AP-National

By JAE BRATTON of NerdWallet The Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of student loan debt per borrower, yet loan forgiveness is still possible for those pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness or income-driven repayment forgiveness. A one-time account adjustment that began in July 2023 is still ongoing and

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Cabinet has approved a plan to ease legal changes of name and gender for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people. The justice minister said Wednesday that the legislation aims to make life easier for “a small group for which it has great significance” and addresses possible concerns.

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Norway’s Karsten Warholm powered to victory in the 400-meter hurdles, then put on his trademark Viking horns to celebrate his third victory at the world championships. His win came only moments after pole vaulters Katie Moon of America and Nina Kennedy of Australia, in a

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The importance of a good night’s rest is not lost on American sprinter Gabby Thomas. She recently wrote a paper on the epidemiology of sleep for her master’s degree at the University of Texas. The 26-year-old who also majored in neuroscience at Harvard says she

By The Associated Press Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a former commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine who was linked to the leader of a brief armed rebellion, has been dismissed as chief of the air force, Russian state media reported Wednesday after weeks of uncertainty about his fate. Surovikin has not been seen in public since

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Angry protesters have raided the local offices of the ruling Baath party in a southern Syrian province. The raid comes as protests intensify against the government during a severe economic and financial crisis that has battered the war-torn country. Opposition activists said Wednesday that protesters also partially

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian prosecutors have dropped a potential criminal case against American actor Amber Heard over allegations that she lied to a court about how her Yorkshire terriers came to be smuggled into Australia eight years ago. Heard and her then-husband Johnny Depp became embroiled in a high-profile

By ELENA BECATOROS and COSTAS KANTOURIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Advancing flames are devouring forests and homes in Greece as wildfires that have killed 20 people are raging. Blazes are also burning in neighboring Turkey and in Spain’s Canary Islands. Greece’s largest forest fire was burning out of control for the fifth day

BERLIN (AP) — Police say a teenager armed with a knife has wounded an eight-year-old boy at a school in eastern Germany and then set himself alight. Police say the incident happened in Bischofswerda, east of the city of Dresden, on Wednesday morning. The boy was taken to a hospital by helicopter and is in

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators on Wednesday announced a settlement with the company that runs Dollar Tree and Family Dollar aimed at improving worker safety at thousands of the bargain stores across the country. Labor Department officials cited hazards at the stores including blocked exits, unsafe storage of materials, and improper access to fire

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have held closed-door discussions on the possible expansion of their BRICS economic bloc. A decision on new members was expected late Wednesday, the second day of a three-day summit in Johannesburg. But officials said that was looking

By RIAZ KHAN and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Schoolchildren who were rescued from a broken cable car dangling high above a valley in Pakistan say they repeatedly feared they were about to die during the 16-hour ordeal despite attempts by their parents to reassure them over cellphones. Six children and two

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A year ago, Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stark warning: To fight persistently high inflation, the Federal Reserve would continue to sharply raise interest rates, bringing “some pain” in the form of job losses and weaker economic growth. Since Powell spoke at last summer’s annual conference

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities say two tankers have collided in a single-lane stretch of the Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic through the global waterway. The Suez Canal authority says the BW Lesmes, a Singapore-flagged tanker that carries liquefied natural gas, suffered a mechanical malfunction and ran aground while transiting

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — The Hong Kong government has been given the green light to appeal a court’s refusal to ban a protest song. The decision Wednesday came after government lawyers cited national security concerns. “Glory to Hong Kong” was often sung by demonstrators during months of anti-government protests in

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has sentenced seven men and a woman to prison after their convictions over allegedly aiding two men earlier executed for killing a paramilitary volunteer during the nationwide protests last year that followed the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. That’s according

By WASBIR HUSSAIN Associated Press GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Police say that a construction platform at a railroad bridge being built in northeastern India has collapsed, killing at least 26 workers and injuring two others. The platform collapsed Wednesday at a bridge in Sairang, a town on the outskirts of Aizawal, the capital of Mizoram

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A passenger bus veered off a key highway and crashed in Nepal, killing at least eight people and injuring many more. Police said the bus drove off the Prithvi highway near the town of Gajuri and fell into the river. The bus was partly submerged and rescuers were able to pull

By ASHOK SHARMA and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on Wednesday — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water, and a technological triumph for the world’s most populous nation.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday after Wall Street rallied to its best day since June after pressures from the bond market relaxed a bit. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.4% in morning trading to 32,146.33. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4% to 7,178.10. South Korea’s Kospi jumped