of Pedregal Grande, a poor neighborhood in the Peruvian city of Piura, receive water for only 30 minutes a day because of shortages, forcing them to collect it in plastic tanks that have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Scorching temperatures and a lack of air conditioning force people out of their … Read more
TOKYO — Only 1,100 lucky audience members were there to hear the yet-to-be published short story “Kaho,” read aloud by bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami himself. The reading took place at a Friday night book event called “The Owl Reads in Spring” — a fundraiser for the Waseda International House of Literature library at Murakami’s … Read more
SANTA FE, N.M. — A movie director who was shot by Alec Baldwin during a movie rehearsal — and survived — testified Friday at trial that he was approaching the cinematographer when he heard a loud bang and felt the bullet’s impact. “It felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my shoulder,” said … Read more
SALEM, Ore. — A bill recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs was passed by the Oregon Legislature on Friday, undoing a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law as governments struggle to respond to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. The state Senate approved House Bill 4002 in a 21-8 … Read more
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dalano Banton scored a season-high 19 points, Jabari Walker also had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a nine-game skid by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 122-92 on Friday night. Duop Reath added 18 points for the Trail Blazers, who led the entire game while winning for only … Read more
NEW YORK — Iris Apfel, a textile expert, interior designer and fashion celebrity known for her eccentric style, has died. She was 102. Her death was confirmed by her commercial agent, Lori Sale, who called Apfel “extraordinary.” No cause of death was given. It was also announced on her verified Instagram page on Friday, which … Read more
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Groups representing Alabama doctors and hospitals urged the state Supreme Court on Friday to revisit a decision equating frozen embryos to children, saying the ruling is blocking fertility treatments and harming the medical community. The Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Hospital Association filed a brief supporting a … Read more
For a few years, the Oscars looked to be hanging on by a thread. Viewership was plummeting. The pandemic didn’t help. And the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind Hollywood’s biggest night, kept finding itself on the wrong side of the conversation, whether it be #OscarsSoWhite, envelope-gate, the blip that was … Read more
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian singer who won a Grammy presented by U.S. first lady Jill Biden has been sentenced to more than three years in prison over his anthem supporting the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Shervin Hajipour posted on Instagram on Friday, the same day that Iran held … Read more
NEW YORK — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday demanded that a county on Long Island scuttle its new prohibition against transgender women and girls competing in female sports. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman issued an executive order on Feb. 22 banning sports organizations from county-run athletic facilities if they allow transgender girls … Read more
