AP National News

By JOHN LEICESTER and DANIEL COLE Associated Press CLAVIERE, Italy (AP) — When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August, some Afghans resolved to escape and embarked on forbidding journeys of thousands of kilometers to Europe. More than three months later, their odysseys have taken them through multiple countries and carried some high into

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — At least three people have been killed in the Philippines after a strong typhoon engulfed villages in floods that trapped people on roofs, toppled trees and knocked out power in southern and central island provinces, where more than 300,000 villagers had fled to safety before the

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — The value of Afghanistan’s currency is tumbling, exacerbating an already severe economic crisis in the wake of the Taliban takeover and deepening poverty in a country where more than half the population already doesn’t have enough to eat. The afghani lost more than 11% of its

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares are mostly lower in Asia after a retreat on Wall Street led by technology companies. Investors are weighing the implications of higher interest rates, surging coronavirus cases and tensions between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai declined while Sydney was higher. U.S. shares

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press LHEIBAN, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s central government and the Kurdish autonomy zone have formed a fragile security partnership to prevent a resurgence by the Islamic State group, despite a long-standing territorial dispute between them. For years, that dispute has left a long buffer zone between the two sides where neither

By SEAN MURPHY Associated Press Writer MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — After suffering through what is believed to be the worst tornado in Kentucky history, the tight-knit community of Mayfield now faces the daunting task of rebuilding. President Joe Biden visited the state Wednesday and promised the federal government would do whatever it takes to help

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has spoken by phone with Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert Burla, apparently to ensure a fast supply of COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots amid the global spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Japan, which lacks home-developed vaccines, has so far approved

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin’s reluctance to endorse the Biden administration’s expanded child tax credit program is rippling through his home state of West Virginia. Manchin, a moderate Democrat, is one of the last holdouts delaying passage of President Joe Biden’s massive social and environmental package, dubbed the Build

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Officials say at least three people have been killed in the Philippines after a strong typhoon engulfed villages in floods, tore off roofs, toppled trees and knocked out power in southern and central island provinces, where more than 300,000 villagers had fled to safety before the

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is back in South Carolina. For House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn the trip Friday is a manifestation of the decades-long relationship between the two powerful Democrats. South Carolina is also a place that’s played a pivotal role in cementing both of their legacies.

By ALICE FUNG and ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong voters are preparing to vote for the first time this weekend since election laws were changed, amid a dearth of opposition candidates months after the city began cracking down on dissent. The legislative elections, to be held Sunday, come after Beijing

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists are suing three federal agencies over an environmental review the government says satisfies requirements to resume killing coyotes, mountain lions and other wildlife in federally protected wilderness areas in Nevada. The move comes five years after the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services settled a similar

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota police officer on trial in the shooting death of Daunte Wright was expected to take the stand Friday, hoping to persuade jurors to acquit her of manslaughter charges in what she has said was a gun-Taser mixup. A compressed defense case for

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge says that a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems can go forward. In a ruling released Thursday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis denied the cable news giant’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Dominion filed the lawsuit against Fox earlier this year alleging that

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Travis Kelce scored on a 34-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied for a 34-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Kelce caught a tying 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter, then ended the game

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Twenty-seven people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, fire department officials say, and police are investigating arson as a possible cause. The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in a shopping and entertainment

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have fallen in Asia after technology companies led Wall Street benchmarks lower. Investors are weighing the implications of higher interest rates, surging coronavirus cases and tensions between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul declined while Sydney was higher. U.S. shares dropped a

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is commemorating the 10th anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s death with calls for greater public loyalty toward his son and current leader Kim Jong Un, who is facing pandemic-related hardships and long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. North Korean state newspapers

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Twenty-seven people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, fire department officials say. The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in a shopping and entertainment area on Friday, the Osaka city fire department said.