AP-National

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO says it will help buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so allies can better protect their territory as Russia ramps up its air assault on Ukraine. NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency said Wednesday that it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Honoring victims, survivors and first responders following the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history was the first order of business for state lawmakers as they get back to work. Remembrances in the House and Senate on Wednesday set a collective tone for the session, but leaders

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says China sent four balloons over the island, three of which passed near to a key air force base. The reported incursions on Tuesday come as China has been constantly upping its threat to use force to annex the self-governing republic. Taiwan is holding elections for its president

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press HANAPEPE, Hawaii (AP) — The process of making salt from sea water is a lengthy and laborious one that requires patience, perseverance and stoicism. Work that salt makers do for hours or even days could be wiped out by passing rain showers, which are all too common on the island

By DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press HANAPEPE, Hawaii (AP) — On a warm summer afternoon, Tina Taniguchi was on her hands and knees scraping dirt off an oblong depression in the ground. Thick brown hair peeked out from her coconut leaf hat. Splotches of mud stuck to her T-shirt and speckled her smiling face. Taniguchi smiles

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A lawyer says a Pakistani court has indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a contempt case for allegedly insulting election officials. The indictment Wednesday is another blow for Khan, who is already serving time on a corruption conviction and has multiple legal cases hanging over him. He is accused of calling

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — It’s small in stature, big on activity and known for a “smile,” and it’s ready to compete with 200 other dog breeds. Say hello to the Lancashire heeler, the latest breed recognized by the American Kennel Club. The organization announced Wednesday that the rare herding breed

By BETH J. HARPAZ Associated Press Planning a trip this winter? Yes, it’s tempting to look for sunny spots where you can lie on a beach or play golf. But some of my favorite winter vacations have been to northerly destinations at their coldest, darkest times of year. I don’t ski, so I’m not looking

By DAN FRIO Edmunds Most of us struggle with making those New Year’s resolutions stick. This year, add some fuel — or even electricity — to your personal improvement fire with cars that can help you see your goals through to the end. Whether you want to get fit or get out, Edmunds picks five

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — The PGA Tour season starts at Kapalua and there’s a different feeling this year. Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele are among several players contributing to relief efforts toward the Lahaina fires on Aug. 8 that killed 100 people and leveled the historic waterfront

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran says twin bomb blasts killed at least 84 people at an event honoring a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike in 2020. Iranian state media called the attack, which wounded 284, “terroristic.” No one immediately claimed responsibility for what appears to

By SAM KEMMIS of NerdWallet Remote working has led to so-called “bleisure” travel, where employees mix work and leisure on the same trip. This trend appears to be affecting the lodging industry, with demand for short-term rentals such as Airbnb outpacing that for hotels. With more and more travelers working on vacation — and extending

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer DENVER (AP) — For 20 months, a teenage swimmer has been awaiting a decision about accusations filed against him by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. In April 2022, SafeSport sent the teen a letter saying he had allegedly engaged in behavior that constituted sexual misconduct. It took three months

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed sanctions on the world’s biggest diamond mining company and its chief executive officer as part of what it says is its “unwavering commitment” to Ukraine in the war against Russia. Wednesday’s move targeted Alrosa, which accounts for about 90% of Russia’s diamond production, and CEO Pavel Marinychev.

By TIA GOLDENBERG, FADI TAWIL and SAMI MAGDY Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service vowed Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. His pledge came a day after the deputy head of the

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Temperatures have fallen below minus 40 degrees Celsius in the Nordic region for a second day in a row, with the coldest January temperature recorded in Swedish Lapland in 25 years. The weather -– cold with snow and gale-force winds — has disrupted transportation throughout

By WILL WEISSERT and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is starting the campaign year by evoking the Revolutionary War to mark the third anniversary of the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection and visiting the South Carolina church where a white gunman massacred Black parishioners. The Democratic president is seeking to present

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Prosecutors have alleged that Hong Kong activist and publisher Jimmy Lai had encouraged the city’s residents to protest and urged the U.S. to take action against the Chinese authorities in Beijing. The 76-year-old media tycoon who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was arrested in 2020

By The Associated Press Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release of captives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home in the first exchange in almost five months. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 248 Russian

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Patients faced canceled treatments after thousands of British doctors walked off the job on Wednesday, the start of a six-day strike over pay that was set to be the longest in the history of the state-funded National Health Service. Managers said tens of thousands of appointments and