AP National News

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister has requested a security review of strategic infrastructure after three foreign divers were rescued from near a key oil port where they had no authorization to be. Police in northern Poland are facing questions over why they released the divers without conducting a

By SALLY HO, ANGELIKI KASTANIS and LINDSEY BAHR Associated Press With hundreds of new movies released each year, many of us depend on the expertise of film critics to help curate our own watching — a thoroughly communal yet deeply personal experience. To honor the supporting role that entertainment journalism can play in this beloved

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Greg Steube sustained several injuries in an accident at his home on Florida’s Gulf Coast, his office said. A short statement released Steube’s office on Wednesday evening didn’t include details about the injuries or how serious they were. “We will provide additional updates when possible,” the statement said. “Please

By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has been sworn in as the state’s first Black governor. The 44-year-old Democrat pledged on Wednesday to work for greater inclusion and economic equity. He called for bold policies to improve education and fight crime and climate change. Moore also attended a

BAGHDAD (AP) — A stampede outside a stadium in southern Iraq has killed two person and injured dozens. The stampede Thursday came as spectators gathered to attend the final match in the first international soccer tournament held in the country in four decades. The Iraqi News Agency said some of the 60 people who were

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has asked that annual profits from a 1 billion-pound ($1.2 billion) Crown Estate windfarm deal be used for the public good rather than the royal family. The Crown Estate confirmed Thursday that it had signed lease agreements for six offshore wind projects. Such a

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — For Kyle Shanahan, the chance to coach the San Francisco 49ers against the Dallas Cowboys in a playoff game is a throwback to when that rivalry was the biggest in football. Shanahan’s formative years were spent watching his father, Mike, as offensive coordinator

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Taliban officials say 78 people have died in just over a week during Afghanistan’s harsh winter, adding to the country’s humanitarian crisis. Since January 10th at least 78 people and more than 75,000 livestock have died as result of cold weather in different parts of the country,

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Two Iranian-born Swedish brothers have been given lengthy prison sentences for spying for Russia and its military intelligence service GRU for a decade. The oldest of the two naturalized Swedes was sentenced on Thursday to life while his younger brother was sentence to nine years

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The value of the Lebanese pound has hit an all-time low, now trading at 50,000 to the U.S. dollar, as the country’s deeply-divided Parliament failed to elect a president for an 11th time. All but 18 of Lebanon’s 118 legislators showed up in Parliament Thursday, with most

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The countdown toward a possible U.S. government default is in the offing — with frictions between President Joe Biden and House Republicans raising alarms about whether the U.S. can sidestep a potential economic crisis. The Treasury Department projects that the federal government will on Thursday reach its

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong says her government is “deeply troubled” by the delays in China resolving espionage allegations against Chinese-Australian writer and blogger Yang Hengjun. Wong raised the issue Thursday on the anniversary of Yang’s detention in 2019 when he arrived in southern China’s Guangzhou

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Barcelona to strengthen relations between the European neighbors by signing a friendship treaty. The one-day summit in Barcelona comes amid a day of widespread strikes and protests on the other side of the

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A British-based medical journal says Pakistan has made progress over infectious diseases but now struggles against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer as causes of early deaths. The study published Thursday in The Lancet Global Health journal said the impoverished Islamic nation’s challenges have been sharpened by the

By TIAN MCLEOD JI, ELAINE KURTENBACH and KANIS LEUNG Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A hoped-for boom in Chinese tourism over next week’s Lunar New Year holidays looks set to be more of a blip as most travelers opt to stay inside China if they go anywhere at all. From the beaches of Bali to

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and Iran have summoned each other’s ambassadors in a diplomatic spat triggered by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s comments describing Iran as the “enemy” of the United Arab Emirates during a trip to that country this week. While visiting South Korean special

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s Defense Ministry says at least 15 soldiers have died in a fire at a military base. The fire swept through a barrack in the village of Azat, in Gegharkunik province in eastern Armenia early Thursday. The authorities said that seven soldiers were injured, and three of them remained in grave

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech coalition government has survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote over opposition claims of incompetence. The main opposition centrist ANO movement, led by populist billionaire Andrej Babis, has accused the government of not doing enough to help people cope with soaring inflation driven by high energy prices or to solve other current

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has reported a record-high trade deficit for 2022 of nearly 20 trillion yen, or $156 billion, as energy imports surged. The Finance Ministry reported Thursday that imports jumped almost 40% while exports grew 18% from a year earlier. It was the biggest deficit since Japan began keeping comparable records in 1979.

By TERRY TANG Associated Press Every Lunar New Year without fail, Kat Lieu’s mother would make her steamed nian gao, which is a sweet rice — or mochi — cake. It was a tasty tradition of having dessert for breakfast. The Seattle-based author of the “Modern Asian Baking at Home” cookbook and founder of the