AP National News

TAIPEI Taiwan’s military fired warning shots at drones from China flying over its outposts just off the Chinese coastline, underscoring heightened tensions and the self-ruled island’s resolve to respond to new provocations. Taiwan’s forces said in a statement that troops took the action on Tuesday after drones were found hovering over the Kinmen island group.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is investing 730 billion yen ($5.6 billion) in Japan and the U.S. to boost production of batteries for electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker says production is set to start between 2024 and 2026. It’s investing 400 billion yen, or $3 billion, in Japan and 325

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the Latvian capital of Riga, an obelisk that soared high above a park to commemorate the Soviet Army’s capture of that nation in 1944 was toppled last week. It crashed into a pond to the cheers of those watching. Days earlier in Estonia, a replica

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Past U.S. Open champions Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu all have lost in straight sets in the first round of the U.S. Open. Williams, who won two of her seven major titles in New York, was beaten by Alison Van Uytvanck in straight

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Solomon Islands has asked countries to not send naval vessels to the South Pacific nation until approval processes are overhauled. The government made the request after a U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry and the British navy patrol boat HMS Spey canceled planned port calls

BEIJING (AP) — A survey shows Chinese manufacturing contracted in August amid weak export and consumer demand. That adds to downward pressure on the struggling economy. A monthly index issued by the national statistics agency and an industry group improved from July but still was below the level that shows activity contracting. The ruling Communist

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the Latvian capital of Riga, an obelisk that soared high above a park to commemorate the Soviet Army’s capture of that nation in 1944 was toppled last week. It crashed into a pond to the cheers of those watching. Days earlier in Estonia, a replica

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Defense Ministry has made a budget request for next year without specifying the costs of missiles and other arms or its development plans. The ministry said it can disclose details only after the government in December adopts a new national security strategy and defense guidelines. The

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks followed Wall Street lower Wednesday after strong U.S. jobs data fueled expectations of further interest rate hikes and Chinese manufacturing activity weakened. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Oil prices rose more than $1 per barrel. U.S. government data Tuesday that showed there

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The independent U.N. expert on sexual orientation and gender identity says enormous progress has been achieved in the last 50 years for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States. But Victor Madrigal-Borloz says unfortunately “equality is not yet within reach and in

By LAURA UNGAR AP Science Writer A growing number of scientists is trying to help people reach a goal humans have been chasing throughout history: staying active and vital in old age.  They are part of the skyrocketing scientific field of cellular senescence, which is built upon the idea that cells eventually stop dividing. The

By FADLAN SYAM and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Environment officials from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations are gathering in Indonesia for talks to spur global climate action and other troubles. Indonesia’s environmental minister says implementing each G-20 nation’s contribution and synchronizing targets among developing and developed

By BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Five of the 19 students in teacher Chelsea Grant’s third grade classroom are reading below grade level. When it’s time to read aloud on a recent Friday, the students show vastly different levels of skill and confidence. “Remember you read with expression, feeling and fluency,” Grant

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Solomon Islands government has asked countries to not send naval vessels to the South Pacific nation until approval processes are overhauled. The government made the request after a U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry and British navy patrol boat HMS Spey cancelled planned port calls

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Discounted prices, car-share programs and at least one million more public charging stations are among the ways California will try to make electric cars easier to buy and drive as it phases out the sale of gas-powered cars. But the state won’t force automakers to participate

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Young people are following the news but aren’t too happy with what they’re seeing. Broadly speaking, that’s the conclusion of a study released Wednesday showing 79% of young Americans say they get news daily. The survey of young people ages 16 to 40 — the

By ERIC TUCKER, JILL COLVIN and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says classified documents were “likely concealed and removed” from a storage room at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate as part of an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into the discovery of the government records. The FBI also

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy dropped for the second consecutive year in 2021, falling by nearly a year from 2020. That’s according to a new government report. In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated American lifespan has shortened by nearly three years. The