AP National News

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The trial is set to open of two men charged with murder in the killing of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. The journalist was gunned down in the center of Amsterdam on July 6 in a brazen attack that sent shockwaves through the Netherlands. Dutch police say the

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government has begun its legal challenge to a judge’s landmark decision that the administration has a duty of care to prevent future climate change. The Federal Court battle over a proposed coal mine expansion comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison battles to persuade his

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia are concerned that Australia’s plan to obtain nuclear-powered submarines may increase the rivalry of major powers in Southeast Asia. Australia is to build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines using U.S. expertise, while dumping a contract with France for diesel-electric

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s state-owned oil company says a fire has erupted at a major oil refinery and left some workers with light injuries. However, some workers suffered from light burns and smoke inhalation. The blaze Monday at the key Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery along Kuwait’s Persian Gulf coastline north of its

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WOJSLAWICE, Poland (AP) — During the German occupation of Poland during World War II, the Germans imprisoned Jews in ghettoes and murdered them in death camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor. But they also shot them in fields and forests near their homes, leaving behind mass graves across Poland. Those

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer A college basketball player hatched the idea after seeing a discrimination case nearly implode his own team, then wondering why it took so long to get to the facts. Ten years later, that player’s idea provides a key tool for fixing a sports landscape teeming with cases of sexual

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer It started in 1946 with 11 teams and 160 players. The shot clock was nearly a decade away, the 3-point line was a couple generations away. Buildings were smaller. So were the players. And it wasn’t even called the National Basketball Association. The NBA, 75 years ago, was different

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s state-owned oil company says a fire has erupted at a major oil refinery and no casualties were immediately reported. The blaze Monday at the key Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery along Kuwait’s Persian Gulf coastline north of its border with Saudi Arabia did not impact production. The refinery now

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The Taliban win in Afghanistan is giving a boost to militants in neighboring Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, have become emboldened in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. They hope to regain control in these areas that they lost in an offensive

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (AP) — Betty Lynn, who was best known as Barney Fife’s sweetheart Thelma Lou on “The Andy Griffith Show,” has died at the age of 95. The Andy Griffith Museum said in a statement that she died Saturday after a brief illness. Lynn appeared on the show from 1961 until 1966. Later,

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Queensland state plans to open to vaccinated travelers, ending the status it has enjoyed throughout the pandemic of being virtually free of COVID-19. Tight border controls helped make Queensland and Western Australia among the most successful states in keeping out COVID-19. They’ve been reluctant to

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Hundreds of people have been ordered to report for jury duty in Georgia for what could be a long, laborious effort to find jurors for the trial of three white men charged with fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery. Graphic video of the slaying of the 25-year-old Black

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jill Biden says her relationship with a “prayer partner” from South Carolina helped lead her back to God. The first lady says she couldn’t bring herself to pray for years after son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. She says she felt “betrayed” and

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A day at the beach turned into a proposal for Kourtney Kardashian, who is now engaged to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Kardashian posted two photos on Instagram of the proposal with the caption “forever.” A representative for the reality star and businesswoman confirmed Sunday that the couple are engaged. The images

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Asian shares are mostly lower after China reported its economy grew at a meager 4.9% annual pace in July-September. Benchmarks declined in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo but rose in Sydney. On Friday, Wall Street added to its recent gains, with the benchmark S&P 500 posting its best week

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is on a mission to save American jobs — one computer chip at a time. As President Joe Biden’s de facto tech minister, Raimondo is tasked with ensuring the United States will be the world leader in computer chips. The Democratic president’s political

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is entering a crucial two weeks for his ambitious agenda. Biden is racing to conclude contentious congressional negotiations ahead of both domestic deadlines and a chance to showcase his administration’s accomplishments on the world stage. Biden and his fellow Democrats are

By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.S. officials are working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children with a U.S.-based missionary group who were abducted by a gang notorious for killings, kidnappings and extortion. Police say the group was snatched by

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Almost overnight, Japan has become a stunning, and somewhat mysterious, coronavirus success story. Daily new COVID-19 cases have plummeted after a mid-August peak that nearly reached 6,000 in Tokyo, with caseloads in the densely populated capital now below 100, an 11-month low. Possible factors include, after a

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s economic growth sank in the last quarter as a slowdown in construction and curbs on energy use weighed on its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Government data show the world’s second-largest economy grew by 4.9% over a year earlier in July-September, down from the previous