内容摘要：NEW YORK (AP) — Krista Vasquez had her heart set on getting married in a body-hugging, halter-style gown from Spain. In April, the Atlanta paramedic learned her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more because of new U.S. tariffs on imported goods.

NEW YORK (AP) — Krista Vasquez had her heart set on getting married in a body-hugging, halter-style gown from Spain. In April, the Atlanta paramedic learned her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more because of new U.S. tariffs on imported goods.

Classical music critic Irineu Franco Perpétuo said that artists like Mestre Dudu are indeed maestros, no less talented than those guiding orchestras. He noted that the drums section is the tiebreaking category whenever two samba schools have tallied the same total number of points.“They are the conductors of this great popular opera that is our Carnival,” Perpétuo said. “They have the great challenge of being rhythmically constant during the parade. They can’t rush it, they can’t be too late. And they need to keep everyone playing at the same time.”

“A perfect 10 for the drum section carries as much weight as ain classical music,” he added.Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — In a historical twist, the home oflate communist dictator Enver Hoxha is hosting international artists fascinated by the long-ruling leader’s library, the country’s history of isolation and its unique traditions.

An interior view of Villa 31 where the late communist dictator Enver Hoxha, once a symbol of totalitarian rule used to live, in Tirana, Albania, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

An interior view of Villa 31 where the late communist dictator Enver Hoxha, once a symbol of totalitarian rule used to live, in Tirana, Albania, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)Russia’s major oil companies have less need of foreign partners than they did in the immediate post-Soviet era, though smaller oil field services might want to return given the size of Russia’s oil industry. But they would have to face new requirements on establishing local presence and investment, Weafer said.

According to the Kyiv School of Economics, 2,329 foreign companies are still doing business in Russia, many from China or other countries that aren’t allied with Ukraine, while 1,344 are in the process of leaving and 494 have exited completely. The Yale School of Management’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute lists some two dozen U.S. companies still doing business in Russia, while some 100 more have cut back by halting new investments.U.S. sanctions are considered the toughest, because they carry the threat of being cut off from the U.S. banking and financial system. But the EU is still slapping new rounds of sanctions on Russia. Even if U.S. sanctions are dropped, EU sanctions would continue to present compliance headaches for any company that also wants to do business in Europe.

More than $14 billion in clean energy investments in the U.S. have been canceled or delayed this year, according to an analysis released Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s pending megabill has raised fears over the future of domestic battery, electric vehicle and solar and wind energy development.Many companies are concerned that investments will be in jeopardy amid House Republicans’ passage of a