News

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — The number of babies born in China fell again last year, adding to pressure on the ruling Communist Party’s ambitions to boost national wealth and global influence with a workforce that has been declining for a decade. Official data showed 10.6 million babies were born in 2021.

By MARK LEWIS Associated Press STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik goes to court Tuesday, after 10 years behind bars, claiming he is no longer a danger to society and attempting to get an early release from his 21-year sentence. The far-right terrorist has shown no remorse since slaying 77 people

By STEVE McMORRAN AND BRUCE MATTHEWS Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — To some, it seems a cloud has been lifted from the Australian Open. To others, Novak Djokovic still is almost palpably present, his name on everyone’s lips on the opening day of the first major tennis tournament of the year. Djokovic left Australia

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Open has started without nine-time champion Novak Djokovic. The focus is finally on the tennis. Naomi Osaka opened her title defense with a straight-set win over Camila Osorio in the second match on Rod Laver Arena. Rafael Nadal is the only past champion

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told parliament that fighting the pandemic and strengthening defense are his government’s top priorities. Kishida delivered a speech opening this year’s parliamentary session hours after North Korea test-fired two possible ballistic missiles — its fourth tests this month. He urged Japanese

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Arab politician Mansour Abbas broke a longstanding taboo when he joined Israel’s governing coalition last year. The bold move appears to be paying dividends: Abbas is the linchpin of the shaky union, securing hefty budgets and favorable policies for his constituents and even being granted

By DARKO BANDIC Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Novak Djokovic is heading home to Serbia after his deportation from Australia over its required COVID-19 vaccination ended his hopes of defending his Australian Open title. An Emirates plane carrying Djokovic from Melbourne touched down in Dubai early Monday and a few hours later

By JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A new effort to preserve historic Black churches in the United States has received a $20 million donation that will go to help congregations. The National Trust for Historic Preservation says Lilly Endowment Inc. contributed the money to the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. It

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — The tight-knit congregation at a Texas synagogue where four people were held hostage by an armed captor during a 10-hour standoff over the weekend traces its roots back to a gathering organized over 20 years ago by a handful of families who were new to the area.

By JAKE BLEIBERG and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) — U.S. and British authorities are continuing an investigation into the weekend standoff at a Texas synagogue that ended with an armed British national dead. The rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel was among four people taken hostage and credits past security training with everyone

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing’s first reported case of the omicron variant has prompted stepped-up measures in the nation’s capital, just weeks before it hosts the Winter Olympic Games. State media has said that following the positive test announced Saturday, more than 13,000 people and all places the patient may have visited over previous days have

ATLANTA (AP) — The annual Martin Luther King Jr. service is set to be held at his old congregation in Atlanta. Scheduled to attend are the city’s mayor, Georgia’s governor and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. Monday’s service at Ebenezer Baptist Church and other events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorate what would have been

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden  campaigned to help unite the country. But first lady Jill Biden says “healing” a nation wounded by a deadly pandemic, natural and other disasters and deep political polarization is among her chief roles, too. In an Associated Press interview looking back on her