UN envoy hopes UN will OK force for Haiti to combat gangs
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. special envoy for Haiti said Wednesday she heard “caution” from the United States and Canada about possibly leading an international armed force to help Haiti combat gangs but not “a definite ‘No.’”
Asteroid coming exceedingly close to Earth, but will miss
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An asteroid the size of a delivery truck will whip past Earth on Thursday night, one of the closest such encounters ever recorded.
‘It’s insane’: California copes with 3rd massacre in 8 days
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — In the wake of the worst massacre in Los Angeles County history, the California governor was meeting gunshot victims in the hospital when he was pulled away and briefed on a mass shooting at the other end of the state.
McCarthy says he’ll block Schiff, Swalwell from Intel panel
WASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy reiterated Tuesday that he will block Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California from serving on the House committee that oversees national intelligence, saying the decision was not based on political payback but because “integrity matters, and they have failed in that place.”
Tornado causes damage east of Houston; no injuries reported
PASADENA, Texas — A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that downed utility poles and power lines, overturned vehicles and ripped roofs off homes and businesses in communities east of Houston. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
Justice Dept. sues Google over digital advertising dominance
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and eight states filed an antitrust suit against Google on Tuesday, seeking to shatter its alleged monopoly on the entire ecosystem of online advertising as a hurtful burden to advertisers, consumers and even the U.S. government.
Elon Musk defiantly defends himself in Tesla tweet trial
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk returned to federal court to defend himself against a class-action lawsuit that alleges he misled Tesla shareholders with a tweet about an aborted buyout that the billionaire defiantly insisted Tuesday he could have pulled off, had he wanted.
In reversal, U.S. poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered.
Ukraine corruption scandal claims several top officials
KYIV, Ukraine — Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion.
Extreme Israeli group takes root in US with fundraising bid
JERUSALEM — An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in some of the country’s most notorious hate crimes is collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans, according to findings by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative platform Shomrim.
Asia travel hotspots quiet as Chinese tourists stay away
CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Just a handful of Chinese visitors were posing for photos and basking in the sun this week in the market and plazas near Chiang Mai’s ancient Tha Phae Gate, one of many tourist hotspots still waiting for millions of Chinese travelers to return.
Peru protesters tear-gassed after president calls for truce
LIMA, Peru — Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Peru’s capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a “truce” in almost two months of protests.
March for Life eyes Congress for post-Roe abortion limits
WASHINGTON — A half century after Roe v. Wade, March for Life supporters on Friday celebrated the Supreme Court’s dismantling of that constitutional right to abortion and heralded the political struggle set loose by the court’s decision. President Joe Biden pledged to do all in his limited power to restore core abortion rights.
Supreme Court: Justices interviewed as part of leak probe
WASHINGTON — Eight months, 126 formal interviews and a 23-page report later, the Supreme Court said it has failed to discover who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights.
Tax the rich? Liberals renew push for state wealth taxes
Supporters of taxes on the very rich contend that people are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with a bigger appetite for what they’re calling “tax justice.”
Blinken: 2 years into Biden term, US ‘in a better place’
CHICAGO — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that two years into President Joe Biden’s administration, the United States is “in a better place in the world” and better positioned to address global issues including climate change, COVID-19 and dangerous opioids.
Google axes 12,000 jobs as layoffs spread across tech sector
LONDON — Google is laying off 12,000 workers, or about 6% of its workforce, becoming the latest tech company to trim staff as the economic boom that the industry rode during the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs.
Russia claims progress in eastern Ukraine; Kyiv craves tanks
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia claimed Friday to have captured a village in eastern Ukraine as part of its intense, monthslong push toward the city of Bakhmut, while Ukraine’s allies failed to resolve a dispute about whether to send advanced battle tanks that the country avidly desires.
Inspections of Ukrainian grain ships halved since October
DAVOS, Switzerland — Inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian grain and other food exports have slowed to half their peak rate under a U.N.-brokered wartime agreement, creating backlogs in vessels meant to carry supplies to developing nations where people are going hungry, United Nations and Ukrainian officials say.
UN says Taliban divided on appeal to restore women’s rights
UNITED NATIONS — A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan that ended Friday to reverse their crackdown on women and girls. Some Taliban officials were more open to restoring women’s rights but others were clearly opposed, a U.N. spokesman said.