AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — The United Nations’ human rights chief has decried increasing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan, urging the country’s Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately. He pointed Tuesday to “terrible consequences” of a decision to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations. Last week, Taliban authorities stopped university education for women, sparking international

By ZEKE MILLER AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture. As he nears the halfway mark on

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Foreign companies welcomed China’s decision to end quarantines for travelers from abroad as an important step to revive slumping business activity while Japan on Tuesday joined India in announcing restrictions on visitors from the country as infections surge. The ruling Communist Party’s abrupt decision to lift some

By ABBY SEWELL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese army has arrested a suspect in the killing earlier this month of a U.N. peacekeeper from Ireland who died when his convoy was shot at in southern Lebanon. The area where the attack took place is a center of support for the

By LAUREN SCHWAHN of NerdWallet For those of us with big financial plans or resolutions for the new year, such as buying a home or new car, getting our credit scores in shape can play a huge role in getting what we want. But boosting credit is easier said than done. What are some steps

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Tuesday that Japan will tighten border controls for COVID-19 by requiring tests for all visitors from China starting Friday as a temporary emergency measure against the surging infections there. The announcement comes days after the World Health Organization said it was

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC and SYLEJMAN KLLOKOQI Associated Press MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Serbs have erected more roadblocks in northern Kosovo and defied international demands to remove those placed earlier. The move on Tuesday came a day after Serbia put its troops near the border on a high level of combat readiness. The new barriers made

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The accounts are haunting. Abductions, torture, rapes. Scores of civilians including women and children have been killed by the M23 rebels in eastern Congo, according to a U.N. report In addition, the M23 rebels have forced children to be soldiers, according to the report by a

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president on Tuesday called for stronger air defenses and high-tech stealth drones while the military apologized for failing to shoot down North Korean drones that crossed the border for the first time in five years. South Korea’s military scrambled warplanes and attack helicopters

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will look into flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines that have left travelers stranded at airports across the country amid an intense winter storm that has killed dozens of people. Many airlines were forced to cancel flights due to the weather, but Southwest was by far the leader in

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World shares advanced Tuesday after China announced it would relax more of its pandemic restrictions despite widespread outbreaks of COVID-19 that are straining its medical systems and disrupting business. China’s National Health Commission said Monday that passengers arriving from abroad will no longer have to observe

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Companies welcomed China’s decision to end quarantines for travelers from abroad as an important step to revive slumping business activity while Japan on Tuesday announced restrictions on visitors from the country as infections surge. The ruling Communist Party’s abrupt decision to lift some of the world’s strictest

By ISAAC SCHARF Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s largest medical center and healthcare workers from hospitals around the country have spoken out against remarks by allies of Benjamin Netanyahu calling for a law to allow discrimination against LGBTQ people in hospitals and businesses. It was part of a broader blowback against remarks made this

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan will require COVID-19 tests for all visitors from China as a temporary emergency measure against the surging infections there after Beijing largely abandoned its “zero-COVID” policy. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Tuesday that those who test positive will be quarantined for seven days at designated

CAIRO (AP) — Sudanese police say a passenger bus slammed into a parked truck on a highway in the city of Omdurman, killing at least 16 people. The police say the bus swerved off the road on Tuesday in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital, Khartoum. At least 19 others were injured in the

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group says it carried out a car bombing in northeast Afghanistan that killed a local police chief. The IS regional affiliate — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — has increased its attacks since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. The car bombing

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has dismissed his fourth minister in two months to patch a scandal-tainted Cabinet that has raised questions over his judgment of staff credentials. Kenya Akiba, minister in charge of reconstruction of Fukushima and other disaster-hit areas, faced allegations of mishandling political and