AP-National

By NICK KURCZEWSKI Edmunds The new 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV is one of the most intriguing electric vehicle debuts this year. With roomy seating and lots of the latest technology features, it could appeal to people looking to go electric with their next SUV purchase. However, it competes against a host of other electric SUVs,

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — The relationship between India and the Maldives is facing challenges after officials in the tiny island nation made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s posts that promoted the pristine beaches of India’s Lakshadweep archipelago. In India, government officials, Bollywood stars and cricketers are urging people

By LISA MASCARO and REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Marching ahead with multiple impeachment plans, House Republicans set their sights Wednesday on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who they intend to prove is “derelict in his duty” over handling the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The chairman of the Homeland Security

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A controversial Nepalese spiritual leader known as “Buddha Boy” was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a minor and involvement in the disappearance of at least four of his followers from his camps, police said Wednesday. Ram Bahadur Bamjan is believed by many Nepalese to be

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister has called for unified efforts to tackle global infectious diseases like COVID-19 and emergencies caused by climate change, nearly 1 1/2-year after devastating floods killed 1,700 people in his nation. Representatives from 70 countries, the World Health Organization, and other international organizations are attending

By LIUDAS DAPKUS Associated Press VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Ukraine has shown the world that Russia’s military can be stopped, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday as he began a visit to the Baltic nations in search of more help for his country against the Kremlin’s larger and better-supplied forces in the 22-month-old invasion. Speaking in

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report says climate-altering pollution from greenhouse gases declined by nearly 2% in the United States in 2023, even as the economy expanded at a faster clip. The report from the Rhodium Group said the decline is a step in the right direction but far below

By KENYA HUNTER AP Health Writer Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program,

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The World Economic Forum says false and misleading information supercharged with cutting-edge artificial intelligence is the top immediate risk to the global economy. In its latest Global Risks Report, the organization says misinformation and disinformation as the most severe risk over the next two years. The

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say two migrants have been killed and 30 others rescued in Greece after a dinghy crashed into rocks in high winds on the island of Lesbos. Many of those rescued were found in a remote area on land near the accident site, facing the nearby coast of Turkey, apparently

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities have resumed landfill work at the planned new site of the U.S. military base on Okinawa despite protests by island residents that it tramples on their rights. The site for the base on the eastern coast of Okinawa has been at the center of a

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — More than 50 countries that are home to half the planet’s population are due to hold national elections in 2024, but the number of citizens exercising the right to vote is not unalloyed good news. The year looks set to test even the most robust democracies and

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A union representing many of Germany’s train drivers has started a nearly three-day strike in a rancorous dispute with the country’s state-owned main railway operator over working hours and pay. Train travel across the country and in many cities came to a near standstill early Wednesday, with

By MATTHEW LEE, WAFAA SHURAFA and JACK JEFFERY Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek governance reforms. It’s part of a plan to rally the region behind a postwar vision for Gaza that includes concrete steps toward a Palestinian state.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares advanced Thursday on the back of Wall Street’s climb to a near-record high, as Tokyo’s benchmark surged to its highest level since 1990. The yen has weakened against the U.S. dollar, boosting export-related shares in a New Year rally that took the benchmark Nikkei

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a minivan explosion in the Afghan capital that killed at least three people. The militant group says it detonated an explosive late Tuesday hidden on a vehicle belonging to employees of Afghanistan’s main prison in Kabul, killing and wounding about 10 people. That’s according

By ALLEN PANCHANA and GONZALO SOLANO Associated Press GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Schools and stores are shuttered, many people stayed home and soldiers are roaming the streets of Ecuador’s biggest cities after armed gang members invaded a television station during a live broadcast. Much of Ecuador simmered with tension following Tuesday’s attack at public channel

By KATHY McCORMACK and SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Drenching rains, flooding and fierce winds stranded vehicles, shuttered schools and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in the Northeast, the swan song of a bout of violent weather that battered most of the United States. Forecasters warned Wednesday that more misery

By LEAH WILLINGHAM and JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is bringing a close to one avenue for his quirky speeches with his final State of the State address. He delivered the speech Wednesday night. The popular two-term Republican governor is running for Democrat Joe Manchin’s U.S. Senate

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN and JOHNSON LAI Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Using military threats, diplomatic pressure, fake news and financial inducements for politicians, China is being accused of deploying a broad strategy to influence voters in Taiwan’s elections to pick candidates who favor unification. China’s ultimate goal is to take control of the self-governing