AP National News

By FRANCESCA EBEL and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The European Union’s decision to make Ukraine a candidate for EU membership offered war-weary Ukrainians a morale boost and hope of a more secure future Friday as the country’s military ordered its fighters to retreat from a key city in the eastern Donbas

BERLIN (AP) — The curators of a major art show in Germany have apologized for including a work featuring antisemitic elements that prompted an outcry at the event’s opening this week. Organizers of the documenta fifteen show in Kassel ordered the banner by Indonesian collective Taring Padi, titled “People’s Justice,” to be taken down Tuesday

By VALENTINA PETROVA and STEPHEN MCGRATH Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s parliament has voted to lift a veto that has long blocked European Union membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. The move raises fresh hopes that the bloc can now press on with its expansion plans in the Western Balkans amid Russia’s

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is recalling 2,700 of its bZ4X crossover vehicles globally for wheel bolts that could become loose, in a major setback for the Japanese automaker’s ambitions to roll out electric cars. Toyota says the cause is still under investigation, but the whole wheel could come off,

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian state media is reporting that authorities have detained five people accused of organizing a skateboarding event where dozens of teenagers mixed freely and girls didn’t wear headscarves. A video of the “Go Skateboarding Day” held off a boulevard in the southern city of Shiraz went viral on social

BRUSSELS (AP) — A day after endorsing Ukraine’s candidacy to join the European Union, the bloc’s leaders turned their attention Friday to the severe economic turbulence looming over the coming months as the full impact of Russia’s war sinks in and the threat of recession rises. The EU’s 27 leaders gathered in Brussels to grapple

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss customs authorities are tracking about 3 tons of gold of Russian origin that entered Switzerland from Britain last month to watch for potential violations of economic sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The gold is worth 194 million Swiss francs ($202 million). The Federal Office for Customs and Border

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China’s ambassador to Australia says the then-Australian government fired the “first shot” in its deteriorating relations with China four years ago when it banned Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out the country’s 5G network due to security concerns. Ambassador Xiao Qian gave a rare public

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to end the country’s ban on advertising abortions, which has in the past led to doctors being prosecuted for providing information about the procedure to potential patients. Parliament also voted to annul the convictions of doctors issued since Oct. 3, 1990, when West Germany’s abortion laws were applied

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were higher in Europe and Asia on Friday despite data suggesting some economies are slowing. U.S. futures also advanced after a rally Thursday on Wall Street, where the market is headed for its first weekly gain after three weeks of punishing losses. Market players are

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A man has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder for killing five people and wounding four others in southern Norway when he attacked strangers with a bow and arrows and knives. Thirty-eight-year-old Espen Andersen Bråthen was sentenced Friday to compulsory mental health care in line with what the prosecution

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese electric car brand NIO says two employees involved in testing died when one of its vehicles fell three stories from a parking structure in Shanghai. The company said the crash was under investigation but appeared to be an accident and “not caused by the vehicle.” It said the employees who

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Water-dropping aircraft from Azerbaijan and Qatar have joined the fight against a wind-stoked wildfire that is burning for a fourth day near a popular resort in southwestern Turkey. A minister said Friday that the fire may be close to being contained but cautioned that the wind still poses a risk. The

By DAVID KEYTON, JOHN LEICESTER and YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A regional governor in eastern Ukraine says that the country’s troops will retreat from a besieged city to avoid encirclement. The city of Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk region, has faced relentless Russian bombardment. Ukrainian troops fought the Russians

MOSCOW (AP) — Officials say that a Russian military cargo plane has crashed, killing four crewmembers and leaving several others injured. The heavylift Il-76 cargo plane went down Friday in the southwestern Ryazan region. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the plane suffered an engine problem, forcing the crew to crash-land it on the ground.

By IGNATIUS SSUUNA Associated Press KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Leaders of Commonwealth nations were meeting in Rwanda’s capital Friday to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit for Commonwealth heads of state in Kigali is the culmination of a series of meetings this week that officials said

By EBRAHIM NOROOZI Associated Press GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll from a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan continued to climb days after it turned brick and stone homes into rubble, killing 1,150 people and injuring scores more, according to the latest figures carried in state media on Friday. The country of 38 million people