News

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened his third day of meetings on an urgent Mideast diplomatic mission to prevent Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza from exploding into a broader regional conflict. Blinken was meeting Monday with United Arab Emirates

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity. In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Francis

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russia has launched its latest barrage of hypersonic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets, striking near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country. They said Monday that at least four civilians were

BEIJING (AP) — China says it has detained an individual accused of collecting state secrets on behalf of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6. The Ministry of State Security posted on social media Monday that Britain had been cooperating since 2015 with the person, who it said was a citizen of a third nation and had

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese automaker VinFast plans to spend up to $2 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in India, the world’s third-largest auto market by sales. The factory in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state will be the company’s first foray into India. It said it is committing

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Medics, patients and displaced people are fleeing from the main hospital in central Gaza as the fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants draws closer, witnesses said Monday. Losing the facility would be another major blow to a health system shattered

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — European markets opened weaker while Asian stocks retreated on Monday after Wall Street logged its worst week since Halloween. The futures for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3%, after Congressional leaders reached an agreement on overall

BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) — A former interior minister of Gambia is going on trial in Switzerland on charges including crimes against humanity for his alleged role in years of repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator. Advocacy groups hailed the trial of Ousman Sonko, who held the post

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer They may not have had lukewarm chardonnay on the tables, as nominee Jennifer Lawrence had predicted. But the 81st Golden Globes had a bit of everything else: Some silliness, some seriousness, a bit of history, a few good jokes and many bad ones, loads of stars — and one

By ANWARULLAH KHAN Associated Press KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb has exploded near a van carrying police assigned to protect workers in an anti-polio immunization campaign in restive northwestern Pakistan, killing at least six officers and wounding 10 others. Officials say the attack happened in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold bordering Afghanistan. Police

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine came under strong Russian missile attacks early Monday that struck near the front lines of fighting in the east as well as in central and western parts of the country, killing one person and injuring at least 30. The heaviest casualty toll was in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where a woman

BERLIN (AP) — Farmers are blocking highway access roads in parts of Germany and gathering for demonstrations, launching a week of protests against a government plan to scrap tax breaks on diesel used in agriculture. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpopular three-party coalition infuriated farmers last month by drawing up plans to abolish a car tax exemption

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The electric vehicle unit of troubled Chinese property developer China Evergrande says its vice chairman has been detained by police on “suspicion of illegal crimes.” China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle announced the detention of Liu Yongzhuo in a notice to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after

By HIRO KOMAE, AYAKA MCGILL and YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Thousands of people made homeless overnight are living in weariness and uncertainty on the western coast of Japan a week after a powerful earthquake left at least 180 dead and dozens missing. The rescue effort since the magnitude 7.6 New Year’s

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has swept to power for a fourth consecutive term in Bangladesh. Sunday’s election was boycotted by opposition parties and marked by protests and international scrutiny. Hasina’s Awami League party won 222 seats out of 299, cementing a majority in Parliament and extending