Associated Press
Latest stories
Lewandowski to miss game because of hamstring problem

Robert Lewandowski will miss Barcelona's friendly match on Sunday because of a hamstring problem, the Catalan club said Friday.

Barcelona will host Italian club Como in the traditional curtain-raising Joan Gamper Trophy game before its La Liga campaign starts Aug. 16 against Mallorca.

W140 Full Story
US at plastics treaty talks in rare international participation under Trump

Under President Donald Trump's leadership, the United States has withdrawn from international negotiations and commitments, particularly around climate. But the U.S. is very much involved in treaty talks for a global accord to end plastic pollution.

Nations kicked off a meeting Tuesday in Geneva to try to complete a landmark treaty over 10 days to end the spiraling plastic pollution crisis. The biggest issue is whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic, or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organizations.

W140 Full Story
Stocks rise on Wall Street and hold on to weekly gains

Stocks rose in morning trading on Wall Street Friday, keeping the market on track for its third weekly gain in the last four.

The S&P 500 was up 0.6% and sitting just below its record. The benchmark index is on track to recover most of its losses from a slide last week.

W140 Full Story
High temperatures threaten to reignite blaze after France's largest wildfire in decades

Firefighters and local authorities remained on high alert Friday after France's largest wildfire in decades was contained in the south of the country, amid forecasts of very high temperatures which could reignite the blaze.

Over three days, the fire spread across more than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in the Aude wine region and claimed one life, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes.

W140 Full Story
Flash floods kill at least 10 people and leave 33 missing in northwestern China

At least 10 people died and 33 were missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China's northwestern Gansu province, Chinese state media reported Friday.

Heavy rains since Thursday had triggered flash floods and at least one landslide in mountainous areas near the city of Lanzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

W140 Full Story
Dembélé and Kelly nominated for men's and women's Ballon d'Or awards

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé and England forward Chloe Kelly are among the contenders to win the men's and women's Ballon d'Or award.

The 30 men's and 30 women's nominees were revealed Thursday by France Football magazine, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Sept. 22.

W140 Full Story
Trump says to meet Putin even if Russian leader won't meet with Zelensky

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader will not meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, in comments that suggested Washington and Moscow could soon hold a summit.

Trump's comments followed a statement from Putin earlier in the day that he hoped to meet with Trump next week, possibly in the United Arab Emirates. But the White House was still working through the details of any potential meetings, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

W140 Full Story
Trump opens door for private equity and crypto as 401(k) retirement plan options

Millions of Americans saving for retirement through 401(k) accounts could have the option of putting their money in higher-risk private equity and cryptocurrency investments, according to an executive order signed Thursday by President Donald Trump that could give those financial players long-sought access to a pool of funds worth trillions.

There is no immediate change in how people invest part of their work earnings. Federal agencies would need to rewrite rules and regulations to allow the expanded choices, and that would take months or more to complete. But once done, employers could offer a broader array of mutual funds and investments to workers, according to the White House. New plans could invest in alternative assets, particularly private equity, cryptocurrencies and real estate.

W140 Full Story
Japanese warships visit New Zealand's capital for the first time in almost 90 years

Japanese warships docked in New Zealand 's capital Friday for the first time in almost 90 years amid efforts by Tokyo to deepen its strategic ties in the South Pacific Ocean.

Two destroyers with more than 500 crew on board sailed into Wellington harbor accompanied by the New Zealand navy ship HMNZS Canterbury. The JS Ise and destroyer JS Suzunami were on an Indo-Pacific deployment and arrived from Sydney, where Japan's military took part this month in war games involving New Zealand, Australia and other countries.

W140 Full Story
Ukrainian troops have little hope for peace as Trump's deadline for Russia arrives

Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war with Russia, as U.S. President Donald Trump's Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing arrived and he eyed a possible summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict.

Trump's efforts to pressure Putin have so far delivered no progress. Russia's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their terms for peace.

W140 Full Story