AP-National

By TOM ODULA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s president says corruption and officials’ incompetence allowed a liquid petroleum plant to operate in one of Nairobi’s most crowded residential neighborhoods, where its explosion and fire killed three people and injured more than 280 others. President William Ruto says the officials who gave licenses to

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — An Irish nationalist made history Saturday by becoming Northern Ireland’s first minister as the government returned to work after a two-year boycott by unionists. Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O’Neill was named first minister in the government that under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Taylor Swift, who is holding concerts in Japan through Feb. 10, will make it in time for the Super Bowl to see her partner and football superstar Travis Kelce play. To make sure all her fans know, the Japanese Embassy has sent a message on X, formerly

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A case with the potential to disrupt Donald Trump’s drive to return to the White House is putting the Supreme Court uncomfortably at the center of the 2024 presidential campaign. In arguments Thursday, the justices will, for the first time, wrestle with a constitutional provision that was

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer Dozens of psychedelic startup companies are racing to begin selling mind-expanding drugs for depression and other mental health conditions, riding a wave of promising research and media hype. The rush to market has sparked patent battles among companies trying to claim key ingredients found in magic mushrooms and other

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But Washington once

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Media rights groups and opposition campaigners have condemned a Serbian appeals court ruling that acquitted four former intelligence officers who were jailed for the killing of a prominent editor and newspaper publisher. Slavko Curuvija was shot dead at the entrance to his Belgrade apartment during the 1999 NATO bombing of

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court has convicted and sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife to seven years in prison on a charge that their 2018 marriage broke the law. Saturday’s verdict follows another case in which Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Blockbuster job growth in the past several months has coincided with high-profile layoff announcements by a number of large companies. So, how are both occurring at the same time? It’s not as contradictory as it might seem. Recent job cuts have been concentrated mainly in just

ISTANBUL (AP) — The governor of Turkey’s central bank has resigned only months after taking office amid allegations of improper use of power and family interference in the workings of the financial institutions. Hafize Gaye Erkan was the bank’s first female chief. She announced her resignation on social media late Friday, saying she was a

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military on Saturday issued its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon that it would be “ready to attack immediately” if provoked, as it recounted its actions along the northern border during four months of war in Gaza and

By BETH HARRIS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — New Jersey came to the West Coast to kick off Grammy Awards weekend, with native sons Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen teaming up. The occasion was to honor Bon Jovi for his musical achievements and philanthropic efforts as MusiCares Person of the Year on Friday

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Saturday expressed deep concern over reports that the Israeli military intends to take its battle against Hamas to the town of Rafah at Gaza’s border with Egypt where more than a million people have escaped the fighting. The EU’s top diplomat warned that

By HELENA ALVES and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A man armed with a knife and a hammer wounded three people Saturday in an early morning attack at the bustling Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, another nerve-rattling security incident in the Olympics host city before the Summer Games open in six

By MOHAMED SHARUHAN Associated Press MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives government says it has asked for clarification of why the Indian coast guard boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels within its economic zone earlier this week without consultation. It is the latest in a series of conflicts that has led to a setback in relations

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region are asking for the immediate release of a New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for almost a year. That’s according to a statement from Sebby Sambom, spokesperson of the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the

By CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press ABERDARE RANGE, Kenya (AP) — Following pressure from Kenya’s president, the national environment authority has issued a license for the construction of a tarmac road through the forested Aberdare range. Supporters of the project say that connecting two agricultural counties will bring economic development and improve livelihoods. But scientists and

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — An 11-day strike by teachers in a Boston suburb has ended after their union and the school district tentatively agreed on a new contract. The Newton Teachers Association announced a deal Friday night that is expected to be ratified by union members and the Newton School Committee next week. Classes are

By AYANNA ALEXANDER Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden got his first test of the 2024 campaign during the Democrats’ first presidential primary. Saturday’s contest in South Carolina held no surprises, since Biden faces only token opposition. What was most important for the Biden campaign was the level of support he received