AP National News

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Indigenous leaders are concerned about a proposed multimillion-dollar transmission line that would cross what they consider sacred lands. The transmission line would bring more electricity to one of the nation’s top nuclear weapons laboratories as it looks to power ongoing operations and future

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russia and Belarus will hold joint war games early next year. Putin welcomed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal to hold another round of military drills, saying they could be held in February or March. Speaking during Wednesday’s meeting with Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, he added that

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s president Wednesday nominated Social Democrat party leader Dimitar Kovachevski to become the next prime minister. The move follows the formal resignation last week of the country’s center-left government to pave the way for new coalition talks. Kovachevski is set to replace Zoran Zaev who stepped down as prime

NEW YORK (AP) — The text of Amanda Gorman’s new poem for the end of the year, ‘New Day’s Lyric.’ Gorman told The Associated Press that she wrote the poem to “honor” a year of pain and of hope, and to welcome “the potential” of 2022.

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s top prosecutor has ordered the country’s culture minister jailed pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged corruption. General Prosecutor Al-Sediq al-Sour said in a statement Wednesday that Minister Mabrouka Othman would be jailed for four days during a probe of charges of the misuse of public funds and forgery of

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s health minister says the country’s coronavirus infection rate is likely two to three times higher than statistics currently show. He urged his compatriots on Wednesday to be cautious during New Year’s celebrations. Statistics in recent days have continued to show Germany’s infection rate drifting downward from a spike caused by the

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Days before its start date, an international conference on a landmark Cold War-era nuclear treaty is poised to be postponed because coronavirus cases are surging in the host city of New York. A gathering to review the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty was supposed to start at the

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization says he’s worried about the omicron and delta variants of COVID-19 producing a “tsunami” of cases between them. Top officials with the U.N. health agency cautioned Wednesday that it’s still too early to be reassured by initial data suggesting that

By KATHLEEN FOODY Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average. The surge has been driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. The previous mark

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri boarding school doctor accused of several child sex crimes has been taken into custody in Arkansas. The Kansas City Star reports authorities said 57-year-old David Smock was captured Tuesday night in Harrison, Arkansas, not far from the Missouri border. Smock’s attorney says his client had not been on the

The Associated Press Stocks are edging higher on Wall Street in early trading Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 slightly above the record closing high it set on Monday. Technology companies like Western Digital were solidly higher, along with retailers like Kroger and Target. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.52%. With three

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The jury a the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial has been told it will have to work through the New Year’s holiday if it hasn’t reached a verdict by the end of the week . Judge Alison Nathan informed the jury Wednesday of

By MICHAEL THEIS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy While NFT technology was created to give artists more control over their work, they have spawned a frenzy as collectors look to cash in. As that speculation intensifies, a growing number of charities have begun to explore fundraising efforts tied to NFTs. Although some

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Voter-approved rules kicking in Jan. 1 have prompted concerns about possible shortages of bacon and other pork products, amid last-minute calls to delay the new regulations. Even in progressive California, that’s the headline-grabber. It’s among a host of other legislation designed to safeguard employees from warehouse

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi police officer has been ordered to take an anger management class after a video showed him pushing a man down during an arrest and forcefully pressing his knee into the man’s back. The video was shot by an onlooker. It shows Vicksburg police Officer Eddie Colbert arresting John Dolley

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Libya has failed to hold its first presidential election as planned this month. The postponement was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in the oil-rich country. The vote has faced many challenges, including controversial presidential hopefuls, disputes over laws governing the

The Associated Press Stocks are edging higher on Wall Street in early trading Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 slightly above the record closing high it set on Monday. Banks and technology companies helped lead the gains, while energy, the best-performing sector in the market this year, lagged behind. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli and three Palestinians were wounded in the first exchange of fire in months on the Gaza frontier. Earlier Wednesday, Israel had announced measures aimed at improving life in the occupied West Bank after a rare meeting of top Israeli and Palestinian officials. Israel has

The Associated Press Stocks are edging higher on Wall Street in early trading Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 slightly above the record closing high it set on Monday. Banks and technology companies helped lead the gains, while energy, the best-performing sector in the market this year, lagged behind. European markets were mostly lower, and Asian