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AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The World Bank forecasts that Myanmar’s economy will contract this year, as flooding and fighting take a severe toll nearly four years after the military ousted its government headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. In an update issued Wednesday, the bank said about a fifth of all built structures

AP Sports Writer ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has approved a new national security memorandum ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House that could serve as a road map for the incoming administration as it looks to counter growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the White House said Wednesday. Biden

Associated Pres KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Rescue crews have pulled two women from rubble several hours after a Russian missile struck a medical clinic in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia. Authorities said Wednesday the strike killed nine people and wounded 22 others. The deadly Russian strikes on civilian areas continue in the almost three-year

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn’t speak, has won the board game’s Spanish-language world title. Nigel Richards, a professional player who now lives in Malaysia, won the Spanish world Scrabble championships in Granada, Spain, in November, losing only

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine vice president has skipped the first hearing into threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she did not believe the investigation will be fair. Vice President Sara Duterte was subpoenaed to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday. Instead her lawyer denied she made any

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian federal police have launched a special operation to investigate an increase in antisemitic threats and violence since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year. Jewish leaders say prejudice against their community has reached unprecedented levels, with most incidents reported in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s largest cities

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Sanjay Malhotra, a career civil servant, has become India’s new central bank governor at a time when the country’s economic growth is slowing and inflation is surging. Malhotra, a former revenue secretary, has been appointed Wednesday to a three-year term as head of the Reserve Bank of India. He

Associated Press The Onion’s rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory platform, which will remain in his control for at least the near future. What’s next for Infowars and the

Assocaited Press CAMP ASAKA, Japan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed confidence about enhanced military capabilities among the United States, Australia and Japan as he observed joint exercises showcasing their closer cooperation as tension in the region grow. Austin is in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington’s

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight and into Wednesday, with one attack ripping through a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated north. The strikes killed at least 33 people including children, Palestinian health officials said. Violence also flared in outside Jerusalem, where an