ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday announced the nomination of a new Chinese bishop, the third in less than a week, in an apparent sign that a controversial 2018 accord with Beijing governing the nomination of Chinese bishops is working.

Bishop Peter Wu Yishun was consecrated bishop of Minbei in Fujian in southeast China, the Vatican said in a statement. It noted that Francis had named him bishop on Dec. 6.

On Monday, the Vatican announced a new bishop for Weifang and said Francis had reorganized

BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of five European Union countries urged their neighbors and allies Wednesday to ramp up , while the bloc’s defense ministers debated ways to help meet the war-ravaged country’s .

In their appeal, the leaders of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany and the Netherlands warned that Europe’s security is tied to that started almost two years ago with Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

“Our ability to continue to support and sustain Ukraine’s defense, both

In today’s Big Story Podcast, it hasn’t been an easy few years for global shipping — to say the least. From the pandemic to multiple conflicts, to accidents and disasters, getting products from point A to point B has never been less reliable or more expensive. And now a prolonged drought has the Panama Canal operating at about half of its usual capacity.

Mie Højris Dahl is a freelance reporter who wrote about the Panama Canal for Foreign Policy. She says that as bad as the country

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the world’s largest and Simon & Schuster, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

To mark the centennial, the publisher has unveiled a list of 100 notable releases — a blend of bestsellers, prize winners, headline makers and cultural sensations. The list tells many stories, through the books selected, not selected, and the evolution of what has been highlighted.

“A group of Simon & Schuster staffers took on the daunting challenge of selecting 10

As a big winter storm rolled across the United States in mid-January, many news outlets reported on drivers of electric vehicles dealing with dramatically reduced range and multi-hour waits at public charging stations. It’s true that driving an EV in freezing weather poses extra challenges compared to a gasoline-powered vehicle. But it’s also possible to employ techniques that can make EV winter driving less challenging. The car experts at report on what you can do.

WHY EVS SUFFER IN WINTER DRIVING

Freezing temperatures slow down

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged about 200 prisoners of war each, the countries said Wednesday, despite tensions stemming from that Moscow claimed was carrying Ukrainian POWs and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces.

of the Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, some Russian officials had publicly questioned the possibility of future POW swaps.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the countries exchanged 195 POWs each. After the statement was released,

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors requested life sentences on Wednesday for three suspects in the killing of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries and sentences of three to 21 years for six others in a in Amsterdam.

The life sentences were sought for the man who allegedly shot de Vries in a downtown Amsterdam street on July 6, 2021, the alleged getaway driver and a man suspected of organizing the assassination. De Vries, a popular reporter and television presenter, of his injuries at age

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders at a summit on Thursday will focus on the one member state blocking a 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) war support package for Ukraine: Hungary, the country in the bloc with the .

Almost two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, the war has and Ukraine desperately needs financial assistance.

“Securing agreement is vital for our credibility, and not least for our commitment to provide steadfast support to Ukraine,” EU Council president

Universal Music Group, which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok now that a licensing deal between the two parties has expired.

UMG said that it had not agreed to terms of a new deal with TikTok, and plans to stop licensing content from the artists it represents on the social media platform that is owned by ByteDance, as well as TikTok Music services.

The licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok is expired as of