AP-National

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win. Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writher Ella Mills knows we all want to eat healthier. But the English food writer and businesswoman also knows we’re busy and we want everything to taste good. And she knows many people are nervous about the idea of committing to no meat. Mills is ready to hold our hands

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — As a proposed mine on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp nears final approval, Georgia lawmakers are considering a three-year pause on further permits that would allow the mine to expand. The bill approved by a House committee Thursday won’t affect plans by Twin Pines Minerals

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Republican Party is facing a cash crunch and there’s a power struggle within its ranks. The dispute is essentially between different allies of former President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump factions in Michigan and elsewhere are fighting over how best to represent

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in January as homebuyers seized upon easing mortgage rates and a modest pickup in properties on the market. Existing home sales rose 3.1% last month from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million, the National

By JIM MUSTIAN and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The way prosecutors tell it, Joseph Bongiovanni went to work for years with a “little dark secret.” Behind the veneer of a veteran U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, they alleged, was a turncoat on the take from the Buffalo Mafia, offering an “umbrella

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist government has delayed holding a vote on Sweden’s membership for more than 18 months, creating tension with Stockholm and drawing mounting pressure from its allies to finally move forward on ratification. Yet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party this week announced it will vote

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has set a target to further increase aquaculture production to meet rising demand for seafood and to fight global hunger and undernourishment. A report adopted at the end of a three-day Asia and Pacific regional conference in Sri Lanka’s capital on Thursday says the

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have called on the government to deliver further long-range weapons to Ukraine, but voted down an opposition call explicitly urging it to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles. Germany is now the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S. The government of Chancellor

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Dani Alves, one of the most successful soccer players of his generation, was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday. The former Brazil and Barcelona right back was convicted in Spain

By The Associated Press FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Police say a fire that killed five members of a Missouri family was intentionally set by the mother. St. Louis County police announced late Wednesday that a preliminary investigation ruled that the deaths of Bernadine Pruessner, her twin 9-year-old daughters Ivy and Lillie Pruessner, and her children

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The chaotic debate over a cease-fire in Gaza reverberated through Britain’s Parliament as the speaker of the House of Commons faced calls to resign and lawmakers said they feared for their safety amid pressure from all sides of the issue. More than six hours of sometimes heated

DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen is recalling more than 261,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a potential fuel leak that can increase the risk of fires. The recall covers certain Audi A3s and VW Golfs and GTIs from the 2015 through 2020 model years. Also included are 2015 through 2019 Golf Sportwagens, and 2019 and

By JOSEF FEDERMAN, SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to gain new momentum Thursday as the White House said a visit by a senior envoy with Israeli leaders was “going well” and other mediators reported encouraging signs from the warring

By MIKE SILVERMAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera is staging its first new production of Verdi’s opera “La Forza del Destino” in nearly 30 years. The opera is musically glorious but notoriously sprawling and difficult to follow, jumping over different countries and many years. For the new production, which opens on

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Guinness World Records has ruled against a Portuguese dog that died last year keeping the title of oldest canine ever. Following a review, GWR said Thursday it “no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder.” Bobi, a reportedly 31-year-old guard dog, had lived on

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) — A man accused of kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from a state park in upstate New York pleaded guilty to two felony counts and faces 47 years to life in prison. Craig Ross Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday under a plea deal to first-degree kidnapping and predatory sexual assault of a child.

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the border crossings with Ukraine are being added to a list of critical infrastructure to ensure that all military and humanitarian aid can reach Ukraine without any delays. Poland is located along NATO’s eastern flank and borders Ukraine, and Tusk

By PREDRAG MILIC Associated Press PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A court in Montenegro has ruled that Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon should be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges rather than to his native South Korea. The announcement came from a court official on Thursday. Montenegrin authorities arrested 32-year-old Kwon nearly a

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An official says Russian forces are probing Ukrainian defenses for weak points in the country’s northeast. That’s an area where analysts believe the Kremlin is aiming to build on its recent success in taking the city of Avdiivka by mounting an ambitious four-pronged offensive to break