Microsoft hikes Xbox prices worldwide as gaming industry faces tariff uncertainty
NEW YORK (AP) — Amid a backdrop of ongoing tariff uncertainty, more and more gamers are facing price hikes. Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers around the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. — up $80 from the $299.99 price tag that debuted in 2020. And its more powerful Xbox Series X will be $599.99 going forward, a $100 jump from its previous $499.99 listing. The tech giant didn’t mention tariffs specifically, but cited wider “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” Beyond the U.S., Microsoft also laid out Xbox price adjustments for Europe, the U.K. and Australia. The company said all other countries would also receive updates locally.
Man sentenced to 53 years in prison in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American boy, mother
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A judge has sentenced an Illinois landlord to 53 years in prison for a hate-crime attack on a 6-year-old Muslim boy and the boy's mother. Joseph Czuba was sentenced Friday. He did not speak during the hearing and his attorney didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Czuba was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. The family was renting rooms from Czuba at a suburban Chicago house at the time of the attack.
Hope floats in the Amazon as Bacuri, a young manatee, fights for survival
CAXIUANA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil (AP) — In a protected part of the Amazon, Bacuri, a young manatee that was found stranded and alone, is being raised in captivity. He receives care at a research station in the Caxiuana National Forest, including three large milk bottles a day. The goal is to eventually reintroduce him to the wild with the help and protection of nearby riverside communities. Bacuri’s rehabilitation is part of a larger conservation effort to protect the Amazonian manatee, an elusive and endangered species. Climate change and hunting have made it harder for the species to recover from centuries of hunting for its hides and meat.
How to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley's comet
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is peaking. Experts say expect to see 10 to 15 meteors per hour in ideal viewing conditions early Tuesday. However, a two-thirds full moon will likely reduce visibility at peak. Viewing lasts until May 28. The source of the Eta Aquarids is debris from Halley’s comet. The next major meteor shower, the Southern Delta Aquarids, peaks in late July. You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights.
Banksy's ‘Broken Heart' painting defaced on a Brooklyn wall is up for sale
NEW YORK (AP) — A slab of Brooklyn wall that the artist Banksy emblazoned with a bandaged, heart-shaped balloon is emerging after more than a decade in storage. The “Battle to Survive a Broken Heart” is set to be auctioned off May 21. Some proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association. The family that owns the artwork says they are honoring their father, who died from a heart attack after running his business from the warehouse where Banksy stenciled the image in 2013. The wall became the canvas for a graffiti battle before the family removed the painted section and had it preserved.
The body of a truck driver whose vehicle fell into a sinkhole in Japan is recovered after 3 months
TOKYO (AP) — The body of a truck driver has been recovered, three months after his vehicle fell into a sinkhole that suddenly appeared while he was driving on a road near Tokyo. The 3-ton truck fell into the hole in Yashio City, just northeast of the Japanese capital, in January. On Friday, after three months of preparation to build a safe underground pathway for workers to reach the targeted area, rescuers wearing helmets and hazmat suits went inside of it and recovered the body, officials said. The case raised concern about aging infrastructure in Japan.
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter known for 'I Kissed a Girl,' has died in a fire
Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed a Girl,” has died in a house fire. She died Thursday. She was 66. The fire was in Woodbury, Minnesota, about 19 miles east of Minneapolis. It was not immediately clear how it started. During her more than three decades of recording, she released 12 albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues. Sobule was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday night. Instead, there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend.
The man who fell over a railing at PNC Park is in critical condition. Police say it was an accident
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remains in critical condition. Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X says that the “incident is being treated as accidental in nature.” The man appeared to fall while celebrating as Pittsburgh star Andrew McCutchen delivered a go-ahead two-run single. McCutchen said the team is focusing on the man's health. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel. The Southern Alleghany School District identified the man as 2022 graduate Kavan Markwood.
Brazilian nun who was the world's oldest person has died at 116
SAO PAULO (AP) — Sister Inah Canabarro, a Brazilian woman who was the world’s oldest person, has died at age 116. The Company of Saint Teresa of Jesus, a Teresian nun congregation, said Canabarro died at home Wednesday of natural causes. The wake will take place on Thursday in Porto Alegre, the capital of southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Canabarro was confirmed in January as the world’s oldest person by LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians. She was born in 1908 and would have turned 117 on May 27.
Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth. It's too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of it will survive reentry. A Dutch scientist predicts the craft will reenter around May 10. The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft in 1972, one of a series of Venus missions. But it never made it out of Earth orbit because of a rocket malfunction. Experts believe the lander portion has been circling the world for 53 years, gradually dropping in altitude.