AP-National

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A local human rights center says Belarusian authorities have arrested several dozen people in raids marking the latest in a relentless crackdown on dissent. The Viasna center says at least 64 people were detained on charges of “involvement in extremist groups” and “financing extremist activities.” Such

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Former Georgia mascot Uga X, whose eight-year run included back-to-back national championships, has died. Uga X was part of the line of English bulldog mascots that began in 1955. He was 2 when he began his run on the Sanford Stadium sideline in 2015. The bulldog known as “Que” retired in

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer MILAN (AP) — The European Commission has announced an in-depth investigation of German airline Lufthansa’s planned takeover of Italian carrier ITA Airways citing competitive concerns. Lufthansa signed a deal last year for a 41% minority share in the long-struggling ITA Airways formerly Alitalia. The deal calls for a 325-million-euro

WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials say the federal home energy assistance program served more than 7 million families in the last fiscal year, an all-time high that coincides with a record number of utility customers behind on payments. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association said the troubling numbers underscore the importance for Congress to act to

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer After a bruising year for the film industry, Christopher Nolan’s atomic hit “Oppenheimer” has emerged the winner of the Academy Awards nomination race. The drama focused on the Manhattan Project’s J. Robert Oppenheimer earned 13 Oscar nods. It was followed in the nomination count by the Frankenstein-esque dark comedy

By The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is defending himself against the state auditor’s claim that Ashcroft violated state law. Ashcroft is accused of failing to turn over cybersecurity reviews of Missouri’s 116 local election authorities. Ashcroft on Tuesday refuted what he called “false accusations” made by

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Police say an elderly man fatally shot his wife and then himself at an assisted living facility in Florida. Staff at the Addington Place at College Harbor facility found the couple dead in the woman’s room around 10 a.m. Tuesday, the St. Petersburg Police Department said in an email. The

ATLANTA (AP) — Rapper YFN Lucci pleaded guilty Tuesday to a gang-related charge after reaching a deal with prosecutors nearly three years after he was indicted on murder, gang and racketeering charges in Atlanta. The rapper, whose given name is Rayshawn Bennett, was one of a dozen people charged in a wide-ranging indictment targeting alleged

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s government is preparing for the possibility that Donald Trump could reach the White House again. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told a Cabinet retreat that Trump “represents uncertainty.” But he said his government was able to manage Trump previously by showing that Canada and the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police sergeant who hurled a plastic cooler at a man fleeing officers on a motorcycle — causing a crash that killed the rider — has been charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault. A judge in the Bronx set Erik Duran’s bail at $150,000 at an

By NOEL SICHALWE Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Authorities in Zambia say they are frantically pumping water and mud from a Chinese-owned copper mine where seven miners are trapped underground. The two Chinese workers and five Zambian ones were caught on Monday when water and mud entered the shaft where they worked at the

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Greece for violating the privacy rights of a group of women arrested and publicly identified in 2012 as HIV-positive prostitutes who allegedly endangered public health. The case was brought to the Strasbourg, France-based court by 11 Greek women,

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government is giving Northern Ireland politicians until Feb. 8 to restore their collapsed regional government. The deadline extension was announced Tuesday. A boycott by Northern Ireland’s largest British unionist party has kept the power-sharing administration on ice for almost two years. The British government is

By KATHLEEN FOODY, SOPHIA TAREEN and KEN MILLER Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A man suspected of shooting and killing eight people in suburban Chicago this weekend was related to most of the victims, authorities said Tuesday, a day after the 23-year-old fatally shot himself during a confrontation with law enforcement in Texas. The Illinois

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Cue all the “did ‘Barbie’ direct itself” snark. But Greta Gerwig not being among the five best director nominees for this year’s Oscars is one of the biggest shocks in recent memory. Here are some other major “snubs” and “surprises” from Oscar nomination morning. GRETA GERWIG SHUT OUT FOR

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Unions commanded big headlines last year, but that didn’t translate into higher membership numbers, according to government data released Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said 10% of hourly and salaried workers were members of unions in 2023, or around 14.4 million people. That’s an all-time low, and

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden’s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance. The legislators ratified Sweden’s accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. The ratification will come into effect after its publication

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The pilot of a small plane was killed when it crashed at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. Airport officials say the Cirrus SR 22 took off from the airport Sunday afternoon. The pilot declared an emergency, and then crashed north of the airport’s cargo building. The pilot was the

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have barred TurboTax maker Intuit Inc. from advertising its services as “free” unless they are free for all customers, or if eligibility is clearly disclosed. In an opinion and final order, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Intuit engaged in deceptive practices by

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives government has confirmed giving clearance to a Chinese ship to dock in its port, a move which could further irk India with whom the tiny archipelago nation is involved in a diplomatic spat. The Maldives foreign ministry in a statement Tuesday confirms local