AP National News

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says the two Koreas have restored a stalled communication channel after a hiatus in a small reconciliation step. The restoration of an inter-Korean hotline came three days after North Korea said it had test-fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile in the fourth round

By AMY TAXIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history,  An underwater Southern California pipeline started leaking oil late Friday or early Saturday. The pipeline is owned by

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century. The findings are based on a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Crews have deployed skimmers and floating barriers known as booms as they try stop oil from a massive spill in Southern California from further fouling the beaches, wildlife and protected wetlands of the area. Authorities have multiple tools and techniques they can deploy to try to slow the oil from

MONTREAL (AP) — Canadian authorities say a small plane crashed on an island near Old Montreal while towing a marriage proposal banner, killing a passenger and injuring the pilot. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says the aircraft was pulling a banner that read “Will you marry me” when it went down Saturday evening. The pilot remained

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer FIFA says “we encourage COVID-19 vaccinations” in a first direct plea for players to get jabbed. It came as players were flying to countries for men’s World Cup qualifiers. The British government spoke out against players not getting vaccinated on Sunday. Only seven of the 20 Premier League

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish news media are reporting that the Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who had lived under police protection since his 2007 sketch of the Prophet Muhammad with a dog’s body brought death threats, has died from a traffic accident. The accident reportedly involved a truck colliding with a civilian police car in which

By AMY TAXIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Crude is no longer leaking from a Southern California pipeline that’s believed to be the source of a massive oil spill that closed miles of beaches on Sunday. Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher says Sunday that divers are still trying to determine

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian president has hosted an Israeli Cabinet minister for a late-night meeting, in a new sign of slowly improving ties between the sides. Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz on Sunday became the second top official to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas since the new Israeli government took office

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s four biggest parties have held a series of bilateral meetings to further sound out each others’ positions before deciding on further steps in forming a government. All parties insisted they had held “constructive” talks Sunday, but refused to discuss substance so as not to jeopardize the negotiations. Olaf Scholz of the

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Pandemic moviegoing is finally starting to look like pre-pandemic moviegoing. Sony Pictures’ Marvel sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” blew away expectations to debut with $90.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it easily the best opening of the pandemic. “Venom:

NEW YORK (AP) — A statue memorializing George Floyd in New York City’s Union Square Park has been vandalized. Police say video shows an unidentified person on a skateboard throwing paint on the statue at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday morning before fleeing. Nearby statues of late Congressman John Lewis and Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century. The findings are based on a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different

By FRANCESCA EBEL Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Thousands of Tunisians protested in Tunis and other cities this weekend in a show of support for President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power. His critics accuse him of a coup. Thousands stood on Tunis’ central thoroughfare Sunday waving the nation’s crimson flag and chanting “The people

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Investigators say a former driver in NASCAR’s lower divisions has been killed in a shooting in Georgia that also wounded a woman. Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson told the Athens Banner-Herald that 31-year-old John Wes Townley died shortly after the 9 p.m.. Saturday shooting in an Athens neighborhood. Police say a

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germans must keep working for democracy, as the country celebrated the 31st anniversary of the reunification of East and West. In what is expected to be one of her last major speeches, the outgoing chancellor said that reunification happened “because there were people in East Germany who risked

BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government says it will introduce a new carbon tax from July 1, 2022, and will return that money to residents in the form of a “climate bonus.” Starting next year, Austrians will have to pay almost $35 per ton of CO2 — a cost that’s likely to be added to

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ Associated Press TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — A blaze that ripped through a small, densely populated cay along a Honduran island destroyed about 40% of the area and left hundreds homeless. That’s according to Guanaja Mayor Spurgeon Miller, who says 130 houses were completely destroyed and 10 more damaged on Bonacca Cay. There

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Three Vatican Swiss Guards who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 upon Holy See orders have left the storied corps to return to Switzerland. A Swiss Guard official, Lt. Urs Breitenmoser, told The Associated Press on Sunday that all Swiss Guards were asked to be vaccinated “to protect their health and

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press ABOARD GEO BARENTS (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says Libya’s coast guard has intercepted a wooden boat carrying more 550 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s shore. Sunday’s interception was the latest amid a surge of attempted crossings from the North African nation to European shores in recent months. The