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TOKYO — By taking a hard line on China, Japan’s Sanae Takaichi thinks she’s establishing her right-wing bona fides. In reality, she may be ensuring her premiership will be a brief one. Takaichi wasn’t chosen by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to stir a geopolitical hornet’s nest with China. She was picked to raise Japan’s economic game and to tame surging inflation. Unfortunately, Takaichi has yet to explain how she will lower living costs. It’s still early days, of course. But 29 days should be enough time to begin articulating even the vaguest contours of a strategy to halt the…

FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) — For more than two decades, residents in this tiny tourist town in the shadow of the White Mountains knew they could just drive a few minutes down the road to their community health center for a physical, a Vitamin B-12 shot or to get checked out for a case of the sniffles or high blood pressure.But that changed last month, when this site of the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services in Franconia closed. Employees at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services pack up the reception office as the clinic closes for good, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Franconia, N.H.…

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The Lithuanian government decided Wednesday to reopen the country’s two border crossings with Belarus, weeks after they were closed following disruptions at the capital’s airport caused by balloons used to smuggle cigarettes across the frontier.The government in Vilnius said in late October it would keep the crossings closed for a month, with some exemptions. Officials in Lithuania view the balloon disruption as a deliberate act by Russia-allied Belarus.Lithuania’s Cabinet decided to reopen the crossings at Medininkai and Šalčininkai on Thursday. Neighboring Poland this week reopened two crossings with Belarus.The decision is expected to ease the return…

Harvard University is reinvestigating connections between its former president Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein, a university spokesperson said Wednesday.The university didn’t mention Summers by name, but the decision to reopen a probe follows the release of emails showing that Summers, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, maintained a friendly relationship with Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008. “The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” spokesperson Jason Newton said in a statement…

Wales have what they wanted; the home play-off semi-final next March.They’ll discover who stands in their way of reaching the World Cup this Thursday, but they have proved to themselves they can go through a qualifying campaign and by being bold and brave do the job required. When he was first appointed as head coach, Craig Bellamy said one of his pressing aims was to create an identity within his teams. The supporters have been able to see that over the last 18 months as they’ve witnessed periods of games where Wales have looked wonderful, but – and there is…

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities raised the alert for Mount Semeru volcano to the highest level on Wednesday after a series of eruptions prompted evacuations. The volcano is the highest peak on Java, the most densely populated island in Indonesia.Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down its slopes several times from midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the air, Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement.The eruptions…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of major accidents involving military aircraft spiked in 2024, internal Pentagon figures show, and a series of high-profile aviation mishaps with deaths and the loss of aircraft in 2025 suggest the disturbing trend may be continuing.Across the military, the rate of severe accidents per 100,000 flight hours rose 55% in the 2024 budget year compared with four years earlier. The Marine Corps saw the highest increase, nearly tripling its rate over the same period. The data, which was released by the Defense Department to Congress and provided exclusively to The Associated Press, tracks Class A…

Nov 18, 2025, 10:15 PM ETCuracao have become the smallest ever country to qualify for a World Cup finals after hanging on for a 0-0 draw against Jamaica on the last day of Concacaf qualfiying.Panama and Haiti also booked their spots in a tense final round of qualifying for the region that is also home to host nations and automatic qualifiers the United States, Mexico and Canada.The tiny island nation, located in the Caribbean, boasts a population of just 156,115 people and a land mass of just 444 square kilometers. Curaçao finished as the only undefeated nation in the tournament…

A defensive Mauricio Pochettino lambasted the idea of the United States men’s national team having “regular players” after his alternate XI gained a stunning 5-1 victory over Uruguay on Tuesday night, marking the first time the U.S. has scored five goals against a World Cup winner or any South American side.”I don’t want to be negative, no, but I hate, I hate that, ‘not regular players.’ What [does it] mean?” Pochettino said postgame at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, when asked about the impact of a win that didn’t feature several big names. “It’s USA playing, it’s the national…

A brace from fullback Alex Freeman led the United States to a stunning 5-1 victory over Uruguay on Tuesday at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.Highlighted by the efficient use of set pieces, the U.S. opened the scoring in the 17th minute when midfielder Sebastian Berhalter launched a shot into the back of the net off a free kick. Three minutes later, Freeman doubled the lead with a headed goal that followed a corner from Berhalter. In the 31st minute, the ever-proactive Freeman stepped up again with a roaming run that earned his second goal of the night.Eager for more, the USMNT…