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The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia (AP) — It’s that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year began in mid-August. “It is centered around the worship of Da Shi Ye, also known as the Guardian God of Ghosts, and has become one of the major traditional Chinese religious celebrations in Bukit Mertajam,” said Lee Kim Fong, general affairs coordinator for the event. The city is in Malaysia’s northern state of Penang, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Kuala ...

Former Tropical Storm Edouard lingers over Texas, flooding homes and roadways

LIVINGSTON, Texas (AP) — Texas authorities rescued dozens of people from stranded cars, homes surrounded by floodwaters and an assisted living facility Wednesday as former Tropical Storm Edouard lingered over rural parts of the state and dumped nearly 2 feet of rain in some places. Heavy rains from the storm, which weakened into a tropical depression after making landfall Tuesday, were expected to threaten the eastern part of the state through Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said. Meanwhile, a burst of tropical weather persisted in the Pacific Ocean, where three ...

In Chile, injured penguins sport copper vests to help them heal

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Researchers in Chile have designed an unlikely new garment for injured penguins — snug red vests threaded with copper and zinc that they hope will help the aquatic birds heal faster. Veterinarians have found success in the past using such suits to treat injured dogs and cats. Now they’re trying out the technology on Humboldt penguins in Chile, home to the largest concentration of the vulnerable species. “For years, vests with microfibers containing elements like copper and zinc have been tested on pets, particularly dogs and cats, and have greatly ...

Trump administration ratchets up its fight to get more oil flowing from California

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration is ratcheting up its fight to get more crude flowing through California and reverse the state’s efforts to move away from fossil fuels. Its latest salvo is a federal review of California’s coastal management program, which is run largely by a state commission that has had a powerful role for decades in shaping development along the coast. Environmental advocates fear federal officials could use the review to strip the California Coastal Commission of its ability to have a say in projects involving federal agencies that affect ...

Billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel over subpoenas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billionaire investor Leon Black refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. One subpoena demanded Black produce nondisclosure agreements and other documents, while the other compelled ...

Hikers describe intense rain and wind before floodwaters ravage Grand Canyon

Like clockwork, clouds build up in the afternoon, the wind starts to swirl and the skies darken. Then the rain comes. Sometimes it is just a few drops. But on this August afternoon, the monsoon kicked into high gear, setting its sights on a remote section of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Down below, dozens of hikers were setting up camp along Bright Angel Creek and admiring the towering walls they eventually would have to traverse on the way back up. It wasn’t long before muddy water came rushing down the creek. The sound was deafening as it crashed against the rocks, carrying ...