Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote sales
YOKOHAMA, Japan — A Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its controversial products, has found a new way to cultivate clientele and bolster sales: whale meat vending machines.
Past U.S. presidents, VPs asked to recheck for classified docs
WASHINGTON — The National Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence had such documents in their possession.
FDA’s advisers back plan to simplify COVID-19 vaccinations
The U.S. is poised to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like a yearly flu shot, a major shift in strategy despite a long list of questions about how to best protect against a still rapidly mutating virus.
Lawsuit: Vegas Strip resorts used vendor to fix hotel rates
LAS VEGAS — A federal lawsuit in Nevada is seeking class-action damages for countless hotel patrons who booked rooms in Las Vegas since 2019, alleging that most hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip have used a third-party vendor to illegally fix prices.
House GOP seeks new restrictions on use of US oil stockpile
WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the second time this month, House Republicans are seeking to restrict presidential use of the nation’s emergency oil stockpile — a proposal that has already drawn a White House veto threat.
California winter storms boost water allocations for cities
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weeks of historic rainfall in California won’t be enough to end a severe drought, but it will provide public water agencies serving 27 million people with much more water than the suppliers had been told to expect a month ago, state officials announced Thursday.
New barrage of Russian strikes in Ukraine kills at least 11
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia fired more missiles and self-exploding drones at nearly a dozen Ukrainian provinces early Thursday, causing the first war-related death in Kyiv this year and killing at least 11 people overall, according to Ukrainian authorities.
South Korea extends restrictions on travelers from China
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says it will continue to restrict the entry of short-term travelers from China through the end of February over concerns that the spread of COVID-19 in that country may worsen following the Lunar New Year’s holidays.
Israel, Gaza fighters trade fire after deadly West Bank raid
JERUSALEM — Gaza militants fired rockets and Israel carried out airstrikes early Friday as tensions soared following an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank that killed nine Palestinians, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman.
U.S. sanctions Paraguay VP, former president for corruption
LIMA, Peru — The United States issued sanctions against Paraguay’s former President Horacio Cartes Jara and current Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno on Thursday, unveiling explosive accusations that they participated in widespread schemes of corruption and have ties to members of a terrorist organization.
Kaua‘i county council funds Halulu fishpond access purchase in Waipa
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council plans to fund a North Shore nonprofit’s purchase of an access route to the Halulu Fishpond in Waipa, in hopes of preserving the property in perpetuity.
UN chief: Exhibit of Nazi victims is call to fight cruelty
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday the Nazis tried to rob millions of Jews of their names before killing them during World War II — but at the inauguration of a U.N. installation with the names of 4.8 million Holocaust victims he said they failed and all those slaughtered “shall never be forgotten.”
Donald Trump to be allowed back on Facebook after 2-year ban
Facebook parent Meta said Wednesday it will restore former President Donald Trump ‘s personal account in the coming weeks, ending a two-year suspension it imposed in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Senators: Officials blocking access to mishandled documents
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate intelligence committee said Wednesday that they should have access to classified documents that were discovered in the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, arguing that Biden’s administration is stonewalling them over the matter.
U.S. investigating December flight cancellations at Southwest
DALLAS — The U.S. Transportation Department said Wednesday it is investigating whether Southwest Airlines deceived customers by knowingly scheduling more flights in late December than it realistically could handle.
Passion for dance drew many of those slain to ballroom
LOS ANGELES — Among the 11 people killed when a gunman opened fire during a Lunar New Year celebration at a Los Angeles-area dance hall popular with older Asian Americans were a family’s beloved aunt, a retired man who decided to return to school and the venue’s always-smiling manager.
Suspect in Half Moon Bay farm killings faces 7 murder counts
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — A farmworker accused of killing seven people in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms was charged Wednesday with seven counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crime
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
Top UN woman urges Muslims: Move Taliban into 21st century
UNITED NATIONS — The highest-ranking woman at the United Nations said Wednesday she used everything in her “toolbox” during meetings with Taliban ministers to try to reverse their crackdown on Afghan women and girls, and she urged Muslim countries to help the Taliban move from the “13th century to the 21st.”
Afghan soldier seeking US asylum freed from immigration hold
HOUSTON — An Afghan soldier seeking U.S. asylum who was arrested while trying to cross the Mexico border has been freed and reunited with his brother after spending months in immigration detention, his attorney said Wednesday.