AP National News

Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis inaugurated his Holy Year at Rome’s main prison on Thursday, bringing a message of hope to inmates and involving them in the Catholic Church’s once every quarter-century celebration that is expected to bring about 32 million pilgrims to Rome. Francis stood up from his wheelchair, knocked on the

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing” China and Chinese brands. Earlier in the week, a task force led by Brazilian prosecutors said it

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s main opposition party has submitted a motion to impeach the country’s acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3.

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. “The air traffic control tower, the departure

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan Airlines has been hit by a cyberattack that caused delays to more than 20 domestic flights, but it managed to restore its systems within hours. The carrier said there was no impact on flight safety. JAL said the problem started Thursday morning when the company’s network connecting internal and

Associated Press ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — Jerry and Sibrina Barrett never spent a day apart over 35 years. They worked long hours, never took vacations, and liked to relax with their son at home. They had no idea that a hurricane could reach them in the mountains of East Tennessee. Living in Johnson City, they

Associated Press For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as “rineanswsaurs” or sarcastic as “srkastik.” The 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. “I just assumed I was stupid,” she recalled

Associated Press EIN ZIVAN, Golan Heights (AP) — A dry mountain wind whipped through a cluster of Israeli flags at the entrance of a kibbutz in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where the tranquility belies the tumultuous events unfolding nearby. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted after nearly 25 years in power. Within

Associated Press ZAMALKA, Syria (AP) — A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country’s capital, Damascus, says the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day. The family members locked themselves inside a windowless room in their home for hours, escaping the fate of dozens

Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A survivor of the worst gang attack on Haitian journalists in recent memory describes seeing colleagues cut down by bullets and reporters with head and chest wounds going without help. Photographer Jean Fregens Regala said Wednesday there had been no apparent security preparations _ indeed, little preparation of any

AP Business Writer Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak.

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of Taiwan’s capital. Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting bribes related to a real estate development during his

Associated Press NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state are bracing for potentially devastating wild fires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. With temperatures in Victoria state reaching 37 degrees Celsius on Thursday and with wind changes expected throughout the

Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Idil Abdullahi Goley’s journey seeking a better life in Europe started in Somalia with a $6,500 payment to smugglers. It ended a month later with fellow migrants around her dying at sea. One of them was screaming and reciting the Muslim profession of faith. The deaths of 25 migrants

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say a taxi driver hit six pedestrians in midtown Manhattan. A New York Police Department spokesperson said Wednesday that the taxi driver may have suffered a possible medical episode, but that the investigation had yet to confirm that. The spokesman said three people were transported to hospitals,

Associated Press BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami hit the region in one of modern history’s worst natural disasters. Many wept as they placed flowers at a mass grave in Ulee Lheue

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound

NEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of using a knife to slash a man and a woman in Manhattan’s Grand Central subway station is facing assault and menacing charges. Police say that the man was arrested on multiple charges after the attack at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. They say a 42-year-old man was left with

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finland’s prime minister says authorities are investigating an interruption in a power cable under the Baltic Sea between his country and Estonia. Petteri Orpo said on X that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable suffered an outage Wednesday. Authorities have been on edge about undersea infrastructure in the Baltic after two

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively’s claims that “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni unleashed a smear campaign against her have gained support from a new lawsuit that Baldoni’s former publicist filed against him. The lawsuit was lodged Tuesday in New York state court in Manhattan by Stephanie Jones, who began representing