AP World News

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the U.S. leads a diplomatic push to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old invasion. Announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press SION, Switzerland (AP) — The hospital that initially took in the majority of injured victims from a fire at a Swiss bar is no stranger to emergencies: In the heart of the Alps, it is used to treating winter sports enthusiasts who have accidents on the slopes. But the flood

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — More than 300,000 inactive university students have been removed from the rolls in Greece, cutting the country’s official student population by nearly half, authorities said Friday. The move marks the end of a decadeslong practice — formally abolished in recent legislation — that allowed extended enrollment to facilitate lifelong learning and

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A court in Pakistan’s capital sentenced seven people, including three journalists, two YouTubers and two retired army officers, to life imprisonment on Friday, after convicting them of inciting violence during riots in 2023 and spreading hatred against state institutions. An anti-terrorism court judge, Tahir Abbas Sipra, announced

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June. At least seven people have been killed so

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Friday began enforcing its newly ratified penal code, replacing a Dutch-era criminal law that had governed the country for more than 80 years and marking a major shift in its legal landscape. Since proclaiming independence in 1945, the Southeast Asian country had continued to

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks. Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff Friday, following the resignation of Andrii Yermak after a corruption scandal over a month ago. In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine now needs to focus more

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces, with at least seven people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said. The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV closed out 2025 on Wednesday with a prayer that the city of Rome might be a welcoming place for foreigners and fragile people, young and old. Leo presided over a New Year’s Eve vespers service in St. Peter’s Basilica, giving thanks for the 2025 Holy Year that brought millions

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazil and Real Madrid great Roberto Carlos posted a picture of himself smiling in hospital and said he was “recovering well” after confirming Wednesday he had undergone a heart procedure. “I did not suffer a heart attack. I am recovering well, and looking forward

By TED ANTHONY AP National Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s People’s Liberation Army said Wednesday that it “successfully completed” two days of military exercises in the waters off Taiwan, concluding a set of high-powered maneuvers aimed at asserting its sovereignty over the island — actions that ratcheted up tension in East Asia during 2025’s waning

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and HARUKA NUGA Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 began in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, reviving efforts to solve one of aviation’s greatest mysteries more than a decade after the jet vanished with 239 people on board. Malaysia’s Transport Ministry said Wednesday that

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in his country’s eventual victory in

By TED SHAFFREY and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — From Sydney to Paris to New York City, crowds rang in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or light shows, while others took a more subdued approach. As the clock struck midnight in Japan, temple bells rang and some

BEIJING (AP) — Dressed in a red-and-white warrior costume, Peking opera actress Zhang Wanting balances on one foot on the narrow handle of a rosewood chair. She bends forward, lifts her other leg high and grasps the two long pheasant plumes on her helmet to strike a pose like a flying swallow. From more than

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Fireworks are typically a celebratory centerpiece of Hong Kong’s New Year celebrations. Not this year. The territory greeted 2026 without spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor after a massive fire in November that killed at least 161 people. The city’s

By BABA AHMED Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali and Burkina Faso said late Tuesday they would ban U.S. citizens from entering their countries in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to ban Malian and Burkinabe citizens from entering the United States. The announcements, made in separate statements by the foreign ministers of

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions on 10 people and firms from Iran and Venezuela over allegedly contributing to Iran’s drone trade and ballistics program which the Trump administration says threatens the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East. The Treasury Department said the latest measures are intended

DETROIT (AP) — Meta is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the owner of Facebook and Instagram continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms. The California tech giant declined to disclose financial details of the acquisition. But The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta closed the deal at more than

By ALEX TURNBULL and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Power problems and a stuck train interrupted rail services through the undersea Channel Tunnel connecting the United Kingdom and continental Europe on Tuesday, operators said, stranding passengers during the busy end-of-year holidays. At Paris’ Gare du Nord station, Jamie and Issy Gill scrambled to

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said it will formally end its dwindling yet much-criticized bear bile farming industry this week, though about 200 bears are still kept in pens and raised for their gallbladders. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced Tuesday it will ban breeding and

By MELANIE LIDMAN and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Tuesday said it had suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, from operating in the Gaza Strip for failing to comply with new registration rules. Israel says the rules are aimed at preventing Hamas and other