AP National News

By ALAN SUDERMAN and SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — China’s global campaign to win friends and influence policy has blossomed in a surprising place: Utah, a deeply religious and conservative state with few obvious ties to the world’s most powerful communist country. An investigation by The Associated Press has found that

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry was in a London court on Monday as the lawyer for a group of British tabloids prepared to ask a judge to toss out lawsuits by the prince, Elton John and several other celebrities who allege phone tapping and other invasions of privacy. The hearing involves one of several lawsuits

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares surged in Europe on Monday after a mixed session in Asia, with bank stocks mostly gaining after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said it had agreed to the sale of troubled Silicon Valley Bank to North Carolina-based First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. The FDIC took

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Response rates to federal surveys have been dropping in recent years due to growing public concern about privacy and online scams. Low response rates cut the quality of data gathered because wealthier and more educated households are more likely to respond. The problem also affects what

NEW YORK (AP) — North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world. The deal could reassure investors at a time of shaken confidence in banks, though the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other regulators

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer World Wrestling Entertainment’s prodigal son could become its undisputed champion on April 2. Cody Rhodes will face Roman Reigns in the main event of this year’s WrestleMania looking to write the final chapter of a story that began seven years ago when he left the company. When Rhodes departed

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In many Western countries, conventional radio has been overtaken by streaming, podcasts and on-demand content accessed via smartphones and computers. But in Zimbabwe and much of Africa, traditional radio sets and broadcasts are widely used, highlighting the digital divide between rich countries and those where populations

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Malaysia and Cambodia have signed two agreements on the employment of Cambodian migrant workers as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim makes his first visit to Phnom Penh since becoming his country’s leader in November. Anwar is accompanied by his ministers of foreign affairs, religious affairs and human resources. He held

By HUIZHONG WU and JOHNSON LAI Associated Press TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) — Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has departed for a tour of China in what he calls an attempt to reduce tensions a day after Taiwan lost one of its few remaining diplomatic partners to China. The ex-president is visiting in a private capacity,

By SAMYA KULLAB and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers have passed controversial amendments to the country’s election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in future polls. The amendments adopted on Monday increase the size of electoral districts, a move widely backed by

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Police in Arkansas say two separate shootings Sunday night left seven victims including two fatalities in the state capital. The Little Rock Police Department says in an online statement that emergency services received a report at 9:25 p.m. of a shooting. The two victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries. A short time

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s largest trade union group launched a strike across a broad swath of sectors Monday, joining a surging protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary — a plan that is facing unprecedented opposition. The strike by the Histadrut umbrella group,

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The chairman of Saudi National Bank has resigned for “personal reasons” after his comments on Credit Suisse sent that firm’s stock cratering. A filing on Monday on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange announced Ammar al-Khudairy’s resignation from Saudi National Bank. It dated his resignation as

By SAM METZ Associated Press PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 collision at an upscale Utah ski resort is expected to take the stand. Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson will likely testify Monday to his recollections of the collision and the post-concussion symptoms he says he suffered for years

By ALAN SUDERMAN and SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — China’s global campaign to win friends and influence policy has blossomed in a surprising place: Utah, a deeply religious and conservative state with few obvious ties to the world’s most powerful communist country. An investigation by the Associated Press has found that

NEW YORK (AP) — North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world. The sale involves the sale of all deposits and loans of SVB to First-Citizens Bank and Trust Co., the FDIC said in

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A big day has come for French high school student Elisa Fares. At age 17, she is taking part in her first protest. In a country that taught the world about people power with its revolution of 1789 — and a country again seething with anger against

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary was facing mounting opposition on Monday, with the country’s ceremonial president urging for an immediate halt to the legal changes. Universities countrywide shut their doors in protest and trade unions were expected to call for a