House Republicans pull back contempt charge against FBI director Wray over Biden doc

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday called off a vote on a contempt of Congress charge against FBI Director Christopher Wray, accepting a last-minute offer by the bureau to allow the full committee access to a confidential document of an...

Sonic boom heard over Washington is a rare sound with a rich history

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — People living in and around the nation’s capital experienced a rare, if startling, sound that has a rich history in American aviation and possibly a muted future: A sonic boom. The boom was heard Sunday after the U.S. military dispatched six fighter jets to...

Trinidad's Francis elected next leader of UN General Assembly

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador Dennis Francis was elected Thursday as the next president of the U.N. General Assembly, the 193-member world body that has been at the forefront of the United Nations' condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is a key venue for...

UN extends arms embargo on South Sudan over protests from world's newest nation and 5 abstentions

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A divided U.N. Security Council extended an arms embargo on South Sudan Tuesday over protests from the world’s newest nation and abstentions from Russia, China and the council’s three African nations sympathetic to its demands that sanctions be lifted. The...

China launches new crew for space station, with eye to putting astronauts on moon before 2030

BEIJING (AP) — China launched a new three-person crew for its orbiting space station on Tuesday, with an eye to putting astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade. The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in...

China plans to land astronauts on moon before 2030, expand space station, bring on foreign partners

BEIJING (AP) — China’s burgeoning space program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country's orbiting space station, officials said Monday. Monday’s announcement comes amid against the background of a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new...

Ukraine soccer league set for a title-deciding game in a remarkable, war-hit season

GENEVA (AP) — Two soccer teams exiled from cities in war-battered eastern Ukraine play each other Sunday in the safer western part of the country with the league title at stake. The showdown between competition leader Shakhtar Donetsk and second-place Dnipro-1 at Arena Lviv can be...

Poland's lawmakers approve contentious law targeting opposition

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish lawmakers on Friday approved a contentious draft law on Russia’s alleged influence in Poland that is targeting the opposition and may affect the outcome of fall parliamentary elections. The new law would establish a state commission for investigating...

Russia's defense ministry says Wagner private army backed by Russian troops seized the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (CORRECTS: Restores dropped letter at end of Bakhmut.)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense ministry says Wagner private army backed by Russian troops seized the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (CORRECTS: Restores dropped letter at end of Bakhmut.).

Today in History: May 19, Anne Boleyn beheaded

Today in History Today is Friday, May 19, the 139th day of 2023. There are 226 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England’s King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of...