AP National News

RIAZAT BUTT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Four major international aid groups say they will suspend their operations in Afghanistan following a decision by the country’s Taliban rulers to ban women from working at non-governmental organizations. The announcements Sunday followed in quick succession from Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE. The groups said

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three buses of recent migrant families arrived from Texas near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in record-setting cold on Christmas Eve. Texas authorities have not confirmed their involvement, but the bus drop-offs are in line with previous actions by border-state governors calling attention to the Biden administration’s immigration policies. The

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has refused to throw out criminal charges against former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. The judge last week disagreed with Gillum’s assertions that he was the victim of selective prosecution because he was a Black candidate for governor. Gillum and a colleague were indicted earlier this

WASHINGTON (AP) — Local organizers in Washington say three buses of recent migrant families arrived from Texas near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in record-setting cold on Christmas Eve. Texas authorities have not confirmed their involvement, but the bus dropoffs are in line with previous actions by border-state governors calling attention to the

By CAROLYN THOMPSON and JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze Sunday to ride out the winter storm that has killed at least 25 people across the United States and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia is ready for talks to end the war in Ukraine even as the country faced more attacks from Moscow — a clear sign that peace wasn’t imminent. Putin said in a state television interview, excerpts of which were released on Sunday afternoon that Russia is

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s government say it’s imposing urgent measures in the country’s capital and three other cities in order to protect people from severely high levels of air pollution. No sports events are to take place during days of high pollution. Construction work will be limited

PARIS (AP) — The man suspected of fatally shooting three Kurds in Paris ahead of Christmas weekend told investigators that he had set out that morning aiming to kill migrants or foreigners and then himself, according to prosecutors. The 69-year-old man killed three people outside a Kurdish cultural center Friday and wounded three others, and

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad is warning its staff of a possible attack on Americans at a top hotel in Pakistan’s capital. Local authorities have already put the city on high alert following a suicide bombing earlier in the week. The U.S. Embassy said Sunday in a security alert it is aware

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has evoked memories of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in his first Christmas message as monarch. In the prerecorded message broadcast on Sunday, Charles also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public service workers, many of whom are in a fight with the government over pay.

MALE, Maldives (AP) — A court in Maldives has found the former president guilty of money laundering and accepting a bribe and sentenced him to 11 years in prison. The Criminal Court of Maldives also ordered Abdulla Yameen to pay a fine of $5 million. The court found Yameen guilty of accepting money for leasing

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A section of the new $1.7 trillion spending bill from Congress has been billed as a dramatic step toward shoring up retirement accounts of millions of workers. But the real windfall may go to a far more secure group: the financial services industry. A variety of financial

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The leader of former communist rebels has become Nepal’s new prime minister with the support from his ex-opponent and other smaller political parties. The announcement was made by the office of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Sunday after the Maoist communist party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal

By RENATA BRITO and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press BOBRYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians usually celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do the Russians. But not this year, or at least not all of them. Some Orthodox Ukrainians have decided to observe Christmas on Dec. 25, like many Christians around the world. Yes, this has to

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is coming to grips with the full extent of the destruction and deaths caused by a Christmas Eve tanker truck explosion. Officials reported on Sunday that the death toll has risen to 15. The truck was carrying gas when it got stuck under a low-lying

By LAURA UNGAR and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press Could the COVID-19 surge in China unleash a new coronavirus mutant on the world? Scientists don’t know but worry that might happen. It could be similar to omicron variants circulating there now. It could be a combination of strains. Or something entirely different, they say. “China has

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis used his Christmas message Sunday to lament the “icy winds of war” buffeting humanity and to make an impassioned plea for an immediate end to the fighting in Ukraine, a 10-month-old conflict he decried as “senseless.” At noon in Rome, Francis delivered the traditional

RIAZAT BUTT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Three major international aid groups on Sunday suspended their operations in Afghanistan following a decision by the country’s Taliban rulers to ban women from working at non-governmental organizations. Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE said they cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need

A Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England killed a young woman and wounded three men, police said Sunday. The Merseyside Police force said it was investigating the 11:50 p.m. Saturday shooting at the Lighthouse pub in the town of Wallasey as a murder case. Police have not detained any suspects. “This investigation