News

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian human rights lawyer Nikola Kovacevic is this year’s winner of a prestigious U.N. Refugee Agency award in Europe. The 32-year-old human rights activist says the struggle for the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers has become even more important in the face of mounting anti-migrant sentiment

By SAMYA KULLAB, MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and FELIPE DANA Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers have their sights on stamping out widespread drug addiction in the country, even if by force. Fighters raided a drug den under a bridge in Kabul on a recent evening, beating addicts. The addicts were then forcibly

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Every week or so, tens of thousands of New Zealanders play a lottery in their desperation to come home. Their prize is one of the coveted beds in quarantine hotels. New Zealand’s government requires everyone — vaccinated or not — to stay 14 days in

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Twelve people have died in northern India after the bus they were on swerved off the road and hit a truck. Police say the bus driver veered off track to avoid hitting stray cattle on the road. The accident southwest of Lucknow city left 32 of the total 60 passengers onboard

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An executive who lied to regulators about two South Carolina nuclear plants that never generated a watt of power is being sentenced. Former SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh has agreed with prosecutors that he should spend two years in prison. He goes Thursday before a federal

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A group of French senators visiting Taiwan as part of a regular parliamentary exchange met with President Tsai Ing-wen during a trip that comes in a particularly tense moment between China and the self-ruled island. Tsai gave Sen. Alain Richard an official distinction recognizing his contributions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The criminal case against a man accused of killing four people at a Tennessee Waffle House in 2018 is returning to court. A hearing is planned Thursday in Nashville in the case against Travis Reinking, who faces four murder counts among other charges. He pleaded not guilty in February 2019. Authorities

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities say they have made their largest smuggling bust, seizing goods including endangered species worth an estimated $26.9 million. The government says the smuggling ring operated using speedboats and four trucks were also impounded in the raid. A 34-year-old man was arrested in the operation that began in June.

By PHILIP MARCELO and DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Transit officials and experts say this summer’s storms were the latest reminders that more needs to be done to prepare the East Coast’s vital transit systems in the face of more extreme and unpredictable weather caused by climate change. The head of New

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii is forming a task force to study the issue of missing and murdered Native Hawaiian women and girls. The state House created the panel, which aims to gather data and identify the reasons behind the problem. Few figures currently exist, but those that do suggest Native

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in a scintillating NL wild-card game. The 106-win Dodgers advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against the rival Giants. Game