News

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will convene parliament next month to discuss efforts to salvage an economy strained by pandemic border closures after decades of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions. State media didn’t mention any foreign policy discussions expected in the Sept. 28 meeting. Diplomacy with the United States is stalemated because the U.S.

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Group has posted a $1.7 billion pandemic-related annual loss and forecast Australia will reopen to international travel in December. The airline company said it expects flights to countries with high vaccination rates including the United States, Britain, Japan and Singapore would resume in mid-December. It

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is suspending use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna vaccine after contamination was found in some unused vials. The health ministry said the contamination was reported at multiple vaccination sites. Some doses may have been administered but no adverse health effects have been reported. The

By MATTHEW BROWN and PADMANANDA RAMA Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Huge gaps between air quality sensors in the western U.S. have created blind spots in the warning system for wildfire smoke plumes sweeping North America this summer. That comes amid growing concern over the potential health impacts for millions of people being exposed

By CLAIRE GALOFARO and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SPRINGVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gretchen Catherwood’s son, 19-year-old Alec, was killed in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban in 2010. As she watched the news over the last two weeks, it felt like 10 minutes ago. As the American military left Afghanistan, the Afghan military put down its weapons,

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Scientists say the immediate potential for an eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has declined. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says earthquakes and ground swelling at Kilauea’s summit crater have subsided. The observatory lowered its alert level for the volcano to advisory as a result. Earlier in the week,

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have postponed their White House meeting as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of deadly explosions near the Kabul airport that targeted U.S. troops and Afghans seeking to flee their country after the Taliban takeover.

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California may become the first state to pay drug addicts to stay sober. It’s called contingency management and the federal government has been doing it for years with military veterans. Research shows it is one of the most effective ways to get people to stop using

By AMY TAXIN and JULIE WATSON Associated Press Some immigrant teens say they’ve waited weeks or months in massive facilities and don’t know when they’ll be released to relatives in the United States. Most children were at these emergency intake sites for less than three weeks in mid-July, but more than 700 kids had been

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer “Vaccine passports” are digital or paper documents showing you were vaccinated against COVID-19, and they could help you get into a growing number of places. What they look like and why you might need one depend on where you live. But a growing number of private venues, workplaces and

By COLLEEN LONG and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police officers who were attacked and beaten during the Capitol riot are suing former President Donald Trump, his allies and members of far-right extremist groups. The suit accuses them of intentionally sending a violent mob on Jan. 6 to disrupt the congressional

By SAM METZ and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — A community on the shore of Lake Tahoe issued an emergency declaration and a tourism group discouraged visitors from coming amid smoky skies from a major wildfire nearby. South Lake Tahoe declared an emergency Thursday to be better prepared if evacuations

By ROBERT BURNS, DARLENE SUPERVILLE and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the United States will complete its evacuation of Americans and others from Kabul, despite the attack that killed at least 13 U.S. service members and many Afghan civilians. He vowed to avenge the deaths, saying the U.S. has

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Cruise companies are adapting to a changing landscape amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that is threatening to dampen the industry’s comeback. Cruise lines have detected infections among vaccinated crew members and passengers, including a recent case in an elderly traveler that resulted