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A top Senate Democrat is urging U.S. anti-pollution standards that would follow a deal brokered by California with five automakers and then set targets to end sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. That's a goal that appears to reach farther than President Joe Biden’s climate plan. In a letter sent late Thursday to the Environmental Protection Agency, Delaware Sen. Tom Carper says the administration must move forcefully in the auto sector to achieve Biden’s plan of slashing America’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. California's framework deal would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7% per year from 2022 through 2026 and raise fuel economy requirements by a like amount.

Figures show Europe's economy contracted in the first three months of the year. Slower vaccine rollouts and ongoing lockdowns are keeping restaurants and shops closed and keeping cash out of the register across services, restaurants and travel. Official figures say economic output fell 0.6% in the 19 countries that use the euro currency.  Right now Europe is lagging the U.S., where growth has rebounded more strongly. But economists say the next three months could show an upswing in Europe as the pace of vaccinations picks up and more countries can let business and travel resume. 

Hee Young Park birdied her final hole to move into a tie for the lead with Inbee Park at the HSBC Women’s World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club. Hee Young Park shot 68 and No. 2-ranked Inbee Park shot 69 for two-round totals of 11-under 133. Hyo Joo Kim was two strokes behind in a tie for third with Lin Xiyu. Former Women’s PGA champion Hannah Green shot 66 and now has 14 consecutive rounds under par.

LONDON (AP) — Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry was reluctant to read the script of “Limbo.” He was concerned the film, about refugees waiting on a remote Scottish island for residency, would involve established tropes about a Western savior coming to…

BANGKOK (AP) — Political turmoil and disruptions following the coup in Myanmar could undo years of progress and double the number of its people living in poverty to nearly half the population, a United Nations report said Friday. The report…

Indian scientists have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly release virus data that would allow them to save lives as coronavirus cases climbed again, prompting the army to open its hospitals in a desperate bid to control a massive humanitarian crisis. India’s pandemic response has been marred by insufficient data and the online appeal — signed by over 350 scientists Friday afternoon — asks government to release data about the sequencing of virus variants, testing, recovered patients and how people were responding to vaccines. Meanwhile, families continued to flood social media and messaging apps with pleas for help: oxygen, beds, medicines, intensive care units and wood for funeral pyres. India has set a daily global record for more than a week. 

Following the highest-scoring season in league history, the NFL draft proved its clubs are more committed than ever to keep lighting up the scoreboard. The first three players selected were quarterbacks, the next three receivers and the lion's share of the rest of the first 32 picks were designed to help or hinder those first two groups from playing pitch and catch. Not surprising, Alabama and the SEC dominated the selections and the day's hottest rumor was about Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback who was drafted 15 years ago and may want out of Green Bay.  

Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have hit London in a perfect storm. In 2021, the city has fewer people, fewer businesses, starker divisions and tougher choices than anyone could have expected. On May 6, Londoners will elect a mayor, whose performance will help determine whether this is a period of decline for Europe’s biggest city — or a chance to do things better. Mayor Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party, who is favored to win re-election, says his top priority is preserving jobs threatened by the economic blow of the pandemic. Rival Shaun Bailey of the Conservatives says his top priority is reducing crime. Whoever wins will face the challenge of leading London's fight back from its biggest shock for generations.

An AP investigation has found that the rapid growth in gold mining in Burkina Faso has also lead to an increase in human trafficking. In interviews, dozens of women describe being brought to Burkina Faso with the promise of good-paying jobs. Instead, their passports are taken and they are forced into prostitution in encampments near small-scale gold mines, where they are made to sleep with dozens of men per night to pay off their debts. Madams often threaten to kill them with juju, a form of witchcraft, if they try to escape. Burkina Faso’s security sector, already struggling to stem a violent jihadist insurgency, is undertrained and ill-equipped to disrupt the expansive network of recruiters, traffickers, and pimps.

The New York Jets selected BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. Wilson had been linked to the Jets for the last few months and New York made him the newest face of a frustrated franchise that has gone 10 seasons without making the playoffs and 52 without reaching the Super Bowl. The Jets also traded up from No. 23 and acquired the No. 14 pick from Minnesota to select USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker and give Wilson a protector up front on New York's offensive line.

Israeli medical officials say at least 44 people have been killed in a stampede at an overcrowded Jewish religious festival in northern Israel. Tens of thousands of people, mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews, had attended the celebrations. Witnesses say the stampede began when large numbers of people trying to exit the site passed through a narrow tunnel-like passage. People began falling on top of each other near the end of the walkway, as they descended slippery metal stairs. About 150 people were injured in what was described as one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters.

BEIJING (AP) — Gathered in a practice room, five generously proportioned young men in baggy black sweaters are patting their bellies and waggling their arms. Bearded with double chins, they shout “Hoo-Ha!” in time to upbeat African drums. The choreography…

Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Zac Wilson of BYU were the first two players off the board, as expected, in the NFL draft. The San Francisco 49ers made it three straight QBs with North Dakota State's Trey Lance before Florida's Kyle Pitts became the highest selected tight end at No. 4 to Atlanta. Seven offensive players went off the board before a defensive player went and four quarterbacks were taken in the first 11 picks.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the easiest and maybe most significant selection in franchise history when they chose Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the NFL draft Thursday night. The Jaguars made the announcement that’s been expected for months official shortly after the start of the draft. It set off a raucous celebration inside TIAA Bank Field. A sold-out draft party, which included a crowd of 8,000, cheered wildly as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped to the podium to call Lawrence’s name.

As marijuana legalization proliferates in the U.S., social equity has been a selling point. The goal is to have more Black people and other minorities in ownership positions to make up for decades of drug laws that disproportionately punished them. But so far the desire for equity has far outstripped realities. The limited statistics available indicate business owners and investors at the top of the booming legal industry remain overwhelmingly white. One reason is that aspiring minority owners with little or no business experience are overmatched in a cutthroat market dominated by large international companies. Colorado rolled out its equity program earlier this year. It includes a provision allowing new license holders to partner and learn from an existing marijuana business owner.

The first round of the NFL draft was dominated by the Southeastern Conference and national champion Alabama. The SEC had 12 players taken in the first 32 picks, almost the same number as the next two conferences (Big Ten, 7 and ACC, 6) combined. The Crimson Tide matched a record with six first-rounders, including Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith at No. 10 to Philadelphia. The SEC has had the most first-rounders 10 times in the past 11 years.

Arizona LHP Madison Bumgarner starts against Colorado in his first appearance since pitching a seven-inning no-hitter against Atlanta last Sunday, a game that Major League Baseball does not consider to be a no-hitter. Cleveland RHP Shane Bieber, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, starts in Chicago against White Sox LHP Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young winner for Houston. New York Yankees right-hander RHP Gerrit Cole, who is 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA against Detroit, starts Friday’s homestand opener against Detroit, the first team not from the East to play at Yankee Stadium since 2019.