AP-National

By ALICIA LEÓN Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Hundreds of farmers have driven their tractors into central Madrid as part of ongoing protests against European Union and local farming policies. The demonstration Wednesday, the biggest to take place in the Spanish capital after more than two weeks of daily protests across the country, includea a

By JILL LAWLESS and SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange won’t find out until next month at the earliest whether he can challenge extradition to the U.S. on spying charges, or if his long legal battle in Britain has run out of road. Two High Court judges said Wednesday they

By The Associated Press The mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has filed a lawsuit at a court in the Arctic city of Salekhard contesting officials’ refusal to release her son’s body, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported Wednesday. A closed-door hearing has been scheduled for March 4, the report said, quoting court officials.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s industry minister has chided the president of the utility that runs the Fukushima nuclear plant for a radioactive water leak earlier this month. Industry Minister Ken Saito called for heightened safety awareness and preventive measures and urged the company president he summoned to his office to

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s oil minister claims an Israeli sabotage attack on an Iranian natural gas pipeline caused multiple explosions last week. Oil Minister Javad Owji made the allegation Wednesday as Israel has been blamed for a series of attacks targeting Tehran’s nuclear program. Israel has not

By ALTAF QADRI and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press SHAMBHU, India (AP) — A protester died on Wednesday as thousands of Indian farmers resumed their march to the capital after talks with the government failed to end an impasse over their demands for guaranteed crop prices. The farmers began their protest march last week but were

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan has reported its exports surged nearly 12% in January, helped by robust demand for vehicles, auto parts and machinery. Government data released Wednesday show the nation’s trade deficit shrank to 1.76 trillion yen, or $12 billion, or about half of what it was a year

By ALBERT AJI Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s state TV says an Israeli strike that hit a residential area in the country’s capital of Damascus has killed two people. In neighboring Lebanon, state media and security officials say an Israeli airstrike killed two people, including a young girl, triggering a rocket attack on

BEIJING (AP) — Heavy snow has blanketed northern and central China, disrupting traffic and forcing schools to cancel classes. One person died in a roof collapse at a supermarket on Wednesday. Flights and intercity trains on which many of China’s commuters rely were delayed or canceled. Authorities in several provinces have issued severe weather warnings.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Japan’s Nikkei 225 share index surged briefly to an all-time high on Thursday, bypassing its previous record set in December 1989. By midday Thursday, the index was up 1.6% at 38,861.98 after earlier trading as high as 38,924.88. The Nikkei 225’s previous record was 38,915.87, just

By MANUEL VALDES Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Photographer Matt McDonald had lived on Puget Sound for years, but had never seen a whale, so he was elated when he spotted a giant marine mammal just off Seattle’s waterfront one evening. The excitement was short-lived. As McDonald tracked the whale in his camera’s viewfinder, a

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A never-published biography of the Eagles delved deeply into the superstar classic rock band’s 1980 breakup, their longtime manager testified Wednesday, saying co-founders Glenn Frey and Don Henley were “very disappointed” with the manuscript. The book never found a publisher. But four decades later, it’s part

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s Republican lawmakers are far from coasting through this election season despite wielding power in both chambers of the state Legislature. Next month’s primaries will likely be used to wage a bitter power battle within their own party that could determine just how red

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean government has warned thousands of striking doctors to return to work immediately or face legal action after their collective walkouts caused cancellations of surgeries and disrupted other hospital operations. Wednesday’s warning comes as collective walkouts by trainee doctors have caused cancellations of

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Jury selection is set to begin for the trial of a Connecticut state trooper who fired seven gunshots into a stopped car in 2020 and killed a 19-year-old man. Trooper Brian North has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm in the death of Mubarak Soulemane in West

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press A family friend accused of killing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham was supposed to take the Texas girl to her school bus stop when they left her home in his vehicle last week. That’s according to court documents released Wednesday, a day after Audrii’s body was found in a river. The documents

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Tucker Carlson asked Vladimir Putin about his reasons for invading Ukraine two years ago, Putin gave him a lecture on Russian history. The 71-year-old Russian leader spent more than 20 minutes showering baffled Carlson with dates and names going back to the 9th century. Carlson

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Earlier this month, when Tucker Carlson asked Vladimir Putin about his reasons for invading Ukraine two years ago, Putin gave him a lecture on Russian history. The 71-year-old Russian leader spent more than 20 minutes showering a baffled Carlson with dates and names going back to

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Occupants of the White House have grumbled over news coverage practically since the place was built. Now it’s Joe Biden’s turn: With a reelection campaign underway, there are signs that those behind the president are starting to more aggressively and publicly challenge how he is

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Kateryna Dmytryk had been waiting for this moment for almost two years — nearly all of her son’s life. Side by side, they ran, 2-year-old Timur leading the way as snow crunched beneath their feet. A slender, pale man made his way to the pair from