AP National News

BEIJING (AP) — The foreign ministers of Australia and China have met in Beijing in a bid to restore high-level political contacts and return stability to a relationship that has undergone major turbulence in recent years. Penny Wong’s visit comes on the anniversary of 50 years of official diplomatic relations between the nations, a symbolic

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — European shares were higher Wednesday after a mixed session in Asia in the absence of major data releases. Germany’s DAX rose 0.7% to 13,987.59 while the CAC 40 in Paris jumped 1% to 6,514.30. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.5% to 7,407.92. The future for the S&P

BERLIN (AP) — Climate activists have sawn off the tip of the Christmas tree erected in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate. The group Last Generation said two of its members used a hydraulic lift and a hand saw to cut six feet off the top of the 50-foot tree. The group said Wednesday it

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In a country where children have experienced nearly 10 months of war, there are people trying to bring some peace and happiness to kids, at least for a moment during this holiday season in Ukraine. That has been happening this week in the outskirts of Kyiv

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister says the remains of a Palestinian prisoner who died a day earlier from lung cancer will not be released for burial. Benny Gantz’s office said Wednesday that the body of Nasser Abu Hamid, a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, would be held as a bargaining chip

By MORGAN LEE, GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Migrants along the U.S. border with Mexico sought shelter from the cold early Wednesday as restrictions that prevented many from seeking asylum in the U.S. remained in place beyond their anticipated end. The U.S. government asked the Supreme Court on

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A key governing party lawmaker in Japan who has served in key posts has submitted his resignation over a political funding scandal in a fresh embarrassment for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Kentaro Sonoura, an expert on diplomacy and security, admitted last month that his aide has been

By HUIZHONG WU and DAKE KANG Associated Press ZHUOZHOU, China (AP) — A Chinese health official says the country only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a narrow definition that limits the numbers of deaths being reported as the virus surges following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions. Wang

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prices are surging in Poland, making it among the European Union nations with the highest inflation rates. The state statistics office registered inflation of 17.5% in November compared with the previous year. It is a painful situation for people in a country like Poland, which has

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Two women who say a nurse sexually assaulted them while they were unconscious in intensive care filed a lawsuit against the Colorado hospital where they were being treated. They say the hospital’s management didn’t do enough to prevent the abuse. The lawsuit alleges St. Mary’s Hospital in

By ZEKE MILLER, LISA MASCARO and E. EDUARDO CASTILLO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was making his way to Washington on Wednesday for a summit with President Joe Biden and an address Congress in a bid to shore up support for his country and send a defiant message to its Russian

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send $1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine in a massive package that will for the first time include a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for their fighter jets, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as the Biden administration prepares

By WILSON RING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Patrick Leahy lingered on a narrow balcony on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, soaking in a panoramic view of the National Mall, the Washington Monument and, beyond, the Lincoln Memorial. “Now this I will miss,” he said. As Leahy closes out a Senate career

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A senior U.N. official is urging the international community to prevent Armenia and Azerbaijan from resuming their conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as the two countries accused each other of violating a Russian-brokered peace agreement. At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council

By ADAM BEAM and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press RIO DELL, Calif. (AP) — Tens of thousands of homes and businesses along the Northern California coast remained without power Tuesday evening, nearly a day after a powerful earthquake jolted people awake and shook homes off foundations, injuring at least 12 and leaving many without water. “It

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday after a modestly higher close on Wall Street as concerns over pressures on global growth tempered gains in the absence of major data releases. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.2%, to 26,387.72, a day after the Bank of

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Concerns about illness or inflation aren’t stopping Americans from hitting the roads and airports this holiday season. But a massive winter storm might. Forecasters predict an onslaught of heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds from Thursday to Saturday in a broad swath of the country, from the Plains

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Kari Lake has claimed for weeks that her loss in the race for Arizona governor was illegitimate. The former television anchor gets her long-sought opportunity to make her case to a judge this week during a two-day trial scheduled to begin on Wednesday.