AP National News

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Western intelligence agencies have uncovered Russian plots to carry out assassinations, arson and other sabotage in Europe against companies and people linked to support for Ukraine’s military. A Western government official says one of the most serious plots recently revealed was a plan to kill the head of a German

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has rejected a claim from human rights organizations that the Netherlands is dodging a court order to stop sending F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel which could use them in Gaza. The Hague District Court ruled Friday that the groups had not shown any evidence

Associated Press ANKARA (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad in recent weeks have signaled they are interested in restoring diplomatic ties that have been ruptured for more than a decade. Erdogan says he hopes to arrange a meeting with Assad for the first time since the countries broke off

AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The European Union says blue checkmarks from Elon Musk’s X are deceptive and that the online platform falls short on transparency and accountability requirements. They’re the first charges against a tech company since the bloc’s new social media regulations took effect. The European Commission outlined on Friday the preliminary

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Still flush from her role in Onegin, La Scala prima ballerina Nicoletta Manni received the surprise of her career last fall: The 32-year-old dancer was named La Scala’s first Etoile, or star principal dancer, chosen from the storied ballet company in nearly 40 years. Now, months later, she capped her

ROME (AP) — Italy’s alpine rescue service says a 55-year-old American tourist has died after being taken ill during an excursion on on the southern side of Mount Etna. Rescuers said the cause of his illness was unknown, but warned against the risk from high temperatures coupled with humidity that may prove dangerous for tourists

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — They were billed as artworks by Pablo Picasso, paintings so valuable that an Australian art museum’s decision to display them in an exhibition restricted to women visitors provoked a gender discrimination lawsuit. The paintings again prompted international headlines when the gallery re-hung them in a women’s restroom to

Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was “not done yet.” As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted “don’t you quit!”

Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — A two-week truce in eastern Congo has heavily reduced fighting, but with a week left aid workers and local civil society groups say not much help has reached millions of people who are trapped in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Aid workers and local civil society groups

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Friday after some mixed signals on big banks’ profits and inflation did little to dent Wall Street’s belief that easier interest rates are on the way. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to close its fifth winning week in the last six. The Dow Jones Industrial

BEIJING (AP) — The new Solomon Islands prime minister is in China for a visit as Beijing and the strategic Pacific archipelago strengthen their ties. Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital on Friday after a stop in coastal Fujian province earlier this week. China’s influence increased significantly during

GENEVA (AP) — Police say a man armed with a machete has attacked several people at the building where he lives in northeastern Switzerland. Five people were hurt, including a baby. Police in the city of St. Gallen were alerted to the incident late Thursday evening. They said Friday that the suspect, a Swiss man,

PARIS (AP) — French authorities say four migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to the U.K. Their inflatable boat capsized and punctured off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France. Sixty-three people were rescued by the French coast guard, the prefecture responsible for the north of France said in

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense ministry announced disciplinary action on Friday against more than 200 senior officials and service members over mishandling of classified materials and other misconduct, an embarrassment that could undermine Tokyo’s efforts to work more closely with United States and other partners. Japan’s Defense Ministry and its Self Defense Forces

Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A South African restaurant and bar has served up a sandwich that’s nearly 10 feet long in the latest offering from an establishment with a taste for the supersized. The giant sandwich has 10 layers of fillings and tipped the scale at 145 pounds while balanced precariously

Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Under the sweltering Turkish sun, tourists wander through sets that recreate Ottoman and Byzantine-era castles, take selfies with actors in traditional Ottoman costumes and watch horseback stunt performances. Among them is Riia Toivanen, 22, a devoted fan of Turkish television drama who traveled to Istanbul from Finland with her mother

Associated Press MUMBAI, India (AP) — Global celebrities, business tycoons and politicians began arriving in India’s financial capital on Friday to attend the wedding of the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, highlighting the billionaire’s staggering wealth and rising clout. Anant Ambani, 29, is marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, in what many