AP National News

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative government is defending its decision to hike taxes for millions of working people in the “squeezed middle” class as it tries to shore up an economy battered by double-digit inflation. An emergency budget announced Thursday includes 25 billion pounds ($30 billion) in tax hikes. Combined

By PATRICK WALL and KALYN BELSHA of Chalkbeat and ANNIE MA of The Associated Press Mira Ugwuadu felt anxious and depressed when she returned to her high school in Cobb County, Georgia, last fall after months of remote learning, so she sought help. But her school counselor kept rescheduling their meetings because she had so

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A dangerous lake-effect snowstorm paralyzed parts of western and northern New York, with more than a foot of snow already on the ground Friday morning in places and a driving ban keeping people off the roads in the Buffalo area. The worst snowfall was expected in

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s electricity grid chief warned of hours-long power outages Friday as Russia zeroed in on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with heavy artillery and missile attacks that have interrupted supplies to as much as 40% of the country’s people at the onset of winter. Freezing temperatures are putting

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The sale of all beer with alcohol at the eight World Cup stadiums was banned Friday, only two days before the soccer tournament is set to start. Non-alcoholic beer will still be sold at the 64 matches in the country. “Following discussions between host country

BAGHDAD (AP) — A civil defense official says the death toll from a heating gas tank that exploded in a residential complex in northern Iraq has risen to 15. The Thursday night explosion in the city of Sulimaniyah destroyed three homes and also injured 16 people. The head of civil defense in Sulimaniyah, Diyar Ibrahim,

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A man who spent nearly four decades behind bars for a 1983 killing has won his freedom after New Orleans prosecutors joined defense lawyers in asking to have his conviction overturned. Attorneys on both sides said evidence of inconsistencies in the only eyewitness’s testimony was kept

DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The president of the European Central Bank is warning the bank may have to raise interest rates beyond merely withdrawing stimulus and into territory that could restrain growth. In a speech at a banking forum in Frankfurt, Germany, Christine Lagarde said Friday that the ECB expects

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — World Cup organizers will ban the sale of all beer with alcohol at the eight stadiums used for the soccer tournament, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The decision comes only two days before games start in Qatar and 12

By FATIMA SHBAIR Associated Press JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) — A relative says least 17 family members were among those killed when a fire tore through a top-floor apartment in the Gaza Strip during a birthday party. Officials in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday night’s blaze was likely fueled by stored gasoline. They put

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Investigators found traces of explosives at the Baltic Sea site where two natural gas pipelines were damaged in an act of “gross sabotage,” the prosecutor leading Sweden’s preliminary investigation said Friday. Mats Ljungqvist of the Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigators carefully documented the area where the

By KRUTIKA PATHI and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Asia-Pacific leaders meeting in Bangkok have denounced a North Korean missile test Friday in an emergency gathering convened by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris and five other leaders met on the sidelines of the summit to discuss and condemn the test, part of

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s biggest industrial union has agreed with employers on a pay deal that will see millions of workers get raises totaling 8.5% over two years as well as one-time payments meant to cushion the effect of sky-high inflation. The IG Metall union and employers reached a compromise

By CORA LEWIS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden’s plan to provide up to $20,000 in federal student loan forgiveness has been blocked by two federal courts. That’s left millions of borrowers wondering what happens next. The administration has filed a notice to appeal. Experts say student loan forgiveness has the potential

GENEVA (AP) — An imprisoned Russian opposition activist who was honored by a human rights advocacy group dedicated his award to the thousands of people who have been arrested or detained in Russia for protesting President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. UN Watch gave Vladimir Kara-Murza its highest human rights award. Kara-Murza’s wife accepted the

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is assuring Asian leaders “the United States is here to stay” as she pitches Washington as a reliable economic partner committed to the region and its prosperity. Harris told leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Friday that the U.S.

By SETH BORENSTEIN, KELVIN CHAN and PETER PRENGAMAN Associated Press SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Global climate talks are headed to crunch time on the final scheduled day of negotiations. Many expect that negotiators will go past their deadline as chances of a deal still looked unclear. A new draft cover decision from the Egyptian

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says a court has ordered 17 suspects jailed pending trial in connection with a deadly street bombing in Istanbul last weekend. They are accused of attempts against the unity of the state, deliberate killings and attempts to kill. The court on Friday released three other suspects from custody

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An appeals court has overturned the conviction of a man who temporarily admitted murdering an American who fell from a Sydney cliff top that was known as a gay meeting place. Scott White was sentenced to prison in May for the death of mathematician Scott Johnson

By BARRY HATTON and ARMANDO FRANCA Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos doesn’t shrink from the challenges thrown up by her latest lavish creation. She is a former nightclub bouncer and black-belt karate instructor. The 51-year-old is renowned for her big and in-your-face installations. She is now creating a ceramic wedding