Jaguar Land Rover to enact shipment pause to US in April as it develops post-tariff plans
LONDON (AP) — The British maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars is pausing shipments to the U.S. as it works to mitigate the impact of a 25% tax on vehicle imports imposed by the Trump Administration. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive, one of Britain’s biggest carmakers, said Saturday that the pause would take place this month. The company says in a statement that the "USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands. As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid-to-longer-term plans.”
Sean 'Diddy' Combs hit with new sex trafficking charges a month before trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have added two charges to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ indictment, expanding on allegations that the jailed hip-hop mogul engaged in sex trafficking as recently as last year. A superseding indictment filed Friday accuses Combs of using force, fraud, or coercion to compel a woman to engage in commercial sex acts from at least 2021 to 2024. The indictment also alleges Combs was involved in transporting the woman and other people, including commercial sex workers, to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to his initial set of charges but has yet to be arraigned on the new ones. Trial is scheduled for May 5.
Microsoft employees protest at 50th anniversary party over Israel contract
A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry’s work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The first protest happened as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company’s AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. It follows a February protest that led Microsoft to eject five employees from a meeting with the company’s CEO Satya Nadella.
China hit brakes on TikTok deal after Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he is signing an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days. That gives his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. The order was announced as White House officials believed they were nearing a deal for the app’s operations to be spun off into a new company based in the U.S. and owned and operated by a majority of American investors, with China’s ByteDance maintaining a minority position. That's according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks. The person added that China hit the brakes after Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs.
An Oklahoma man has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a beloved Kansas priest
SENECA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have charged a 66-year-old Oklahoma man with first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas. Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert said Friday in a written statement that Gary Hermesch of Tulsa has been charged in the Thursday afternoon shooting death of Arul Carasala. Hermesch was being held Friday in the Nemaha County Jail on $1 bond. Authorities called to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca just before 3 p.m. Thursday found Carasala suffering from gunshot wounds outside the rectory. The 57-year-old priest was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died.
AI vs. pro gambler's $1 million March Madness bet coming down to Duke and Houston
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The $1 million March Madness wager between a pro gambler and an artificial-intelligence site will be decided by the winner of the Duke-Houston game in the Final Four. The Vegas bookies say the gambler, who picked 5 1/2-point favorite Duke, should win. The AI platform 4C Predictions, which picked Houston, says that’s why its smarter than them. The bottom line: both pro gambler Sean Perry and the 4C’s AI program have done very well over the first 60 games of the tournament. Perry has missed only 13 picks. AI has missed only 10. They both picked all the Final Four teams correctly.
'Time to say goodbye': Kevin De Bruyne to leave Man City
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne says he will leave Manchester City - confirming these are his “final months” with the Premier League champion. The Belgian playmaker, who is out of contract this summer, announced the news in an emotional post on X. De Bruyne joined City in 2015 from Wolfsburg and has won every major honor with the club, including the Premier League and Champions League.
In Tunisia, snails inch toward replacing red meat as people turn to cheaper protein
AKOUDA, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisians are embracing snails as a protein-packed alternative as the cost of red meat remains high. Unemployed young men are collecting them in fields and selling them at markets and restauranteurs are saying the demand for cheap bowls is growing. Snails have long been consumed in North Africa and throughout the world. Tunisia is among the places returning to bugs as a cheap and sustainable food source. Low in fat and high in iron, snails offer both nutritional value and economic relief. With jobs scare and wages remain low, they cost about half as much as beef per kilogram and often less when sold by the bowl.
Bodega cats make New Yorkers' hearts purr, even if they violate state regulations
NEW YORK (AP) — Bodega cats in New York City are widely loved feline workers in the Big Apple's convenience stores. Most store owners keep them for companionship, and as little salesmen that bring customers in and build rapport. Some say they keep the mice and rats at bay. But the cats lounging on convenience store shelves and basking in the warmth of sun-soaked storefronts don't always get the respect of city and state health officials. Under state law, shop owners can be fined for having cats in any building where food is sold. Despite the legal hurdles, a petition movement driven by social media influencers is calling for social support like vet care to make sure bodega cats and bodega owners can thrive.
US bans government personnel in China from romantic or sexual relations with Chinese citizens
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has banned American government personnel in China, as well as family members and contractors with security clearances, from any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens. Four people with direct knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press about the policy, which took effect in January shortly before President Donald Trump took office. Though some U.S. agencies already had strict rules on such relationships, a blanket “non-fraternization” policy, as it is known, has been unheard of publicly since the Cold War. The new policy covers the U.S. Embassy and five consulates in China and Hong Kong, but does not apply to U.S. personnel stationed outside China.
