AP National News

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and  Vladimir Putin are set to discuss the Russian troop buildup at the Ukraine border. The call scheduled for Thursday afternoon would be their second in recent weeks amid little progress toward ending the smoldering crisis. The White House indicates that Biden will

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has urged its 1.2 million troops to unite behind leader Kim Jong Un and defend him with their lives, as the country marked the 10th anniversary of Kim’s ascension to supreme commander of the military. Thursday’s anniversary comes as North Korea holds a

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street hit a high and new daily U.S. coronavirus cases surged to a record. Tokyo and Seoul declined while Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced. Wall Street gained for its 70th record high of 2021. Optimism was tempered by data

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A fire has damaged the front doors and exterior of the Old Parliament House in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear, although a group of protesters championing Indigenous rights had been gathering outside the building. Some protesters told media the fire began as a

TORONTO (AP) — Coronavirus infections have set new one-day highs in six Canadian provinces, prompting several provinces to impose more restrictions in hopes of containing the spread of the omicron variant. The biggest jumps for Wednesday were in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which are the country’s most populous provinces. Quebec reported more than 13,000

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Two men in Panama have been given long prison terms for killing seven young people in 2020, bloodshed that shocked a country where mass slayings are rare. Panamanian prosecutors said Wednesday that Reynaldo Cuadra McBean was sentenced to 50 years and Jean Carlos Hernandez was sentenced to serve 36 years for

CARLYLE, Ill. (AP) — Police have arrested a Kentucky man in connection with the fatal shooting of an eastern Illinois deputy early Wednesday and a carjacking in neighboring Missouri a couple of hours later. An Illinois State Police SWAT team arrested 40-year-old Ray Tate of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on Wednesday afternoon at a home in Carlyle,

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley has died. She was 70. Worley later became chair of the Alabama Democratic Party and served from 2013 until she lost a power struggle in 2019. Her death was confirmed by her friend and long-time coworker and political ally

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A man accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks. Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman says the writings are part of the

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes departed court Wednesday without reaching a verdict after six days of deliberations. It won’t resume discussions until after the upcoming New Year’s holiday weekend. The eight men and four women on the jury

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota lawmakers have subpoenaed law enforcement officials and crash investigation documents as they weigh whether the state’s attorney general should be impeached for his conduct in a fatal car crash. After meeting behind closed doors in executive session for two days, a House committee

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s health safety council has approved the use of Cuba’s three-dose Abdala coronavirus vaccine. The council said Wednesday that it has sufficient evidence the vaccine is safe and effective. The approval for emergency use does not necessarily mean the Mexican government will acquire or administer the Abdala vaccine in Mexico. Mexico

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Officials at the Publix grocery store chain says that they will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents. The Florida-based company said Wednesday that eligible full-time and part-time workers will be able to take off the time during the first year of the birth or adoption of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in north-central Mexico says a shooting attack has killed eight people at two homes, including a baby boy. Officials says the assailants apparently targeted four men who were at one home, killing them and a woman. Another man wounded there died of his wound Wednesday. Guanajuato state prosecutors say three

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s marriage is officially over, 10 years after she first filed for divorce. Court records show the divorce was finalized on Tuesday. The pair had been married 25 years when Shriver filed for divorce after Schwarzenegger disclosed he had fathered a

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada casinos set a record in November, reporting a ninth straight month of $1 billion or more in house winnings. A Nevada Gaming Control Board report on Wednesday showed the nation’s tourist-dependent gambling mecca has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The nine-month streak beat the previous record

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A World War II veteran who was one of the last living members of an all-Black cavalry regiment has died in Florida. Steve Lewis was 99. The president of the NAACP chapter in Manatee County, Florida, confirmed Lewis’ death. Lewis entered the U.S. Army in 1943 and was initially assigned to