Media

Asia Pacific

Singapore chides Indian politician for false virus claims

08:07 05/19 SINGAPORE — Singapore criticized an Indian politician on Wednesday for making unfounded claims on social media that a new COVID-19 variant in Singapore was particularly harmful to children and could cause a fresh surge of infections in India.

Lifestyle

Webby Awards go to Fauci, Oprah, DuVernay and Pharrell

18:56 05/18 NEW YORK — Dr. Anthony Fauci, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson all won honors Tuesday at the Webby Awards, which recognize the best internet content and creators.

Europe

Swim star Sun Yang’s 3-day retrial at sports court next week

15:21 05/18 LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The retrial in three-time Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang's doping case will be held over three days next week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Tuesday.

Business

Report says Myanmar internet a ‘virtual battlefield’

10:11 05/18 BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military rulers are seeking to limit access to the internet to an internal network of only “whitelisted” sites to quash opposition to their seizure of power, according to a report by the International Crisis Group.

Middle East

The Latest: Biden expresses ‘support’ for Gaza cease-fire

21:47 05/17 WASHINGTON — The White House says President Joe Biden has expressed “support” for a cease-fire during a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Business

Oprah and CNN: AT&T is merging media business with Discovery

19:07 05/17 NEW YORK — The merger of Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia operations, marrying the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey, is another illustration of the head-spinning speed in which streaming has transformed the media world.

Europe

Russia won’t block Twitter, but partial slowdown to continue

16:34 05/17 MOSCOW — Russian authorities on Monday backed away from threats to block Twitter, saying that the social media platform deleted most of the banned content identified by Moscow and expressed “readiness and interest in building a constructive dialogue.”

General News

Israeli warplanes stage more heavy strikes across Gaza City

02:00 05/17 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli warplanes unleashed a new series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza's Hamas rulers would rage on.

General News

The Latest: Israeli jets stage heavy airstrikes in Gaza City

23:07 05/16 GAZA CITY — Israeli warplanes have unleashed a series of heavy airstrikes at several locations of Gaza City.

General News

Israeli strikes kill 37, topple buildings in Gaza City

14:00 05/16 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City flattened three buildings and killed at least 37 people Sunday, medics said, making it the deadliest single attack since heavy fighting broke out between Israel and the territory's militant Hamas rulers nearly a week ago.

Israel

The Latest: China calls for UN council action, slams US

03:40 05/16 The Latest on the continuing violence between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers amid the latest escalation in the Middle East:

General News

‘Shocking and horrifying’: Israel destroys AP office in Gaza

02:55 05/16 JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike on Saturday destroyed a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press office in the Gaza Strip, despite repeated urgent calls from the news agency to the military to halt the impending attack.

General News

Israel strikes Gaza home of Hamas leader, destroys AP office

22:04 05/15 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel slammed the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Saturday, in a dramatic escalation that included bombing the home of a senior Hamas leader, killing a family of 10 in a refugee camp — most of them children — and pulverizing a high-rise that housed The Associated Press and other media.

Middle East

Media demand Israel explain destruction of news offices

21:19 05/15 NEW YORK — News organizations demanded an explanation Saturday for an Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the offices of The Associated Press, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media outlets.

General News

Israel strikes Gaza home of Hamas leader, AP office

21:01 05/15 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel slammed the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Saturday, in a dramatic escalation that included bombing the home of a senior Hamas leader, killing a family of 10 in a refugee camp — most of them children — and pulverizing a high-rise that housed The Associated Press and other media.

General News

Israeli strike destroys Gaza building with AP, other media

15:29 05/15 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike on Saturday targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets. AP’s president said the agency was “shocked and horrified” at the strike.

General News

Israel strike in Gaza destroys building with AP, other media

12:42 05/15 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices of The Associated Press and other media outlets on Friday, the latest step by the military to silence reporting from the territory amid its battle with the militant group Hamas.

Media

Israeli military accused of using media to trick Hamas

08:16 05/15 JERUSALEM — Early Friday, just after midnight, the Israeli military put out an ominous statement to the media: “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.”

Lifestyle

Bang! Breen among media members honored by Hall of Fame

01:37 05/15 UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Mike Breen remembers the way he was taught the game of basketball, and quickly learned that it is best when the five players on the floor work as one.

World News

The Latest: Israeli airstrike on Gaza house kills at least 7

00:30 05/15 JERUSALEM — The Latest on the stepped-up fighting between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers (all times local):

Business

Biden cancels Trump’s planned ‘Garden of American Heroes’

20:28 05/14 WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday put the kibosh on his predecessor's planned “National Garden of American Heroes" and revoked former President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at social media companies' moderation policies and branding American foreign aid.

Europe

Turkish tourism video sparks outcry, unequal treatment claim

16:25 05/14 ISTANBUL — A video promoting tourism in Turkey amid the pandemic has caused an uproar on social media for showing tourism employees wearing masks that read “Enjoy, I’m vaccinated.”

Entertainment

Kardashians reveal mystery behind Nori’s Black Book

16:10 05/14 NEW YORK — Kardashian fans were tickled by a big reveal: A California government worker is behind a mystery social media handle that's been cranking out droll posts from North West's point of view since Kim's eldest was born seven years ago.

Zabihullah Mujahid

Afghan police say Kabul mosque bombing kills 12 worshippers

14:19 05/14 KABUL, Afghanistan — A bomb ripped through a mosque in northern Kabul during Friday prayers, killing 12 worshippers, and wounding 15, Afghan police said.

Entertainment

Marc Maron says Ambies honor long overdue for ‘WTF’ podcast

14:11 05/14 LOS ANGELES — Marc Maron blazed the podcast industry trail attracting millions of listeners with his candid interviews of prominent figures such as Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and President Barack Obama.

Lifestyle

Home cooks find antidote to blandness on TikTok videos

13:43 05/14 From sourdough to feta pasta, much of the last year at home has been food-focused. And one driver of these delectable fads is the social media platform TikTok.

Asia Pacific

Misinformation surges amid India’s COVID-19 calamity

04:21 05/14 NEW DELHI — The man in the WhatsApp video says he has seen it work himself: A few drops of lemon juice in the nose will cure COVID-19.

Business

Conservatives seize on gas crunch to blame Biden, stir base

23:31 05/13 A graphic calling the East Coast fuel supply crunch “Biden’s Gas Crisis.” A tweet speculating that gas stations running dry was an “INSIDE JOB.” A meme depicting the president and vice president cheering about the “Green New Deal” in front of a snaking line at a fuel station.

Business

Judge refuses to free Capitol riot suspect linked to militia

21:04 05/13 A federal judge refused Thursday to free a Texas man whom authorities have accused of planning an attack on a social media company's facility after he returned home from storming the U.S. Capitol.

Business

Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation

15:27 05/13 The couple in the website videos could be hawking any number of products.

Entertainment

‘American Idol’ contestant exits show amid video controversy

13:48 05/13 A 16-year-old “American Idol” contestant has dropped out of the singing competition after a video circulated of him sitting next to someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.

World News

Death of student in China triggers questions, protests

06:13 05/13 TAIPEI, Taiwan — It was a call no parent wants to receive. On Mother's Day, around 9 p.m., a woman in Chengdu in southwestern China was told that her son, who she had dropped off at school just hours ago, had died...

Business

Therapy bunny Alex back as lucky rabbit’s foot for Warriors

02:44 05/12 SAN FRANCISCO — Alex the therapy bunny, a floppy-eared golden rabbit that gained social media fame by capturing the hearts of Giants fans at a game last month, is now visiting the Golden State Warriors in hopes of bringing some good fortune...

Business

California judge dismisses Twitter lawsuit against Texas AG

01:06 05/12 DALLAS — A California judge has dismissed a Twitter lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in which the social medium accused the Republican of using his office to retaliate for Twitter's

Entertainment

Actor Seth Rogen to tell stories in his own Stitcher podcast

13:10 05/11 NEW YORK — Actor Seth Rogen is jumping into the podcast world later this year with a series where he interviews people who have memorable stories to tell about their lives.

Business

Meituan’s stock price plunges after CEO posts Chinese poem

11:07 05/11 SINGAPORE — Shares in Meituan, China’s largest food delivery platform, have tumbled after its CEO posted —and then deleted — an ancient poem in a move widely seen as possible criticism of the Chinese government...

Asia Pacific

AP PHOTOS: 100 days of force and resistance in Myanmar

04:22 05/11 The military takeover of Myanmar early in the morning of Feb. 1 reversed the country's slow climb toward democracy after five decades of army rule.