AP National News

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer KAMINO KAWA, Japan (AP) — Nissan’s “intelligent factory” hardly has any human workers. The robots do the work, including welding and mounting. They not only do the paint job; they also inspect their own paint job. The assembly line for the Ariya sport-utility vehicle at Nissan’s Tochigi plant, set

HONG KONG (AP) — One worker died and others were trapped when a major rainstorm blew traditional bamboo scaffolding off the side of a building under construction in Hong Kong. The city was battered by heavy rain and high winds as other parts of China also experienced dangerous weather conditions. Local media reported that construction

By DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A spate of Chinese military flights off southwestern Taiwan in recent days has prompted alarm from the island, which Beijing claims as its own, and is increasing tensions in a region already on edge. The flights are just one piece of a complex puzzle in Asia, where

Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful explosion in a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday has left several casualties, witnesses said. The explosion occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service. Witnesses said they were praying when they heard the blast.

OSLO (AP) — The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that has focused “critical attention

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Ireland has agreed to join an international agreement establishing a minimum corporate tax of 15% around the world, ditching the low-tax policy that has led companies like Google and Facebook to base their European operations in the country. The Irish government initially refused to join the agreement.

LONDON (AP) — Google is taking action to stop climate change deniers from spreading misinformation or making money. The company says it is blocking digital ads promoting false climate change claims from appearing alongside content on its platforms, including YouTube videos. Google said ion Thursday that it was rolling out a new policy for advertisers,

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Finland has joined other Nordic countries in suspending or discouraging the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in certain age groups because of an increased risk of heart inflammation, a rare side effect associated with the shot. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said Thursday that authorities won’t give the shot

By KEVIN FREKING, ALAN FRAM and ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has dodged a U.S. debt disaster by approving legislation to lift the federal limit on new borrowing by nearly a half-trillion dollars. The bill, likely to be approved by the House as well, should temporarily avert an unprecedented U.S. default

COLLIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — A federal official says a former neighbor of a U.S. Postal Service worker in Pennsylvania confessed that he fatally shot him because he believed the mail carrier previously poisoned him and his family with cyanide. The acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania says in a release that

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian police say that at least 187 people including babies have been freed in the country’s troubled north, one of the country’s largest liberations of kidnap victims. Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu issued a statement saying that security forces rescued the hostages from a forest

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Giant panda twins born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in June now have their names. The female is Lei Lei, and her brother Xiao Xiao. They were chosen from hundreds of thousands of suggestions sent from fans around Japan. The twin cubs, which were palm-size pink creatures when

OSLO (AP) — The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. Ressa in 2012 co-founded Rappler, a news website that has focused “critical attention

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets have risen as investors wait for U.S. jobs data that might influence a Federal Reserve decision on when to roll back stimulus. That comes after lawmakers in Washington averted a possible government debt default. London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The trial of a leading philanthropist and civil rights activist who has been behind bars for nearly four years has resumed in Istanbul on Friday. Osman Kavala, 64, remains imprisoned despite repeated calls by the European Court of Human Rights for his release. The 47-member Council

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Pakistan are meeting in difficult talks over the path forward in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The negotiations Friday between Washington’s deputy secretary of state and Pakistani leaders came amid an array of unsettled issues. Those include the level of engagement with Taliban leaders, the ongoing

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s foreign minister says concerns about a “new Cold War” over science and technology are a major reason behind the creation of a new think tank that looks out for future advances and development so that the whole world can benefit and not just rich countries. Ignazio

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security personnel are casting their ballots two days before the rest of the nation votes in parliamentary elections. The vote is being held six months before schedule in response to mass protests in late 2019 in Baghdad and Iraq’s south. Friday’s so-called “special voting” two days ahead of the election is

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish police have confiscated a high-performance luxury car after its new owner was caught speeding as he drove it home from Germany to Norway, a northern Danish newspaper reported. The man, an Iraqi citizen resident in Norway who was not identified, was registered as driving at 236 kph (147 mph) in

OSLO (AP) — The winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize is being announced Friday, an award intended to honor an individual or organization that has “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the recipient in Oslo at about 0900 GMT. Last year’s prize went