AP-National

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans. The National Association of

By SIMON CAMBERS Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A Ukrainian player refusing to shake the hand of a Russian or Belarusian at the net has become a common sight on the tennis tours over the past two years. For those Ukrainian players competing at the Australian Open in Melbourne, it’s a gesture that has

By EMMA BURROWS and DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press A Russian court in Siberia has sentenced a man to 19 years in prison for shooting a military enlistment officer in an attack last September linked to the war in Ukraine. Also on Friday, prosecutors in St. Petersburg asked for a 28-year sentence for a woman charged

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A former Republican legislative candidate in Maine has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers in the U.S. Capitol riot. Matthew Brackley of Waldoboro traveled to Washington for former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally and entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors say he asked for the location

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — This week began and ended with the long road in front of Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate thronged by heavy vehicles tooting their horns in protest — farmers on Monday and truckers on Friday. Such demonstrations underline deep frustration in Germany with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, which came

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — European Union Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders has praised efforts by Poland’s new pro-EU government to restore the rule of law and says they may lead to the release of billions of euros of EU funds for the country that were frozen under the previous government. Reynders was holding talks in

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Ten years after “The Square,” an acquisition that put Netflix documentaries on the map, the streamer is back at the Sundance Film Festival with an eye towards acquisitions and two very different originals. Ford’s latest, “Power,” an inquiry into the evolution of policing in

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Eminem stood alongside Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson before the Detroit Lions hosted a playoff game for the first time in three decades, soaking up an electric atmosphere at Ford Field. “The energy in the building was amazing,” Johnson said in

By The Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — More than 1,000 people have rallied in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, continuing a series of protests triggered by the conviction and sentencing of a local activist and handing a new challenge to the Kremlin. People gathered Friday in the center of Ufa, the main city of Bashkortostan,

SAN JUAN Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the French Caribbean island of Martinique say two people have been rescued and they are searching for three others after their boat capsized. The search is focused along Galleon Bay, off Martinique’s east coast, according to the Antilles-Guyana Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center. Local media reported

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world. If there’s any takeaway from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, which boldly touted that theme, it’s that we still have a long way to

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in Jamaica say they have detained a former member of Parliament and named him a suspect in his wife’s death. Police said in a statement late Thursday that Jolyan Silvera was taken into custody after an autopsy found that his wife, Melissa Silvera, did not die of natural

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — There may be a collective feeling of déjà vu among Democrats in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as they head back to the polls for a court-ordered do-over of a mayoral election they thought they had decided months ago. Mayor Joe Ganim and opponent John Gomes will face each other

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved legislation easing rules to gain citizenship and ending restrictions on holding dual citizenship. The government argues that the plan passed Friday will bolster the integration of immigrants and help attract skilled workers. The main center-right opposition bloc criticized the project vehemently, arguing that

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The International Monetary Fund says debt-stricken Sri Lanka’s economic reform program is yielding the first signs of recovery, but the improvements still need to translate into improved living conditions for its people. Sri Lanka has been struggling with an economic crisis since declaring bankruptcy in

LONDON (AP) — Apple has promised to open up its tap-and-go mobile payment system to rivals as a way to resolve an antitrust case and avoid potentially billions in fines. The European Union said Friday that Apple proposed letting rival mobile wallet and payment service providers access the contactless payment function on its iOS operating

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Indian firm Tata Steel says it will close both blast furnaces at its plant in Port Talbot in Wales, eliminating 2,800 jobs. The move is part of plans to make its unprofitable U.K. operation leaner and greener. Tata plans to switch from coal-fired blast furnaces to electric

By REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal agency in charge of emergency management is changing its program that helps those who survive wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Federal Emergency Management Agency head Deanne Criswell says the changes are designed to simplify and speed up the process for disaster survivors to get

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary will test former President Donald Trump’s Republican front-runner status in a state he carried by a comfortable margin in the 2016 primary. But New Hampshire has a considerably more moderate electorate than the one that delivered Trump a big win in this