GOVERNMENT

Eyes were locked on the Carolina skies Saturday as the suspected Chinese spy balloon drifted over the Atlantic Ocean and was shot down by U.S. military fighters.

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved a new calendar lineup for the early stages of the party’s presidential nominating contests in 2024.

High-profile problems involving electronic pollbooks in recent years have opened the door for those peddling election conspiracies.

Going into Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden sees a nation with a glowing economic future.

China is insisting that the suspected spy balloon shot down off the East Coast was a civilian aircraft and that the flyover an accident, and threatens further action in response.

Sri Lanka has marked its 75th independence anniversary as a bankrupt nation, with many citizens angry, anxious and in no mood to celebrate.

The massive white orb that drifted across U.S. airspace and was shot down by the military has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and blown up on social media.

A year ago, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to push top Democratic priorities that were sure to face a battle in the narrowly divided Congress — tough asks like an assault weapons ban.

The Democratic Party has approved the reordering of its 2024 presidential primary.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spoke to hundreds of supporters at a property owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump Friday and did not discourage them from claiming he lost his election due to fraud.

A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation’s new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials tell The Associated Press.

President Joe Biden and his Cabinet will embark on a post-State of the Union “blitz” to visit at least 20 states next week to discuss his economic agenda after his Tuesday night address to Congress.

The Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and first revealed over Montana has created a buzz down below among residents — and raised a chorus of alarm from elected officials.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says industrialized countries in the Group of Seven are imposing a price cap on refined Russian oil products such as diesel and kerosene, as part of a coalition that includes Australia and a tentative agreement from the European Union.

The Treasury Department said Friday it is making more electric vehicles — including SUVs made by Tesla, Ford and General Motors — eligible for tax credits of up to $7,500 under new vehicle classification definitions.

The parents of Amir Locke, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer when a SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant one year ago, are suing the city and the officer.

Adults ages 21 and older now can legally buy marijuana for recreational use in Missouri.

A Spanish court says Amazon broke labor laws by forcing more than 2,000 delivery drivers to use an app that the company controlled for scheduling work and payments as well as requiring them to use their own cars and cellphones on the job.

U.S. Agriculture officials have proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars.

U.S. wildlife officials have taken the first step to lift federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in several states.

Ukraine may be able to add old Leopard 1 battle tanks from German defense industry stocks to deliveries of modern tanks that Germany and other governments pledged last week to counter Russian forces in the war.

NATO is calling on Russia to respect the only treaty it has with the United States to keep a lid on nuclear weapons expansion.

Greece’s government is seeking to ban a far-right political party led by a jailed former lawmaker from participating in a general election later this year.

Some Jan. 6 defendants who have expressed remorse in court for joining the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol have later struck a different tone or downplayed the deadly riot publicly.

Nearly 50 businesses and nonprofits including rideshare companies Uber and Lyft and industrial giant 3M are pledging millions of dollars in initiatives to stem a crisis in road fatalities under a new federal effort.

A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle drew severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday, while sending some excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars.

The South Dakota Senate has sanctioned a member who was accused of harassing a legislative aide.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be months away from publicly declaring his presidential intentions, but his potential rivals aren’t holding back.

President Joe Biden sounded like a candidate making his case for a second term as he rallied a raucous meeting of national Democrats who chanted, “Four more years!”.

Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss will join the former leaders of Australia and Belgium at a conference in Tokyo later this month to call for a tougher international approach to China.

A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump’s campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election.

America’s employers added a stunning 517,000 jobs in January, a surprisingly strong gain in the face of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive drive to slow growth and tame inflation with higher interest rates.

Kansas plans to give $304 million in taxpayer-funded incentives to a semiconductor company in its largest city to build a huge new factory.

A Brazilian magazine has released audio of a senator claiming then President Jair Bolsonaro sought help in a plot to annul the October elections and keep himself in power.

The U.S. says it is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days.

Nancy Pelosi has made an early pick in California's 2024 U.S. Senate race — providing Sen. Dianne Feinstein doesn't seek another term.

A former University of Mississippi chancellor says Republican Gov. Tate Reeves spoke privately with him years ago about the benefits of expanding Medicaid to people in low-wage jobs.

The Biden administration on Thursday said 15 Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million this year to fund settlements that ensure access to water that's legally theirs.

A federal task force has reunited nearly 700 children who were separated from their families during the Trump administration.

The U.S. is expanding it military presence in Asia, in a string of moves aimed at countering Beijing and reassuring Indo-Pacific allies that America will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea.

After months of agonizing, the U.

President Joe Biden is a man who writes down his thoughts.

A onetime al-Qaida courier has been released after serving more than 16 years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center and enduring torture at clandestine overseas CIA sites.

A published report says federal authorities are investigating whether embattled New York Rep. George Santos raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for a disabled veteran’s dog and then kept the money for himself.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican address to the nation in response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech next week.

Authorities say a New Jersey borough councilwoman was found shot to death in an SUV outside of her home.

President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Brian Deese, is leaving his post.

Martial law has been declared in several areas of military-run Myanmar, a day after authorities announced that a state of emergency has been extended throughout the country, which is wracked by violence that some U.N. experts have described as a civil war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with France’s president amid one of the deadliest periods of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.

Real and fake news will collide again at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

The justice secretary says none of five trans prisoners in women's units had convictions for violence against women.

The co-authors of "From Here to Equality" say the federal government should pay $14 trillion in reparations to Black Americans.

It's much easier to cut spending in the abstract — particularly when there are things you won't touch.

The women and equalities committee accuses the government of "glacial progress" on menopause.

Fumio Kishida says Japan is on the brink of not being able to function due to its falling birth rate.

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Thousands of UK laws are due to expire automatically at the end of this year, prompting warnings from MPs.

Tech bosses could face jail time for failing to protect children online, after a backbench rebellion.

As pilgrims mark Epiphany, Jordan plans an ambitious project to upgrade place of Jesus's baptism.

Activists and police are facing off in Lützerath, where diggers plan to expand a giant coal mine.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Steve Barclay says he remains "ready to engage" with unions.

The economic crisis may no longer make headlines but it has a devastating effect on education.

Rishi Sunak also makes pledges on the economy and small boat crossings in his first major speech of 2023.

Postal strikes may have added to delays in claims for energy support in December's sub-zero snap.

A right-wing Christian movement in the US is set on what it sees as its divine mission.

The government will discuss contingency plans, including using the military to cover border staff.

Legally changing gender is to become easier in Scotland but Westminster is not happy about the move.

Local housing targets are being watered down in the face of a Tory rebellion - but not everyone is happy.

Nadhim Zahawi says the military could be drafted in as part of plans to minimise strike disruption.

For three years the patience of one billion Chinese was stretched with lockdowns - now it's snapped.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said industrial action over a pay dispute would intensify in the new year.

Steve Barclay says the delay is a "difficult decision" but will allow more funding for social care.

Some voters said they cast ballots for Republicans because they wanted to end single-party Democratic control, but history shows that doesn’t always lead to progress.

The economy is forecast to contract next year due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The Brazilian president-in-waiting is expected to say his country is a global player on climate again.

A lack of government investment in an animal disease lab is a threat to safety, a report says.

The mother's bill was sky-high because she has to run life support equipment for her daughter, age 12.

The Democrats currently control all three branches of government, but that could change after the US midterms.

Former PM Liz Truss had cast doubt on the aim, saying she would scrap "Stalinist" housing targets.

Amber Rudd says a scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is also "impractical" and will not happen.

He wasn’t saying a politician should join you on your doctor’s visit. He was saying politicians should be able to limit your care without meeting you at all.

Former Bank of England governor Lord King says people could face "significantly higher taxes".

Households will get a discount of £3 per kw/h instead of 52p off bills, National Grid says.

The union body says UK employees are facing two decades of pay failing to keep up with price rises.

Discussions are ongoing but many Tory MPs believe a U-turn on aspects of the economic plan is now inevitable.

Ministers say the move would ensure consumers and businesses pay a fair price for energy.

The SNP conference will hear much about the fallout from the UK government's tax cutting mini-budget.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, announced the government was abandoning plans to abolish the 45 percent tax rate for the highest earners amid widespread opposition.

Young people with cancer say they are struggling with rent and bills because of soaring living costs.

The Conservatives can never again claim to be a party of fiscal responsibility, Labour leader says.

The IMF says it "does not recommend large and untargeted fiscal packages" and that the U.K.'s latest economic measures will "likely increase inequality".

The justice secretary says it will spare rape victims the "additional trauma" of testifying in court.

Government borrowing reached £11.8bn in August, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Italian businesses fear politicians are failing to address the cost of living crisis ahead of elections.

The fast food chain will shut all its restaurants until 5pm on 19 September.

Alistair Darling says the new prime minister must quickly take "bold action" to help with soaring costs.

Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist from Scotland, was seized by Indian police in 2017 and remains in jail.

Arizona began moving in shipping containers to close a 1,000-foot gap in the border wall near the southern Arizona farming community of Yuma on Friday, with officials saying they were acting to stop migrants after repeated, unfulfilled promises from the Biden administration to block off the area. The move by Arizona comes without explicit permission on federal land, with state contractors starting to move in 60-foot-long (18.3-meter-long) shipping containers and stacking two of the 9-foot-tall (2.7-meter-tall) containers on top of each other early Friday.

The charity voices concerns of delaying support for households bracing themselves for energy bill hikes.