AP National News

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press An international conservation organization says populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature announced the update Friday during the UN Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Montreal. The

BERLIN (AP) — Organizers of the annual Berlin film festival say Kristen Stewart will head the international jury in 2023. The American actor, screenwriter and director, who starred in the “Twilight” series and recently played Princess Diana in “Spencer,” for which she received an Oscar nomination, will lead the judges’ panel at the 73rd Berlinale.

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to announce at next week’s U.S.-Africa summit that his administration supports adding the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations. The African Union represents the continent’s 54 countries. The G-20 is composed of the world’s major industrial and

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is becoming an Independent and leaving the Democratic Party. It won’t change the balance of power in the Senate, but it could affect her own political fortunes. Sinema says she won’t caucus with Republicans, so the Democrats will still hold the majority

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to import more oil and natural gas from energy-rich Gulf Arab states while not interfering in their affairs. His remarks on Friday likely seek to cast Beijing starkly different from Washington as America’s attention in the region wanes.

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of NATO expressed worry that the fighting in Ukraine could spin out of control and become a war between Russia and NATO, according to an interview released Friday. “If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in remarks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The rulemaking arm of Tennessee’s high school sports oversight organization has made a change that allows student athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. A news release from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association says its legislative council voted for the change on Thursday, effective immediately. Students could receive

BERLIN (AP) — The top United Nations human rights official said Friday that it’s important to protect the “civic space” for young environmental activists to highlight the urgency of tackling climate change. Volker Turk, who heads the U.N.’s human rights office, said that while the world still has much work to do curbing global warming,

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department says it’s sanctioning a group of companies and people linked to illegal fishing operations and human rights abuses in Chinese waters. One company is accused of maintaining working conditions so dangerous that five workers died after 13 months at sea, with three of the

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting on Wall Street Friday after a report showed inflation is slowing, though not quite as much as hoped. The S&P 500 was 0.2% lower in morning trading after earlier shifting between very small gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced Friday she has registered as an independent, a renegade move that could bolster her political brand but won’t upend the Democrats’ narrow Senate majority. She says she will not caucus with Republicans. Sinema, who faces reelection

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s prime minister says the country’s leadership is close to demanding the deployment of their security troops to Kosovo. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic accused the NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo of failing to protect the lives of minority Serbs there. The return of Belgrade’s troops to

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Justice Ministry has disclosed that more than 20 prison guards repeatedly pushed, slapped and used other forms of physical violence against a group of inmates at a prison in central Japan, raising questions about the extent of prison abuse in the country. Justice Minister Ken Saito

PARIS (AP) — French energy giant TotalEnergies says it will walk away from its stake in Russian natural gas producer Novatek and take a $3.7 billion loss. The company has come under criticism for pursuing some of its activities in Russia amid the war in Ukraine. TotalEnergies said Friday it will no longer account for

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a former Tennessee state senator who pleaded guilty last month to violating federal campaign finance laws. The court suspended former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey’s law license Thursday at the request of the Board of Professional Responsibility,

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States rose 7.4% in November from a year earlier, a fifth straight slowdown and a hopeful sign that inflation pressures across the economy are continuing to cool. The latest year-over-year figure was down from 8% in October and from a recent

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press A senior official at the federal Bureau of Prisons has been repeatedly promoted, most recently to one of the highest posts in the agency. And this has happened despite his being accused of beating multiple Black inmates in the 1990s. Since then, people who know Thomas

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT AP Business Writers U.S. futures took a U-turn early Friday after the government released its producer prices report showing that although inflation eased last month, it was still hot enough to likely keep the Federal Reserve on course for another big interest rate increase when it meets next week.

MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent Russian opposition figure has been sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison after being convicted on charges stemming from his criticism of the Kremlin’s action in Ukraine. Friday’s sentencing of Ilya Yashin, one of the few Kremlin critics who stayed in Russia, offers the latest indication of an intensified crackdown

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Celine brought a new line of fashion into the Hollywood spotlight in front of a star-studded audience while infusing rock music into Hedi Slimane’s “Age of Indieness” show Thursday night. The fashion show at iconic Los Angeles landmark The Wiltern introduced glitzy black and