AP National News

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street appears ready to add to a rally last week ignited by data hinting at slowing U.S. wage gains, one of the goals of the Federal Reserve in its efforts to cool decades-high inflation. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.3% while the S&P

STOCKHOLM (AP) — NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg says it’s time for Sweden to join the military alliance because it has done what’s necessary to secure Turkey’s approval for membership. In an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published Monday, Stoltenberg said that “time has come to bring to an end the ratification process for Sweden.” Turkey

Russian authorities have announced criminal probes against a famous actor critical of the war in Ukraine and a philanthropist who supports the Russian opposition. Monday’s announcement of the parallel investigations are part of a months-long, sweeping crackdown on dissent. Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement that its chief Alexander Bastrykin ordered the launch of

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian prime minister has accused Israel’s new ultra-nationalist government of blocking “even the most non-violent ways of fighting the occupation” and warned they will inflame the conflict. Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told his Cabinet at its weekly meeting on Monday that Israel’s financial and

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has met with Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the longtime secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. Gaenswein was a key figure in his recent funeral but has raised eyebrows with an extraordinary memoir in which he settles old scores and reveals palace intrigue about the decade-long cohabitation of

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Inflation has a way of affecting nearly every aspect of our finances. Big jumps in tax brackets could save you money, especially if you’re working and your raises — like those of most workers — haven’t kept pace with inflation. Plus, a $2,000 increase in 401(k) limits means you can

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses went on strike Monday at two of New York City’s major hospitals after contract negotiations stalled over staffing and salaries nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic. The privately owned hospitals were postponing nonemergency surgeries, diverting ambulances to other medical centers, pulling in

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials at a vocational school in an eastern Ukraine city dismissed claims by Russia that hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in a missile strike there, saying Monday that a rocket merely blew out windows and damaged classrooms. Russia specifically named the vocational school in Kramatorsk

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has opted out of a European convention on fighting corruption, a move that comes in the wake of its withdrawal from the Council of Europe following start of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, to terminate the Council of

By COLLEEN LONG and MARIA VERZA Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — One of the most important diplomatic decisions by President Joe Biden at the gathering this week of North American leaders might have been his choice of airport. Biden arrived in Mexico City on Sunday via Mexico’s newest hub, the Felipe Angeles International Airport,

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL and TIAN McLEOD JI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Three Cabinet ministers welcomed Chinese tourists with flowers and gifts as they arrived Monday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after China relaxed travel restrictions. The high-profile event reflected the importance Thailand places on wooing back Chinese travelers to help restore its pandemic-battered tourism industry

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mostly higher Monday following last week’s rally on Wall Street, where investors bet that slow U.S. wage gains may augur a cooling of the inflation that has led the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates. In Europe, Germany’s DAX gained 0.3% to 14,647.16

By BRITTANY PETERSON Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — The mottled bright green leaves of a pothos plant stood out against the flashy expanse of electric vehicles and smart products at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this year. This particular version of the familiar houseplant was bioengineered to remove 30 times the amount

BEIJING (AP) — China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is starting his term with a weeklong trip to five African countries. The Foreign Ministry announced Monday that Qin will visit Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt from Jan. 9 to 16. He will meet the secretary-general of the Arab League in Egypt. The new foreign

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has broken his silence on the nationwide protests convulsing Iran. He has denounced the recourse to the death penalty there and elsewhere. And he seemingly legitimized the protests as demonstrations “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women.”Francis made the comments Monday in an annual

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A cargo ship carrying corn that went aground early on Monday in the Suez Canal was refloated and traffic through the crucial waterway was restored, Egyptian authorities said. Adm. Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said the Marshall Islands-flagged MV Glory suffered a sudden technical