TOKYO (AP) — Japan defeated North Korea 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the women’s soccer tournament at the upcoming Paris Olympics. But not without a tiny bit of VAR controversy. The first match in the two-game series to determine one of Asia’s two qualifiers ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Japan had three clear standout …

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — El presidente de Ucrania y el gobierno albanés ofrecieron el miércoles una cumbre que pretende recabar más apoyo para Kiev entre los países del sureste europeo, mientras crecen los indicios de fatiga dos años después de la invasión rusa de plena escala. El presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, llegó a Albania antes de la medianoche del …

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department on Tuesday hosted a screening of the award-winning Associated Press-PBS “Frontline” Ukraine war documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” days after Ukraine marked the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Elizabeth Allen, under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, said the film not only documented the reality of the war but …

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Rose led Fordham with 16 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds left and the Rams beat George Mason 61-60 on Tuesday …

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — LeeLee Ray went through eight miscarriages, one ectopic pregnancy and multiple surgeries before turning to surrogacy in her hopes of having a child. She and her husband found a surrogate through a matching program, and they hoped to soon transfer frozen embryos. But now that plan is in doubt as Alabama fertility clinics paused IVF services …

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (AP) — El papa Francisco, que recientemente enfermó de gripe, fue trasladado el miércoles a un hospital del centro de Roma tras su audiencia semanal para unas pruebas diagnósticas, dijo el Vaticano, que no ofreció más detalles. Francisco llegó al Hospital Universitario Gemelli, en la isla Tiberina de la capital italiana, a bordo de un pequeño Fiat …

LONDON (AP) — Kate Winslet is running things — on and off the set of her new TV show, “The Regime.” In the HBO show premiering Sunday, she plays Elena Vernham — also known as The Chancellor, the ruler of a fictional country in Europe, possibly near Poland. Winslet, who is also an executive producer on the show, says she’s …

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges weighed arguments Wednesday on whether a new law that transfers Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s powers to choose election board members to the now Republican-controlled legislature should be struck down or can be enforced. The same three trial judges already sided in late November with Cooper and blocked the new structures …

A nuclear weapons facility was forced to briefly evacuate most of its staff due to a fast-moving wildfire in the Texas Panhandle. The Pantex plant, northeast of Amarillo, evacuated nonessential staff Tuesday night as the blaze rapidly grew. On Wednesday, the Texas A&M Fire Service said the blaze rivaled the largest in state history. WHAT IS PANTEX? Pantex is one …

KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Anthony Kim returns from nearly a 12-year hiatus to join LIV Golf and will play the remainder of the season in the Saudi-funded league as an individual. LIV Golf announced Wednesday that the 38-year-old Californian is joining the league as a wild card, meaning he will not be affiliated with any of …