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By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister says talks between regional archrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have made significant inroads. He also said Iran is ready to build two power plants in Lebanon as well as help in reconstructing Beirut’s port that was destroyed by a massive blast last year. The

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu is marking his 90th birthday. A portrait of him recently defaced by racist graffiti has been restored by the artist who added a celebratory message. It reads “Happy Birthday Tata Desmond Tutu! Father of the Rainbow Nation.”

Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Thursday amid signs a standoff in Congress over the federal debt ceiling is closer to a resolution. Investors hope Congress may temporarily extend the federal government’s debt ceiling and buy lawmakers time to reach a permanent resolution. The S&P 500 rose 1.1% in early trading and the Nasdaq

By SABINA NIKSIC Associated Press SARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) — Croatia has announced it will investigate reports and video footage alleging systematic violent pushbacks by its police against migrants and asylum-seekers attempting to cross into the country from neighboring Bosnia. Thursday’s announcement followed publication a day earlier of video footage by a team of investigative journalists

WASHINGTON (AP) — A report by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Democratic majority details Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election that he lost. His pursuit of fraud claims brought the Justice Department to the brink of chaos and prompted top officials there and at the White House to threaten to resign.  The

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer A major Hollywood strike could be on the horizon for some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry. Over the weekend, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IASTE) overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a nationwide strike for the first time in its history. The IATSE

BY KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany has vaccinated millions more people against the coronavirus than previously thought. That means almost 80% of adults in Germany are fully vaccinated and about 84% have received at least one shot, according to the country’s disease control center. The figures are about 3.5 million higher than

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The head of Oklahoma public schools will switch parties and run as a Democrat to challenge Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for governor next year. Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister made the announcement Thursday, accusing Stitt of “running our state into the ground.” Hofmeister is a former

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is proposing to lift its three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers after wildlife officials argued their numbers have rebounded. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a draft proposal on Wednesday to allow the recreational harvest of 200 goliaths per year. Agency spokeswoman Amanda Nalley says the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Russia has the potential to boost natural gas supplies to Europe as surging gas prices put pressure on consumers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says existing gas transit routes allow for bolstering supplies before the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany begins operating. Europe’s

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, another sign that the U.S. job market and economy continue their steady recovery from last year’s coronavirus recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that unemployment claims were down by 38,000 to 326,000, the first drop

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft says Russia once again accounted for most state-sponsored hacking, with a 58% share of intrusion attempts it detected in the past year. The targets were mostly government agencies and think tanks — in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members. The