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Portrait found in gallery's walls verified as missing Klimt
PIACENZA, Italy — Art experts have confirmed that a painting discovered hidden inside an Italian art gallery's walls last month is Gustav Klimt's “Portrait of a Lady,” which was stolen from the gallery nearly 23 years ago.The authentication of the painting announced Friday solved one of the art
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Pompeo breaks silence on alleged threats to envoy in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday broke nearly 72 hours of silence over alleged surveillance and threats to the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, saying he believed the allegations would prove to be wrong but that he had an obligation to evaluate and investigate the matter.In interviews
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China's 2019 economic growth weakens amid trade war
BEIJING — China’s economic growth sank to a new multi-decade low in 2019 as Beijing fought a tariff war with Washington, but forecasters said a U.S.-Chinese trade truce might help to revive consumer and business activity.The world’s second-largest economy grew by 6.1%, down from 2018’s 6.6%, already
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Dershowitz, Starr join Trump impeachment legal defence
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's legal team for his upcoming Senate impeachment trial will include former Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.The team will also include Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney
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Meryl Streep to lend her voice to Apple animated short film
NEW YORK — Meryl Streep is getting animated: The Oscar-winner will lend her voice to a short illustrated film celebrating the Earth.Apple TV Plus said Friday Streep will join Chris O’Dowd, Jacob Tremblay and Ruth Negga to give life to Oliver Jeffers' picture book “Here We Are: Notes for Living on
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Review: Mac Miller posthumous album is heartbreakingly full
Mac Miller, "Circles" (Warner)“Why does everybody need me to stay?” Mac Miller asks on the first single from his latest release. He answered his own question with the superb posthumous “Circles.”Miller's 12-track album is heartbreakingly sublime, a portrait of a wry and honest musician
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Cuban president says concessions to US would lead nowhere
LAS TUNAS, Cuba — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said he does not believe the Trump administration would drop sanctions on the island in exchange for concessions from his government.The Trump administration says it has been tightening sanctions on Cuba in recent months in order to starve the island
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'Lord of the Rings' protector Christopher Tolkien dies at 95
LONDON — Christopher Tolkien, who played a major role protecting the legacy of his father's “The Lord of the Rings” series, has died. He was 95.The Tolkien Society and HarperCollins UK confirmed his death but no details were provided.Tolkien's life work was closely identified with that of his
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Johansson, Sterling K. Brown among SAG Awards presenters
LOS ANGELES — Scarlett Johansson, Sterling K. Brown and Taika Waititi will be up for Screen Actors Guild Awards and also handing them out at Sunday’s ceremony.They’re part of a new batch of SAG Awards presenters announced Friday, along with Roman Griffin Davis, Jason Bateman, Lili Reinhart and Kaitlyn
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Morales' party names candidates for upcoming Bolivia elections
A former foreign minister and a coca farmer will be the candidates for president and vice president for exiled Bolivian President Evo Morales' political party in the May elections in the South American country, officials said on Friday. Former Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca, an Aymara
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Lawyer for just-ousted Grammys CEO fires back at academy
NEW YORK — Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan, who the company announced Thursday was placed on administrative leave, has fired back in a statement through her lawyer, saying: “What has been reported is not nearly the story that needs to be told.”The academy said late Thursday that its leader of just
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Ukrainian prime minister submits resignation after tapes
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's prime minister submitted his resignation Friday, days after he was caught on tape saying President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — a former sitcom star with no previous political experience — knows nothing about the economy.The scandal comes at a fraught moment for Zelenskiy, who
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US industrial production fell 0.3% in December
WASHINGTON — U.S. industrial production fell 0.3% in December, as unseasonably warm weather reduced demand for heating from utilities.The Federal Reserve said Friday that total industrial production — which includes the manufacturing, mining and utilities sectors — slumped 1% over the past year. Factory
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Kremlin critic calls for protest against Putin's constitutional reforms
An opposition politician in Moscow urged Russians on Friday to take to the streets this weekend to protest against sweeping constitutional reforms floated by President Vladimir Putin. The proposed reforms, which triggered the resignation of the prime minister and government, are widely seen as giving
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Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan put on 'administrative leave'
NEW YORK — The Recording Academy has placed Deborah Dugan, its president and CEO of just six months, on administrative leave following an allegation of misconduct by a senior leader at the organization.The move announced late Thursday comes 10 days before the 2020 Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles
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Malta police chief quits after criticism over journalist's murder
Malta's police chief has quit following criticism of his handling of the investigation into the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. New Prime Minister Robert Abela announced Lawrence Cutajar's resignation as police commissioner at a news conference on Friday, four days
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Cicely Tyson savors life, new OWN series at 95
PASADENA, Calif. — Cicely Tyson doesn’t quibble with those who marvel at her long life and career, now in its eighth decade. The acclaimed actress said she doesn't take her staying power for granted.“You know how old I am,” a smiling Tyson, 95, told a TV critics meeting Thursday. “Who in the world
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Eminem drops surprise album, advocates changes to gun laws
Rapper Eminem once again dropped a surprise album, releasing “Music to Be Murdered By” on Friday — along with a video that calls for changes to gun laws.The follow-up to 2018's “Kamikaze” — also released without warning — was announced on Twitter just after midnight.The Detroit rapper's new music
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TV hen mauled to death: German court backs bigger payout
BERLIN — A court in Germany has ruled that the owner of a chicken that was mauled to death by a dog in 2017 deserves a higher payout because the hen was trained and had TV experience.German news agency dpa reported Friday that a regional court in the western town of Kleve concluded the chicken was indeed
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Pigeon wearing tiny sombrero discovered in Reno
RENO, Nev. — A pigeon wearing a tiny sombrero in Reno, Nevada, was discovered following sightings of its cowboy hat-wearing cousins in Las Vegas, a city manager said.Reno City Manager Sabra Newby tweeted about the bird Wednesday, saying it's quirky and fun but still inhumane, KOLO-TV reported.It
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Iran's top leader strikes defiant tone amid month of turmoil
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader lashed out at Western countries as he led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years, dismissing “American clowns” who he said pretend to support the Iranian nation but want to stick their "poisoned dagger” into its back.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
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Burundi's mass graves reopen old wounds
Neighbors told him soldiers had also discovered his mother in a house where she had been hiding. This week, the government opened a mass grave in his neighborhood. Burundi's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, known by its French acronym CVR, told parliament this week that it had identified more
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US housing construction jumps 16.9% in December
WASHINGTON — Construction of new homes surged in December to the highest level in 13 years, capping a year in which falling mortgage rates and a strong labour market helped lift the prospects of the housing industry.The Commerce Department reported Friday that builders started construction on 1.61 million
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Paris Louvre museum closed amid strikes over pension plans
Paris' Louvre museum was closed Friday as dozens of protesters blocked the entrance to denounce the French government's plans to overhaul the pension system.The Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit marking the 500th anniversary of the Italian master’s death, which is displayed at the Louvre, was also closed
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U.S. will look at sudden acceleration complaints involving 500,000 Tesla vehicles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Friday it will review a petition asking the agency to formally investigate 500,000 Tesla Inc vehicles over sudden unintended acceleration reports. The petition covers 2012 through 2019 model year Tesla Model S, 2016 through 2019 Tesla Model
