AP National News

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Two men have been charged with assaulting police during a scuffle in July at Manchester Airport that led to outrage when video showed an officer stomping on a man’s head. The Crown Prosecution Service said Friday that no officers will be charged because it didn’t think they could win a

Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hungary has given political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted on suspicions of corruption. The move has triggered a diplomatic spat that worsened on Friday. Poland’s government decried Hungary’s decision as a “hostile act” and Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was dismayed by Hungarian Prime

Associated Press Russia’s central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at a record 21%, holding off on further increases despite high consumer inflation fueled by the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. The decision Friday comes amid criticism from influential business figures, including tycoons close to the Kremlin, that high rates are putting the brakes on

Associated Press ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A knife-wielding teenager walked into a school in Croatia’s capital on Friday, stabbed a 7-year-old girl to death and wounded three more children and their teacher, authorities said. The attack took place around 9:50 a.m. on the last day of school before Christmas at the Precko Elementary School in

Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese state media says President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top military officers in a major reshuffle amid the ongoing fight against rebels in the country’s eastern region. The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, was replaced by

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country. Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his school on Oct. 16, 2020, days after showing

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is abandoning his efforts to provide some protections for transgender student athletes and cancel student loans for more than 38 million Americans, the first steps in an administration-wide plan to jettison pending regulations to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from retooling them to achieve his own aims. The

ATHENS, Greeece (AP) — Greek authorities say a speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead, including a child. The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian attack Friday on a town in Russia’s Kursk border region using U.S.-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child, a senior local official said. The attack came hours after Ukrainian authorities said a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv killed at least one person and wounded 13.

AP Business Writer Workers at Starbucks stores began a five-day strike Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country by Christmas Eve. Starbucks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday. Loke said

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s navy says it has rescued more than 100 people believed to be Rohingya refugees who were found adrift aboard a fishing trawler off the island nation. Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya said Friday fishermen spotted the refugees, including 25 children and 30 women off Sri Lanka’s northern

ROME (AP) — A court in Sicily is expected to announce its verdict on whether Italy’s vice premier, Matteo Salvini, is guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister. Salvini faces up to six years in jail if convicted on charges of kidnapping for the 2019 incident

AP Science Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) — and when startled, they brandished immense claws. For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Friday to turn what would have been one of the market’s worst weeks of the year into just a pretty bad one. The S&P 500 rallied 1.1% for its best day in six weeks and shaved its loss for the week down to 2%. The

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Israelis are increasingly moving out of the country since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety. Government statistics estimate that 40,600 people departed long-term during the first seven months of the year, a 59% increase over the same period in 2023. Some 33,000 people have moved