AP National News

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis are voting for a new parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement. The vote slated for next year was brought forward by six months in response to a popular uprising in the capital of Baghdad and southern provinces

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press Opponents of Texas’ strict abortion ban are focusing on companies that donated money to the bill’s sponsors. The hope is that consumers will pressure corporate America to join the fight against the restrictions. The television and digital ads that began this past week highlight AT&T’s contributions to Texas Republican lawmakers.

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Patient advocates and some state governments say hospitals must do more to help patients deal with medical bills before the debt winds up in collections. They say many people miss out on assistance because they didn’t know about the help or hospitals didn’t do enough to work with patients.

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — U.S. hydropower generation is forecast to drop 14% this year compared with 2020 as drought grips vast areas of the West. Experts say the reductions complicate grid operations since hydropower is a relatively flexible renewable energy source that can be easily turned up or down, such

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Capt. Kim Pierre-Zamora remembers the protective vest she was issued when she went to basic training. It was a size medium that hung too low, making it difficult for her to even bend over. When she tried to shoulder her weapon, she had to move

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Ireland’s foreign minister has warned that British demands risk a “further breakdown in relations” with the European Union ahead of talks this week aimed at resolving the impasse over the Brexit agreement. Simon Coveney posted the remarks on Twitter after the U.K.’s Brexit minister reiterated his insistence

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech President Milos Zeman has been rushed to the hospital a day after the parliamentary election at a time when he has a key role in establishing a new government. Prague’s military hospital has confirmed Zeman was transported there from the presidential chateau in Lany, near Prague. Zeman’s doctor, who recommended the

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s ruling liberal party has nominated its candidate for next year’s presidential elections, selecting a maverick politician known for his outspoken views who is likely to be the race’s front-runner. Lee Jae-myung’s nomination Sunday as the Democratic Party presidential candidate comes despite his rivals’

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — It is nearly a year since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their out-of-nowhere $2.5 million takeover of beleaguered Welsh soccer club Wrexham. The transformation in that time has been stunning as the famous new owners look to get Wrexham out of the

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Germany’s lame-duck chancellor, Angela Merkel, has received a warm welcome on a farewell visit to Israel. But differences have quickly emerged on two key issues. Merkel voiced hope for reviving the international nuclear deal with Iran. That is a step that Israel opposes. She also says Germany

MADRID (AP) — Spain has started a new evacuation operation to extract more Afghans and their families left behind following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Spain’s Defense Ministry says Sunday it is working with the Foreign Affairs Ministry on a new evacuation mission. Spain’s foreign affairs minister visited both Pakistan and Qatar last month to

By ADAM GELLER and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press When a 37-year-old data scientist went before Congress  to accuse Facebook of pursuing profit over safety, it was likely the most consequential choice of her life. The idealism Frances Haugen and countless others had invested in promises by the world’s biggest social network to fix itself had

MOSCOW (AP) — A plane carrying skydivers has crashed shortly after takeoff in central Russia, killing 15 of the 22 people aboard. The L-410, a Czech-made twin-engine turboprop, crashed near Menzelinsk, about 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow, on Sunday. The Emergencies Ministry said seven people were extracted from the wreckage alive, at least

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Opposition voters in Hungary are choosing between two opposition politicians hoping to unseat right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an election next spring. The two contenders, center-left lawyer Klara Dobrev and moderate conservative mayor Peter Marki-Zay, have differing platforms but are both members of an

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president has vowed to defend the island from China’s rising pressure for reunification, after a week of tensions with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen was speaking Sunday at Taiwan’s National Day celebrations. The leader’s promise to resist Chinese military threats was underlined by a rare show

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian news reports say an actor has died in an accident during a scene change at Moscow’s Bolshoi theater. The reports cited witnesses as saying that the actor appeared to have exited the stage on the wrong side during a Saturday evening performance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “Sadko” and was struck by

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Germany’s lame-duck chancellor, Angela Merkel, has paid a final official visit to Israel. She says she’s been fortunate to play a key role in strengthening relations between the two countries after the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. The visit Sunday caps Merkel’s 16 years

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — FaceTime calls seem to be working in the United Arab Emirates, an apparent loosening of long-standing restrictions on the Apple program in the federation of seven sheikhdoms. There was no official announcement on the matter. The UAE’s telecom authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s nuclear chief says the Islamic Republic has produced more than 120 kilograms (265 pounds) of 20% enriched uranium. That’s far more than what the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported last month. The nuclear chief says that under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers the other signatories were to provide Iran

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis are voting for a new parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement. The vote was brought forward by six months in response to a popular uprising in the capital Baghdad and southern provinces in late 2019. Polls opened