AP National News

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — For decades, it was accepted wisdom in the casino industry that eliminating smoking would automatically lead to revenue declines and customer losses. But a new report examining how the coronavirus pandemic has changed gamblers’ habits says that may no longer be the case. The report

By DANIELLA MATAR and TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writers MILAN (AP) — For Maria Bulanova, it was a matter of surprise — that she could be recruited to the bowling team at Vanderbilt “all the way from Russia.” Like other international athletes playing college sports in the United States, she had little sense of

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer The heart of Cooper Raiff’s sophomore feature “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” available now on Apple TV+, isn’t his post-grad character who is living back at his mother’s suburban home, working a dead end job and wondering what to do with his life. It’s the mother and daughter he meets

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected a final appeal from sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medalists. The court declined to take the case Friday. Nassar says he was treated unfairly in 2018 and deserved a

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Ankara Wednesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the official visit following Friday prayers. He said they would discuss advancing Turkey-Saudi Arabia’s relations to a “much higher degree.” The crown prince’s visit to Turkey would continue a fast thaw of relations following

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government on Friday ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges, a milestone — but not the end — of a decade-long legal saga sparked by his website’s publication of classified U.S. documents. WikiLeaks said it would

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening gingerly higher on Wall Street Friday at the end of a brutal week. Stocks suffered several massive drops this week as markets get accustomed to the bitter medicine of higher interest rates that the Federal Reserve and other central banks are using in their battle against inflation. Higher

LONDON (AP) — British health officials have reported another 50 cases of monkeypox across the country, for a total of 574 cases. That makes the U.K.’s outbreak the biggest to date beyond Africa. In a statement on Friday, Britain’s Health Security Agency said most of the cases have been identified in gay or bisexual men,

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban official says that an explosion ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province, killing at least one worshipper and wounding seven others. Dozens of people had gathered inside the mosque in the district of Imam Sahib for Friday prayers when an explosive device that had been planted there earlier

By AHMED HATEM Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities say a building collapse has killed at least one person in the capital of Cairo. The city’s deputy governor said in a statement that a family of six was believed to have been inside the five-story building when it gave way in the early hours

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Vince McMahon is stepping down as CEO and chairman of WWE during an an investigation into alleged misconduct involving the longtime leader and public face of the organization. McMahon will continue to oversee WWE’s creative content during the investigation, World Wrestling Entertainment said Friday. McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie, will serve

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm has recommended making Ukraine a candidate for EU membership. The move would be a first step on what is expected to be a long road before the war-torn country could actually join the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission on Friday delivered its

By HARUKA NUGA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The head of the U.S. Marine Corps says his forces are committed to defending southwestern Japanese islands as the allies try to bolster their defenses amid growing threats from China and Russia. Lt. Gen. Steven Rudder said at the beginning of talks with Japanese Defense Minister Nibuo

By IGNATIUS SSUUNA Associated Press KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda’s military says a Congolese soldier crossed the border and began shooting at Rwandan security forces and civilians before being shot dead, the latest escalation in tensions between the countries. A Rwanda Defense Force statement says the unidentified soldier crossed the border Friday morning in Rubavu

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s government is accused of using violence against Maasai herders protesting efforts to evict them from one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. It’s the latest friction between those who see certain African landscapes as a lucrative playground and those who call them home. Witnesses

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Russia has reduced natural gas to Europe again as countries have worked to ease their dependence on Russian supplies amid the war in Ukraine. Friday marks the third day of significant reductions to the fuel that powers industry and generates electricity in Europe, which also have hit

BEIJING (AP) — China is defending its tough “zero-COVID” policy after the U.S. ambassador said it is causing serious damage to the global economy and foreign business sentiment. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says China’s economy is recovering from the effects of the pandemic, and the policy, which mandates lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing, is suitable

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government on Friday ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges — a milestone, but not the end of the decade-long legal saga. WikiLeaks said it would challenge the order, and has 14 days to lodge an

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Hong Kong is preparing to introduce new middle school textbooks that will deny the Chinese territory was ever a British colony. China’s Communist rulers say the semi-autonomous city and the nearby former Portuguese colony of Macao were merely occupied by foreign powers and that China never relinquished

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary has placed price caps on fuel and some food and imposed special taxes on industries as the governments tries to ease an economic downturn and the highest inflation in nearly 25 years. But some affected companies, like budget airline Ryanair, have protested, and said they’d