AP National News

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has slammed a group of Western countries which temporarily closed down their consulates in Istanbul over security concerns. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Thursday accused the countries of waging “psychological warfare” and trying to wreck Turkey’s tourism industry. Germany, the Netherlands and Britain were among countries that shut down their

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says it struck targets in the Gaza Strip hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Israel. The airstrikes early Thursday were the latest in an uptick of violence in the region. Israeli aircraft struck a rocket production workshop in the Gaza Strip as well as a

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States and the Philippines have announced an agreement to expand America’s military presence in the Southeast Asian country, with U.S. forces granted access to four more Philippine military camps, effectively giving Washington new ground to ramp up deterrence against China. The agreement between the

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s attorney general says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must avoid being involved in an overhaul of the country’s judicial system proposed by his government. She said if he gets involved, he risks a conflict of interest in his ongoing corruption trial. The attorney general’s stance,

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press Hong Kong (AP) — Hong Kong will give away air tickets and vouchers to woo tourists back. The international financial hub is racing to catch up with other popular travel destinations in a fierce regional competition. During the pandemic, the city has largely aligned itself with mainland China’s “zero-COVID” strategy

VIENNA (AP) — An Austrian court has convicted four men of terrorist offenses and participation in murder over their alleged links to a sympathizer of the Islamic State group who carried out a deadly shooting in Vienna in 2020. Two of the men were sentenced to life in prison by the Vienna state court on

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Sony has appointed a company veteran as its president to lead the Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate through times of change. Hiroki Totoki, Sony’s chief financial officer, will become the president and COO. Kenichiro Yoshida remains chairman and chief executive, signaling continuity at the Tokyo-based maker

VIENNA (AP) — The Austrian government says it has ordered four diplomats based in Vienna, including two at Moscow’s mission to United Nations agencies in the city, to leave the country. The Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Thursday that two diplomats the Russian Embassy had “engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Police converged in force on the tiny, unincorporated community of Wolf Creek in southwest Oregon the night of Jan. 26 as they hunted for a suspect who was wanted for kidnapping and torturing a woman nearly to death. Five days later, Benjamin Obadiah Foster was dead,

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and TERRY SPENCER Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida could make it easier for juries to hand down the death penalty. Republicans encouraged by Gov. Ron DeSantis have introduced legislation making it easier to send convicts to death row by eliminating a unanimous jury requirement. The movement began after the Parkland

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s West Bank settler population now makes up more than half a million people, a pro-settler group said Thursday, crossing a major threshold. Settler leaders predicted even faster population growth under Israel’s new ultranationalist government. The report, by WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com and based on official figures, showed the settler

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific. The embassy is starting small, with a chargé d’affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees. The U.S.

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — French naval forces in January seized thousands of assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles earlier this month in the Gulf of Oman coming from Iran heading to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. That’s according to comments by officials on Thursday. While Iran did not immediately

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press NORTH LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former “Dances With Wolves” actor who faces at least five felonies for allegedly sexually abusing Indigenous girls is scheduled to face a judge for the first time in the case on Thursday. The possible charges against Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, include sex trafficking and

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — It’s Groundhog Day and people are waiting to learn whether a furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town will predict an early spring or six more weeks of winter. People will gather Thursday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summon him from his tree stump at dawn

By COLLEEN LONG and EMILY SWANSON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — More U.S. adults disapprove than approve of the way President Joe Biden has handled the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office, a new poll shows, but that seems to have had little impact on his overall approval rating. The new

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is facing fresh pressure to make progress on police legislation after the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday at the White House. When Harris

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A week after bitter divisions dominated a national Republican gathering, Democrats holding their own meeting are eager to showcase just how much they agree on. There will be no party chair fight since Jaime Harrison isn’t up for reelection until 2025. There is no candidate jostling for

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are preparing to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for her past comments critical of Israel, an escalation of tensions after Democrats last session booted far-right GOP lawmakers from committees over their incendiary, violent remarks. Thursday’s vote