World News

NEW YORK — Like many incoming members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Laurie Anderson didn't know a lot about the venerable honour society until she was asked to join it.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered a small, little known organization run by a rapper dissolved for alleged hate speech and defending terrorism.

WASHINGTON — U.S. sales of new homes jumped 7.9% in January to the fastest pace in more than 12 years, a positive sign for economic growth.

BEIJING — Factories that make the world’s smartphones, toys and other goods are struggling to reopen after a virus outbreak idled China’s economy.

BEND, Ore. — In the early 1990s, the population of Bend was around 25,000 and leaned Republican. A lumber mill operated along the banks of the Deschutes River in Oregon's high-desert country. Today, the lumber mill is an REI outdoor recreation store.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil's government confirmed on Wednesday that a 61-year-old Brazilian man who travelled to Italy this month has Latin America's first confirmed case of the contagious new coronavirus.

LOS ANGELES — The original artwork for the “Flash Gordon” comic strip is headed for a new realm — the auction block. The auction house Profiles in History said Wednesday that it will sell the drawing on March 31.

JERUSALEM — Hollywood power couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are set to return to Israel as co-hosts of this year’s Genesis Prize ceremony.

LONDON — A lawyer for Johnny Depp told a British judge on Wednesday that the star's ex-wife Amber Heard lied when she accused him of domestic abuse.

LONDON — Global shares fell sharply once again Wednesday as fears over the speed of the new coronavirus around the world accentuated.