AP National News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The University of Memphis plans to retire the jersey of former basketball player Lorenzen Wright during a game next month, more than 12 years after he was fatally shot. The program said Wednesday that it will retire Wright’s No. 55 at halftime of the game against Tulane on Feb. 4. Wright

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister has traveled to the United Arab Emirates as his nation seeks international aid to recover from devastating floods. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit Thursday to the UAE marks his third since becoming premier last April. The seven sheikhdoms of the Emirates are home to some 1.7

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Populist billionaire Andrej Babis is leading a field of eight candidates hoping to succeed Milos Zeman in the largely ceremonial but prestigious post of the Czech president. Babis was recently acquitted in a fraud trial. The former prime minister boosted his chances of winning in the first

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has named a veteran technocrat who both leads Abu Dhabi’s state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts to be the president of the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai. The announcement Thursday naming Sultan al-Jaber highlights the

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — State officials in Republican-controlled Montana want to require prior authorization before its health department pays for abortions for people covered by Medicaid, a proposal critics say would reduce access and delay or even prevent abortion care for low-income women in the state. The Department of

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — An industry group says China’s auto sales rose 9.5% in 2022 as electric vehicle purchases nearly doubled, but demand slumped in December, foreshadowing weaker growth this year. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says sales of SUVs, sedans and minivans in 2022 rose to 23.6 million.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia has pulled out of its upcoming men’s one-day international cricket series against Afghanistan. citing further restrictions on women’s rights imposed in the country by the ruling Taliban government. Australia was set to meet Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates for three matches in March. But following consultation with the Australian

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing that killed at least five people near the Foreign Ministry in the Afghan capital. The claim Thursday came amid condemnation of the attack by the international community. Wednesday’s explosion was the second major attack in Kabul in 2023. IS said

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press A POWER PLANT, Ukraine (AP) — Around some of their precious transformers — the ones that still work, buzzing with electricity — the power plant workers have built protective shields using giant concrete blocks, so they have a better chance of surviving the next Russian missile bombardment. Blasted out windows

By BEN FINLEY and DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The shooting of a first-grade teacher by a 6-year-old boy has plunged the nation into uncharted waters of school violence, with many in the Virginia shipbuilding city where it happened demanding metal detectors in every school. But experts warn there are no

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says the Israeli military shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in the occupied West Bank. The military said soldiers operating in the area were being struck by objects from above rooftops and responded with live fire. Thursday’s incident was the latest bloodshed in months of

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials are considering creating a domestic fund to compensate Koreans who were enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II, as they desperately try to repair relations with Tokyo that have deteriorated in recent years over historical grievances. The plan

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Last June, a team of female doctors and nurses drove six hours across mountains, dry riverbeds and on unpaved roads to reach victims of a massive earthquake that had just hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people. When they got there, a day after the

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The man accused in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students is expected to appear in court Thursday, a day after classes resumed for undergraduates, many of whom until recent days were stricken by fear over the case. Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old Washington State

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a key political ally of Pakistan’s former prime minister has won a confidence vote in the Punjab Assembly to remain in his position as the top elected official. Pervez Elahi secured 186 votes in the 371-seat Punjab Assembly to retain his position as the chief minister. The pre-dawn vote

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. inflation report for December being released Thursday morning could provide another welcome sign that the worst bout of spiking prices in four decades is slowly weakening. Or it could suggest that inflation remains persistent enough to require tougher action by the Federal Reserve. Most

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton’s presidential dreams were undermined by her use of a private email server that included classified information. Donald Trump has risked criminal charges by refusing to return top-secret records to the government after leaving the White House. And now misplaced files with classified markings could cause

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and other past and present U.S. officials are honoring the late defense secretary, Ash Carter, who opened the way for women to fight in combat and for transgendered personnel to serve. A memorial service is set for Carter on Thursday at Washington National Cathedral.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — China’s new foreign minister has sidestepped a new call by the African Union for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council during his visit to Ethiopia. Qin Gang, on his first overseas trip as foreign minister, instead emphasized China’s partnership with Africa in security and economic development. The African Union

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Thursday ahead of a closely watched report on U.S. inflation that is viewed as a good indicator of whether Wall Street’s recent rising optimism is warranted or overdone. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 wobbled in early trading and was up less than 0.1%