AP National News

Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hungary has given political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted on suspicions of corruption. The move has triggered a diplomatic spat that worsened on Friday. Poland’s government decried Hungary’s decision as a “hostile act” and Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was dismayed by Hungarian Prime

Associated Press Russia’s central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at a record 21%, holding off on further increases despite high consumer inflation fueled by the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. The decision Friday comes amid criticism from influential business figures, including tycoons close to the Kremlin, that high rates are putting the brakes on

Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Democrats are ending their final days in control of the state government bogged down with disunity and inaction. Tensions boiled over Thursday when a Democratic lawmaker joined the entire Republican caucus in skipping the session. The chamber was left without the necessary votes needed to hold business. House

Associated Press ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A knife-wielding teenager walked into a school in Croatia’s capital on Friday, stabbed a 7-year-old girl to death and wounded three more children and their teacher, authorities said. The attack took place around 9:50 a.m. on the last day of school before Christmas at the Precko Elementary School in

Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese state media says President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top military officers in a major reshuffle amid the ongoing fight against rebels in the country’s eastern region. The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, was replaced by

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country. Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his school on Oct. 16, 2020, days after showing

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is abandoning his efforts to provide some protections for transgender student athletes and cancel student loans for more than 38 million Americans, the first steps in an administration-wide plan to jettison pending regulations to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from retooling them to achieve his own aims. The

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Lawmakers have clashed in Taiwan’s legislature after members of a leading political party broke into the building overnight to occupy the speaker’s chair. The clash occurred when members of another major party forced their way in Friday morning to evict them. Taiwan media reports said some lawmakers were injured

ATHENS, Greeece (AP) — Greek authorities say a speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead. The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. Eighteen of

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian attack Friday on a town in Russia’s Kursk border region using U.S.-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child, a senior local official said. The attack came hours after Ukrainian authorities said a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv killed at least one person and wounded 13.

AP Business Writer Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday. Loke said

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s navy says it has rescued more than 100 people believed to be Rohingya refugees who were found adrift aboard a fishing trawler off the island nation. Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya said Friday fishermen spotted the refugees, including 25 children and 30 women off Sri Lanka’s northern

ROME (AP) — A court in Sicily is expected to announce its verdict on whether Italy’s vice premier, Matteo Salvini, is guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister. Salvini faces up to six years in jail if convicted on charges of kidnapping for the 2019 incident

AP Science Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) — and when startled, they brandished immense claws. For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Israelis are increasingly moving out of the country since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety. Government statistics estimate that 40,600 people departed long-term during the first seven months of the year, a 59% increase over the same period in 2023. Some 33,000 people have moved

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Israelis are increasingly moving out of the country since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety. Government statistics estimate that 40,600 people departed long-term during the first seven months of the year, a 59% increase over the same period in 2023. Some 33,000 people have moved

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A group of Gisèle Pelicot’s Australian admirers say they’re moved that the victim in France’s notorious drugging-and-rape case has acknowledged her distant supporters Down Under by wearing a scarf adorned with Aboriginal art. The 72-year-old who refused to remain an anonymous victim wore the silk scarf several times during

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Efforts to recover bodies of people trapped in collapsed buildings continues in the earthquake-hit Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Hopes faded on Friday that more would be found alive three days after the magnitude 7.3 quake, with the official death toll of 12 likely to rise. The U.N. humanitarian

Associated Press MACAO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the casino hub of Macao to diversify its economy as he swore in the former Portuguese colony’s new government at an event marking the 25th anniversary of its handover to China. Since its 1999 handover, the city of 687,000 has evolved from a monopoly-driven

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Creamy, delectable – and pricey. Butter has shot up in price across the European Union in recent months, forcing pastry chefs and residents to consider substituting margarine. Whether spread on warm bread, used to make croissants flaky or added to sauces, those yellow dollops of butter costs dramatically more than

Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month. The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of

Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Justice Kyra Harris Bolden is the first Black woman to be elected to the Michigan Supreme Court. Her victory in November reaffirmed a liberal majority on a court where five of the seven justices now are women. She says her journey really began generations ago, when her great-grandfather was

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades. Even as Paris was devising a new military strategy that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence, two of its closest allies

AP Airlines Writer Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer and sleighs better make a dash for it: it’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel in the U.S. The auto club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day,

Associated Press GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) — Turkey gained renown as a haven for refugees by welcoming more than 3 million Syrians fleeing violence between forces from Bashar Assad’s government and a patchwork of rebel groups. But the Syrian president’s ouster this month has led many in Turkey to argue that the refugees have no reason

Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are advising international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, over concerns that he might impose travel bans like he did during his first administration. More than a dozen schools have issued advisories, even though Trump’s plans