Social Security recipients get a 2.8% cost-of-living boost in 2026, average of $56 per month
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration’s annual cost-of-living adjustment will go up by 2.8% in 2026, translating to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month, agency officials said Friday. The benefits increase for...
In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers
(AP) — In the summers, the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at this Imperial Valley sugarcane field to start his day. He chops, cleans and bundles the crop, taking heed as the sun rises. It’s hard work, but so is starting at 4 a.m., even though he knows...
Russia, warning of tepid growth, cuts key interest rate
MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia’s central bank on Friday cut its benchmark interest rate and said growth had slowed to almost zero as the economy sags under the cost of the Ukraine offensive and Western sanctions. Announcing a trim in borrowing costs to 16.5% from 17%,...
Tanzania’s first female president has defied early hopes that she would ease repression
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Less than six months after Samia Suluhu Hassan was inaugurated as Tanzania’s first woman president in 2021, the country’s most famous cartoonist depicted her in a military general’s uniform under the title “Dictatoress.” In the cartoon...
Rubio tours US-led center in Israel overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza
KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday toured a U.S.-led center in Israel overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, as the Trump administration worked to set up an international security force in the territory and shore up the tenuous...
Picasso portrait of muse Dora Maar in vivid hat, long hidden from view, sells for $37 million
PARIS (AP) — A vividly hued Picasso portrait of longtime muse and partner Dora Maar that had remained out of view for more than eight decades sold Friday at auction for 32 million euros (about $37 million), including fees. Painted in July 1943, “Bust of a...
Bear kills another person in Japan in record year for fatal attacks
TOKYO (AFP) — Separate bear attacks in Japan killed one and injured three on Friday, officials said, days after the government vowed to toughen measures because of a record year of deadly assaults by the animals. Before Friday’s attacks, bears had killed a...
Men sentenced over London arson attack masterminded by Russia as part of a wider sabotage campaign
LONDON (AP) — A British judge on Friday sentenced five men for their roles in an arson attack in London that authorities say was masterminded by Russian intelligence as part of a wider campaign of sabotage and disruption. Their sentences ranged from seven to 17...
Lacking community resilience centers, Houston neighbors opt for solar-powered ‘hub homes’
HOUSTON (AP) — Doris Brown was nearly asleep when a neighbor knocked on her door, telling her to look outside. “There were no lights, nowhere,” said Brown, recalling the power outage that summer night in 2023. “I didn’t even know it.” Brown’s solar panel...