AP National News

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Hymns echo through the spacious, blue-walled church. The congregants listen to the Gospel and the homily. They kneel, eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer or palms turned skyward. They line up to receive Communion as a choir belts out: “Lord, for my sake, teach me

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has presented a three-party majority coalition crossing the left-right divide that includes the leader of the Liberal Party as defense minister and a former prime minister in charge of foreign affairs. It is the first time in 44 years that such a centrist government has been

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares skidded in Europe and Asia on Thursday after a retreat on Wall Street by investors dismayed over the Federal Reserve’s warning that still more interest rate hikes are in store following its latest increase. Oil prices fell and U.S. futures also dropped. The declines followed

By INDRAJIT SINGH Associated Press PATNA, India (AP) — A top elected official says at least 31 people have died and 20 others are hospitalized in serious condition after allegedly drinking tainted liquor sold without authorization in eastern India. The deaths occurred Tuesday and Wednesday in three villages in Saran district of Bihar state. Police

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The leaders of four political parties contesting Fiji’s general election called for an immediate halt to vote-counting after the online results app experienced a glitch and then the next batch of results swung in favor of the incumbent prime minister. The Pacific election has pitted

By KELVIN CHAN Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Self-proclaimed free speech warrior Elon Musk’s more unfettered version of Twitter could collide with new rules in Europe, where officials warn that the social media company will have to comply with some of the world’s toughest laws targeting toxic content. While the new digital rulebook means the

By VASILISA STEPANENKO and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — When 25-year-old Anastasia Mokhina donned fatigues and rushed off with her husband to help Ukraine defend itself as Russia invaded on Feb. 24, she quickly realized the military wasn’t well prepared for an influx of women volunteers. So her elder half-brother Andrii Kolesnyk,

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are expected to vent their grievances against the British monarchy on Thursday, when Netflix releases the final episodes of a series about the couple’s decision to step away from royal duties and make a new start in America. After the first

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has reported its trade deficit surged to over 2 trillion yen ($15 billion) in November as higher costs for oil and a weak yen combined to push imports higher. It was the 16th straight month of red ink and a record high for the month of November. The deficit for November

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Crowds in Paris and other French cities erupted in shouts of joy as France advanced to the World Cup final Wednesday, while disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country’s unprecedented achievement. Football fans streamed to the

By DAKE KANG Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — A week after China eased some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 containment measures, uncertainty remains over the direction of the pandemic in the world’s most populous nation. While there are no official indications yet of the massive surge of critically ill patients some had feared, informal surveys

By SAM MCNEIL Associated Press BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Business is bouncing back in Bethlehem after two years in the doldrums during the coronavirus pandemic, lifting spirits in the traditional birthplace of Jesus ahead of the Christmas holiday. Streets are bustling with tour groups. Hotels are fully booked, and months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian fighting

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and ED WHITE Associated Press Three men who forged an early alliance with the leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor are facing potentially lengthy sentences for assisting him before the FBI disbanded the scheme in 2020. Joe Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar await scheduled sentencing Thursday. They were convicted

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A report by environmental group Oceana has found that plastic waste from Amazon packages went up by 18% last year, but Amazon says it has reduced its use of single-use plastic across its network. According to the Oceana’s estimates, Amazon’s plastic waste jumped from 599

By TARA COPP and LOLITA BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Patriot missile systems have long been a hot ticket item for the U.S. and allies in contested areas of the world as a coveted shield against incoming missiles. In Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific, they guard against potential strikes from Iran, Somalia

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares skidded Thursday after a retreat on Wall Street as markets registered their dismay over the Federal Reserve’s warning that still higher interest rates are in store following its latest increase. Oil prices fell while U.S. futures edged higher. Japan reported its trade deficit in

By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer U.S. health officials have revised a tool to track the rising cases of severe obesity among children who were previously off the charts. Updated growth charts released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now extend to a body mass index of 60 — up from previous

By CORA LEWIS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s move Wednesday to raise its key rate by a half-point brought it to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, the highest level in 14 years. The Fed’s latest increase — its seventh rate hike this year — will make it even costlier for

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was not invited to a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders in June. But by October, he traveled to Egypt for a conference where he joked with French President Emmanuel Macron and shook hands with John Kerry, the U.S. government’s climate envoy.