AP National News

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Taiwan will set up a $1 billion credit program aimed at funding projects by Lithuanian and Taiwanese companies amid economic pressure from China over an office that the island opened in the European Union country. Lithuanian officials announced the move Tuesday. It follows Taiwan’s announcement last week about creating a $200

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was hoarse and had a sore throat after testing positive for COVID-19. But López Obrador predicted Tuesday that “this virus is on its way out” and that “things will get back to normal very soon.” The president appeared

By ADAM GELLER AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A series of fleeting choices and troubling circumstances fueled a staggering tragedy — the fire at a Bronx apartment building that left 17 people dead. The heat in the apartment where the blaze began was insufficient, leading a family to depend on a space heater

KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Court documents show prosecutors plan to drop a welfare fraud charge against the stepmother of a New Hampshire girl and replace it with nine other charges. The attorney general’s office said Tuesday the change will be based on new information from the state about Kayla Montgomery. She

AURORA, Ind. (AP) — DNA testing has confirmed that a bone found in an SUV pulled last fall from the Ohio River in Indiana is from an Ohio woman who vanished with her two young children in 2002. Indiana State Police announced Tuesday that Dearborn County’s coroner learned Friday the bone was confirmed as belonging

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Foreign Ministry says the country has donated $500,000 to the United Nations for food, medical aid and other assistance for Afghans who fled to neighboring Tajikistan. The ministry’s director general says Israel is proud to be part of the international effort to help Afghan refugees from the Taliban takeover in August.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A veterinarian says that a young brown bear found exhausted in snowy woods in southeastern Poland is improving but remains in life-threatening condition. In a good sign, the young male bear named Ada had eaten two meals by Tuesday morning, after he was given medication and put in a warm hut.

NEW YORK (AP) — The victims of a deadly apartment building fire in the Bronx included three young children who were part of a family that tried to make it down to safety but perished in the smoke. Fire officials say a malfunctioning electric space heater apparently started the fire Sunday that killed 17 people.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A family member says the Taliban have released a popular university professor and outspoken critic of successive Afghan governments who was arrested over the weekend. Faizullah Jalal’s daughter says Tuesday her father was freed from Taliban custody. The group had accused him of “nonsense remarks on social media, which were provoking

The Associated Press Stocks are off to another weak start Tuesday as traders try to calibrate how markets and the economy will handle the higher interest rates that are likely on the way from the Federal Reserve this year. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%. The index is coming off five straight losses and hasn’t had

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The World Bank is downgrading its outlook for the global economy. It blames continuing outbreaks of COVID-19, a reduction in government economic support and ongoing bottlenecks in global supply chains. The 189-country, anti-poverty agency forecasts worldwide economic growth of 4.1% this year. That’s down from the

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are set to debate whether to create the nation’s first universal health care system. A bill to establish the system and set its rules faces a state Assembly hearing on Tuesday. A separate bill that would lay out how to pay for the coverage

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has become the latest European nation to reach the milestone of 100,000 deaths related to the pandemic. Nearly a quarter of those deaths — some 24,000 — occurred in the most recent wave of infection that began in October, a period in which vaccines have

ROME (AP) — The Catholic Church in Rome is strongly condemning a funeral procession outside a local church in which the casket was draped in a Nazi flag and mourners gave the fascist salute. Photos and video of the scene outside St. Lucia church following the Monday funeral service were published by the Italian online

LONDON (AP) — One of Britain’s largest energy suppliers has apologized for advising customers to cuddle with pets or challenge children to hula hoop competitions to keep warm without turning up the heat as gas and electricity bills soar this winter. The Financial Times reported that the suggestions from Ovo Energy were in a list

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A man accused of setting a fire that destroyed parts of South Africa’s historic Parliament complex is facing an additional charge of terrorism. Prosecutors added the terrorism charge Tuesday when the man appeared for a bail hearing. They accuse Zandile Mafe of intending to

By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Who will take your pet when you die? The question often doesn’t have an easy answer. That’s especially true for ill or older people headed to residential nursing care or assisted living. Specialized rescue, advocacy and adoption services run by volunteers are trying to fill the

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has held a practice session, a day after he left immigration detention, focusing on defending his Australian Open title even while he still faces the prospect of deportation because he’s not vaccinated against COVID-19. The top-ranked tennis star hit the show

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America is slashing the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks. It’s the latest move by the nation’s biggest banks to roll back the fees they

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it pulled 176 Haitians from an overloaded wooden sailing vessel as it approached the Florida Keys. The rescue effort unfolded on Monday after a Customs and Border Protection crew spotted the 60-foot sailboat near the Bahamas with a crowd on board. The Cutter Paul Clark