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JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard ships have blocked and used water cannons on two Philippine supply boats heading to a disputed shoal occupied by Filipino marines in the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Thursday that the Philippine government was outraged and had protested to China

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The winner of this year’s National Book Award for fiction is Jason Mott’s “Hell of a Book.” It’s a surreal meta-narrative about an author’s book and his haunted past and present. The winner for nonfiction is Tiya Miles’ “All That She Carried: The Journey of

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse have requested a mistrial based on several issues, including claims that prosecutors acted in bad faith and that the state gave them an inferior copy of video that may be a key piece of evidence in the case. The

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX is aiming to launch its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship to orbit in January. That’s the latest from SpaceX founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk. He provided the update Wednesday night during a space science conference held virtually. Musk isn’t betting on success for that

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is extending through May a timeline to decide how or whether to proceed with proposed restrictions on mining in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. The agency’s acting regional administrator says the extension will allow time to consider available information and determine the next steps, which

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has overturned the approval of a massive flood-control project in the south Mississippi Delta that officials said was erroneously greenlit in the final days of the Trump administration. EPA officials said the past administration’s November 2020 decision to approve

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.’s special representative for Afghanistan is warning that the country is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe” and its collapsing economy is heightening the risk of extremism. Deborah Lyons said Wednesday that the United Nations predicts that 60% of Afghanistan’s 38 million people

BEIJING (AP) — The head of the women’s professional tennis tour is questioning the legitimacy of a retraction Chinese state media says was from a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said that a statement attributed to Peng Shuai “only

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A report says the director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board was fired this fall after an investigation found that he improperly issued a law enforcement certificate to an unqualified local philanthropist who’s also the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix officials agreed Wednesday to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit over the January 2017 death of a Black man during an arrest attempt in which he cried out that he couldn’t breathe as officers held him down. The 7-2 vote by the City Council ends