AP National News

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A delegation of United States lawmakers are meeting with Taiwan’s president as part of an ongoing visit that comes at a tense moment between the U.S. and China. China claims the island republic as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has welcomed many

By ED DAVEY The lush West African rainforests of Liberia are being cut down and illegally exported with the likely collusion of powerful government officials, according to a diplomatic document obtained by The Associated Press that described an apparent “parallel system” for trade in timber. The document is a compilation of reports prepared by independent

MEXICO CITY (AP) — At least 17 migrants are dead after the bus they were traveling in crashed in central Mexico. All of the dead were migrants, including people from Venezuela, Colombia and Central America. Puebla state officials said Monday that the accident occurred the previous day on a highway leading from the southern state

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Tuesday in quiet trading after U.S. markets were closed for Presidents Day. Shares dropped in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong but rose slightly in Seoul and Shanghai. U.S. futures and oil prices declined. Analysts say worries about weakening demand persist in

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s prime minister says the country needs to rebuild with more resilient infrastructure to cope with more frequent and intense weather events. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins spoke to Parliament on Tuesday after Cyclone Gabrielle hit last week. The storm caused widespread damage on New Zealand’s North Island and claimed

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Leiji Matsumoto, the anime creator known for ”Space Battleship Yamato” and other classics, has died at age 85. His manga works “Galaxy Express 999” and “Space Pirate Captain Herlock” were adapted into television anime series in the 1970s and became huge hits. He was known for a

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its allies are urging the U.N. Security Council to condemn North Korea’s unlawful ballistic missile launches. But China and Russia blamed the U.S. for escalating tensions by increasing military exercises targeting Pyongyang. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council at an

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British luxury brand Burberry has unveiled its first catwalk show under new creative director Daniel Lee at London Fashion Week on Monday. The heritage brand is best known for its elegant, functional trench coats, first invented during World War I. But Lee, who joined Burberry in September,

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ Jesuit religious order is taking new measures against a prominent Jesuit artist after 15 more people came forward with fresh accusations of spiritual, sexual and psychological abuse. The Jesuits tell The Associated Press that the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik can no longer pursue his artistic

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press Gustavo Dudamel has arrived at the New York Philharmonic for the first time since he was hired to become music director starting in the 2026-27 season. He was a top young conductor with wild, bushy hair when he made his debut with the orchestra in 2007. His hair is now

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and DAMIAN DOVARGANES Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man arrested Monday in the weekend killing of a Catholic bishop that shocked Los Angeles religious and immigrant communities is the husband of the victim’s housekeeper and had done work at his home, authorities said. Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A teenager died and a 4-year-old girl was among the wounded when gunfire broke out along the route of a celebrated New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said Monday. A 21-year-old man was quickly arrested and two guns were recovered at the scene,

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea police say security forces are prepared to use lethal force to free a foreigner and three citizens of the South Pacific island nation from armed criminals. A statement from the police commissioner says the foreigner and three Papua New Guinea university students are “being held by criminals in

By LAURIE KELLMAN and ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Tuesday for the first time advanced a plan to overhaul the country’s legal system, defying a mass uproar among Israelis and calls for restraint from the United States. The vote marked only preliminary approval for the plan.

By KEN MILLER Associated Press A former owner of two NBA teams, an NFL franchise and longtime Texas businessman, Billy Joe “Red” McCombs has died at his home in San Antonio, according to a statement from his family on Monday. McCombs was 95 and preceded in death by his wife, Charline, in 2019. “The entire

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed a law to use zero-interest loans to help local governments repair or replace public infrastructure damaged by wildfires or subsequent flooding. The law follows last year’s historic wildfire that was sparked by a prescribed burn by the U.S. government. It grew to

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for a man convicted of killing eight people along a Manhattan bike path five years ago say prosecutors are unfairly using emotional testimony from victims’ families to try to win a death penalty ruling from a jury. They’ve asked the judge presiding over the death

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A new 6.4-magnitude earthquake has killed three people and injured more than 200 others in parts of Turkey laid waste two weeks ago by a massive quake that killed tens of thousands. Officials said more buildings collapsed, trapping some people, while scores of injuries were recorded

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) — Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe said in a speech posted online Monday that he has been removed as the right-wing group’s leader. In remarks that appeared to have been made at a Project Veritas’ office, O’Keefe said the board had stripped him of all decision-making. The move comes after the board