AP National News

PARIS (AP) — Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders along with 14 French media outlets and production companies are calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to release a journalist imprisoned for a month in Kabul. In a joint statement issued Monday, RSF and French media said Mortaza Behboudi, a journalist with dual French and Afghan citizenship, was

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Delaying the start of Social Security retirement benefits can dramatically increase your monthly benefit and your lifetime income. But how do you pay the bills in the meantime? Using your 401(k) or other retirement savings as a “bridge” may be the best option, even if it means spending down your

By GHAITH AL-SAYED and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press DARKUSH, Syria (AP) — A steady stream of injured were flowing into an overwhelmed hospital in the town of Darkush, in rebel-held northwestern Syria on Monday, after a deadly earthquake struck the region. Mothers hovered over crying children. Amid the chaos, one man sat with a dazed

MERIBEL, France (AP) — Italian skier Federica Brignone posted the fastest time in the super-G portion of the women’s combined event on the opening day of the world championships. She led defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin by almost a second. Brignone found the fastest line on the Roc de Fer course as she built a lead

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say European investigators have shut down an encrypted communication service that was used as a secure channel for organized crime particularly in the drug trade and arrested 48 people. Police said more than 70 properties were searched in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland on Friday when the arrests were

By JOSH BOAK and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek reelection in 2024. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that shows just 37%

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The government of oil-rich Norway is looking to donate 75 billion kroner ($7.3 billion) in a multi-year support package to Ukraine. The money would make the Scandinavian country one of the world’s top donors to war-torn Ukraine. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Monday the money would be used for military

LONDON (AP) — Manchester City was accused by the Premier League on Monday of breaching a slew of financial rules from 2009-18, during which the club became a force in English and European soccer following its takeover by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family. The league released a long statement detailing a list of alleged breaches of

By CALVIN WOODWARD and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — If you’ve heard it once in a president’s State of the Union speech, you’ve heard it 100 times: There is nothing the American people can’t do when they pull together. But you haven’t heard that thought in a State of Union address from William

By ZEN SOO and KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s top court has ruled that full sex reassignment surgery should not be a prerequisite for transgender people to have their gender changed on their official identity cards. The decision is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the transgender community. Two

By IMAD ISSEID and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press AQABAT JABR, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed five Palestinian gunmen in a raid on refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the latest bloodshed in the region that will likely further exacerbate tensions. The Palestinian president’s office called the violence a crime, urging

By KELVIN CHAN and YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writers LONDON (AP) — The boards of Renault and Nissan have approved equalizing the stake each automaker holds in the other, bringing a better balance in the French-Japanese alliance. Under the decision announced Monday, both companies will own 15% in the other. Up to now, Renault Group

By GHAITH ALSAYED and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press AZMARIN, Syria (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing more than 1,300 people. Hundreds were still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular planned pension changes start being debated at parliament, after they prompted massive strikes and street demonstrations in recent weeks. The contested bill would notably raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. A third round of protests has been called on

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Some of Hong Kong’s best-known pro-democracy activists have gone on trial in the biggest prosecution yet under a law imposed by China’s ruling Communist Party to crush dissent. The 18 defendants face up to life in prison if convicted under the national security law critics say

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 641 people. Hundreds were still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage

By IMAD ISSEID and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press AQABAT JABR, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed five Palestinian gunmen in a raid on a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, Israeli security officials said, in a response to a botched attack on Israelis that was likely to further exacerbate tensions in the region. The

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song that’s become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the Islamic Republic wept early Monday after seeing he’d won a Grammy. Shervin Hajipour appeared stunned after hearing Jill Biden, the wife of President

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Buddhist abbot Hsing Yun, who established a thriving religious community in southern Taiwan and built universities overseas, has died. He was 95. He established Fo Guang Shan monastery in 1967, aiming to propagate Buddhist humanitarian values. It would go on to operate hundreds of temples and seminaries around the world, along

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A spokesperson for Pakistan’s media regulator says it has blocked Wikipedia for hurting Muslim sentiment by not removing allegedly blasphemous content. The action was taken because a 48-hour deadline given to Wikipedia was ignored and some of the blasphemous content is still available on the site. That’s