AP-National

By NOEL SICHALWE Associated Press LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia is reeling from a major cholera outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and infected more than 10,000, leading authorities to order schools across the country to remain shut after the end-of-year holidays. A large soccer stadium in the capital city has been converted

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — People close to Gov. Andy Beshear formed an advocacy group Wednesday to promote the Democrat’s agenda in Kentucky, as his allies try to build on his reelection victory and bolster his resume by turning more of his proposals into enacted policies in the Republican-leaning Bluegrass State.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of using a golf club to fatally impale a Minneapolis grocery store employee has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial on a murder charge. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Judicial Officer Danielle Mercurio on Tuesday ruled on the mental competency evaluation of Taylor Justin Schulz. Schulz was

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state police say five women from New York were killed when a tractor-trailer struck a crashed minivan and people standing outside the vehicle on snowy Interstate 81. Police say the minivan was carrying four women when it became disabled in the left lane in Lackawanna County on Tuesday evening. Two

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an incoming class of musicians who have scaled the heights of country, classic rock, pop, hip-hop and alt-rock. Steely Dan — co-founded by Donald Fagan and the

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — It was an unexpected musical success story last year, one that has only continued to snowball. Country music, with its loyal listenership on the margins of pop’s mainstream, had a crossover moment. In July, country acts held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot

By DAVID McHUGH AP Businss Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde says cutting interest rates too soon could threaten Europe’s progress in battling the inflation that has ravaged the economy. Lagarde is faced with market expectations for rate cuts as soon as March or April. But she underlined the bank’s

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Police in Trinidad say that a shooting left at three people dead and five others wounded on the eastern Caribbean island. Police told reporters on Wednesday that the violence occurred late Tuesday in the northwest town of Morvant when a van drove up to a group of men gathered

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Americans stepped up their spending at retailers in December, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on an upbeat tone and signaling that people remain confident enough to keep spending freely. Retail sales accelerated 0.6% in December from November’s 0.3% increase. Because spending

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan Airlines has named Mitsuko Tottori as its first woman president following a collision between one of its planes and a coast guard aircraft during Japanese New Year holidays that left five dead. Tottori — currently senior managing executive officer of JAL and the first woman to

LONDON (AP) — Two British brothers who broke into a Geneva museum and stole millions of pounds (dollars) worth of Chinese Ming Dynasty artifacts have been sentenced to prison in Switzerland. The Metropolitan Police say Louis and Stewart Ahearne were each sentenced Tuesday to 3 1/2 years in a Swiss prison following an investigation by

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Amazon will partner with Diamond Sports as part of a restructuring agreement as the largest owner of regional sports networks looks to emerge from bankruptcy. Diamond owns 18 networks under the Bally Sports banner. Those networks have the rights to 37 professional teams — 11 baseball, 15 NBA and

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Delicate talks to create a new Dutch government around anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders suffered a setback when a lingering immigration issue divided the parties involved in brokering a coalition. People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy senators threw their support behind legislation that could force municipalities

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press KOTAGIRI, India (AP) — Sacred forests and groves are primeval woodlands that different faith communities around the world have safeguarded for centuries as abodes of the spiritual or the divine. Thousands of sacred forests have survived. They’re the church forests in Ethiopia’s highlands, hillside groves considered holy by Catholics in

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press SHILLONG, India (AP) — Tambor Lyngdoh made his way through the fern-covered woodland — naming plants, trees, flowers, even stones — as if he were paying older family members a visit. The community leader and entrepreneur was a little boy when his uncle brought him here and said these words:

By TOM ODULA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A doomsday cult leader and 30 of his followers have been presented in a Kenyan court to face charges of murdering 191 children. Leader Paul Mackenzie and the other suspects did not enter pleas because the judge granted a request from prosecutors that they undergo mental

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British oil giant BP says its interim chief executive, Murray Auchincloss, will be given the job on a permanent basis to replace Bernard Looney. Looney quit after it emerged that he had failed to disclose to the board past relationships with company colleagues. Auchincloss is a 53-year-old

By KATE ASHFORD of NerdWallet A growing number of older adults are in debt in retirement, according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. Among people ages 65 to 74, the share with debt rose to 65% in 2022, up from 50% in 1989. For people 75 and over, 53% report holding debt in 2022

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court has acquitted several protesters who had occupied Bangkok airports in 2008 on rebellion and terrorism charges related to the demonstration. The protests disrupted travel in and out of the country for more than a week. The court fined some of the defendants for violating