AP-National

By ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s lower house has approved a major reform of the nation’s notoriously complicated tax system. It was a major victory for leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who threw his weight behind the proposal. The long-awaited tax reform aims to simplify the system which

CHICAGO (AP) — Quaker Oats on Friday recalled several of its granola products, including granola bars and cereals, saying the foods could be contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella infections can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In rare cases, the bacterial disease can be fatal. Quaker, which

By GIADA ZAMPANO Associated Press ROME (AP) — The leaders of Italy and the U.K. have agreed to tackle irregular migration to Europe. They pledged to intensify cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks in Rome on Saturday. They were also joined by

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The top two U.S. military leaders are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A north Louisiana attorney is now the first Black federal judge to serve on the state’s U.S. Western District Court following confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Jerry Edwards Jr., of Shreveport, was one of two judicial nominations by Democratic President Joe Biden. Brandon Scott Long of New Orleans was the other

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Jacob Zuma has denounced the governing African National Congress party and announced that he will vote for a newly-formed political formation in the country’s general election next year. Zuma was president of the ANC from 2007 to 2017. He announced on Saturday that

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Once the initial shock wore off on the price tag of Shohei Ohtani’s record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, details about the contract emerged that were nearly as stunning. A total of $680 million — 97% of the money — was deferred

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press Residential solar is gaining traction in the U.S., with about 4.5 million homes now with solar rooftops. The share of electric vehicles in the U.S. is also growing. Many people with EVs become interested in charging them on solar energy, if they own their own roofs. And many people

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian state news agencies have reported that President Vladimir Putin’s supporters have formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters is mandatory under Russian election law for those running not on a party ticket. Independent candidates also

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio was in the throes of a bitter debate over abortion rights this fall when Brittany Watts, 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant, began passing thick blood clots. The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio was in the throes of a bitter debate over abortion rights this fall when Brittany Watts, 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant, began passing thick blood clots. The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a corner of their Mexico City office, activists from Catholics for the Right to Decide keep an image of the Virgin Mary close to a green scarf that reads: “Mary was consulted to be mother of God.” For these Catholic women, prayer does not

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said. Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in

By THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame Cathedral got its rooster back Saturday, in a pivotal moment for the Paris landmark’s restoration. The installation by a crane of a new golden rooster, reimagined as a dramatic phoenix with licking, flamed feathers, goes beyond being just a weathervane atop the cathedral spire. It

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis have begun voting for the first time in a decade to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, with the outcome seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary elections due to take place in 2025. Saturday’s vote is restricted to military and

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s ruling emir has died at age 86. State television reported Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah’s death on Saturday. Kuwait TV broke into programming with Quranic verses just before making the announcement. Sheikh Nawaf was rushed to a hospital in late November for

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian Navy says it is shadowing a bulk carrier that was boarded by unknown attackers in the Arabian Sea. Suspicion has fallen on Somali pirates and the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, with a crew of 18, is heading for the coast of Somalia. The Ruen sent a Mayday message on Thursday,

By KARL RITTER and ELISE MORTON Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Both Russia and Ukraine have reported dozens of attempted drone attacks in the past day. Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that Ukrainian air defense had shot down 30 out of 31 drones launched overnight against 11 regions of the country. Russia also said

By JULIA FRANKEL, NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, military officials said Saturday, in Israel’s first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that an Israeli Mossad spy has been executed in the country’s southeast. The report said the spy was linked to foreign intelligence services, including Israel’s Mossad, and was charged with involvement in releasing classified information. The judiciary body executed the person in a prison in Zahedan,