AP National News

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A powerful magnitude 5.9 earthquake has shaken the Tokyo area, slightly injuring at least five people and halting trains and subways. Officials say there was no major damage or danger of a tsunami. The Meteorological Agency says the quake was centered just east of Tokyo at a

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says his government will continue to press the United States to increase investment in poor countries during high-level security meetings. López Obrador is scheduled to meet Friday in Mexico City with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General

By JAY REEVES Associated Press PELHAM, Ala. (AP) — Parts of Alabama remain under a flash flood watch after a day of high water across the state, with as much as 13 inches of rain covering roads and trapping people. Two deaths have been blamed on the slow-moving low-pressure system: The Marshall County coroner’s office

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The second of two white men who severely beat a Black man during what the victim said was a racist attack has been sentenced to probation. The Des Moines Register reports that 29-year-old Jesse James Downs was sentenced Wednesday to a year of probation after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor

By ANITA SNOW Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Soaring temperatures fueled by climate change are making it harder to live in some of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. But in one  of the more remarkable findings from the 2020 census, the searing weather has not deterred Americans from settling in

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA Associated Press NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its water-logged deck to eat amid the lapping tide. Now, instead of empty chairs and vacant tables, the Chaopraya Antique Café is as full as ever, offering an

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s constitutional court has ruled that some European Union laws are in conflict with Poland’s Constitution. The Constitutional Tribunal ruled Thursday that some provisions of the EU treaties and some EU court rulings go against Poland’s supreme law. Two judges dissented from the majority opinion. The

By JIM SALTER Associated Press Leaders of the four Roman Catholic dioceses in Missouri are urging state leaders to end the use of the death penalty, after a convicted killer of three was executed despite a request for clemency from the pope. Ernest Johnson was executed Tuesday evening, the first Missouri execution in 16 months

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — African health officials are optimistic that the world’s first malaria vaccine endorsed by the World Health Organization will “dramatically change” the way the continent of 1.3 billion people fights the disease. The new malaria vaccine is “a game-changer” in combating the disease which accounts for hundreds

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is denying wrongdoing and making clear he doesn’t plan to step down despite being under investigation in a bribery probe. However, the partner party in Kurz’s coalition government said Thursday that the allegations left a “disastrous” impression and raised questions about the chancellor’s “ability to act.” Anti-corruption prosecutors

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “The Rescue” is the fullest, most detailed and most heart-pounding documentary portrait of just how a global coalition — and a handful of cave-diving hobbyists — swam the trapped Thai soccer team to safety after 16 days stuck inside the Tham Luang cave in 2018.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities say 18 former NBA players have been charged with allegedly pocketing $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference Thursday that the defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception. An

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says an agreement has been reached with Republicans to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December. That temporarily averts a debt crisis. Schumer made the announcement as he opened the Senate on Thursday. He said he hoped

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury has convicted a ticket broker of allegedly bilking the Chicago White Sox out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by fraudulently selling tickets to the team’s games with the help of two White Sox ticket sellers. The Chicago jury convicted 35-year-old Bruce Lee of 11 counts of wire fraud

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Spanish-language countdown will be included for the first time in the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” show this year. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced Thursday that the segment will be broadcast from the U.S. territory, where thousands are expected to gather at the

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The family of a slain college student says a deputy dismissed clues that should have kept the man now suspected of killing her from driving away, days before he was found dead of an apparent suicide. Orange County Sheriff John Mina defended his agency’s investigation into the disappearance of 19-year-old Miya

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand say they are seeking four suspects in connection with the shooting of a policeman in the head during a violent street protest in Bangkok. The Wednesday night incident, in which the policeman was badly injured, was a major escalation in a series of wild

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street as investors welcomed the end of a standoff in Congress over extending the federal debt ceiling. The extension is temporary and will give lawmakers more time to reach a permanent resolution. The S&P 500 rose 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.6%.

By KHADIJA KOTHIA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has presided over the launch of the baton relay for next year’s Commonwealth Games in the central England city of Birmingham. It was the 95-year-old queen’s first major engagement at Buckingham Palace since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. British Paralympic gold medalist Kadeena

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and CARLEY PETESCH Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The Virunga National Park in Congo says that Ndakasi, the mountain gorilla who famously posed for a selfie with a ranger, has died at age 14. The park said she died on Sept. 26 following a prolonged illness. A statement from the park