MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election he’s all but certain to win. Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder of Russia’s nuclear might amid …

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is replacing longtime football radio announcer Eli Gold. The school announced Wednesday that Chris Stewart will replace Gold, 70, starting with the spring football game. Gold has been the voice of Alabama football for 35 years, calling seven national championship games, 11 Southeastern Conference championships and 35 bowl games. “Eli has been an invaluable member …

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s exports surged a stronger than expected nearly 12% in January, helped by robust demand for vehicles, auto parts and machinery. That helped the nation’s trade deficit shrink to 1.76 trillion yen ($12 billion), or about half of what it was a year earlier. Imports, which have been declining on-month for nearly a year, declined 9.6% from …

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A China-born Australian democracy blogger will not appeal his suspended death sentence imposed by a Beijing court, with his family saying Wednesday a legal challenge would be detrimental to his welfare. Yang Hengjun was found guilty of espionage following a closed trial and sentenced two weeks ago to death with a two-year reprieve. Such sentences are …

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Pelech found himself in an unusual position: on the ice in overtime, with plenty of room to work. The New York Islanders defenseman didn’t let it go to waste, beating Alex Nedeljkovic with a wrist shot from the slot 57 seconds into the extra period to give New York a 5-4 win over the skidding Pittsburgh …

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. BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Tyson Degenhart’s 15 points helped Boise State defeat San Jose State 82-50 on Tuesday night. Degenhart had eight rebounds for the Broncos (18-8, 9-4 …

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The transcripts of a 2006 grand jury that investigated Jeffrey Epstein ‘s sexual assaults of underage girls would be released to the public under a bill heading to Florida’s governor after it was unanimously passed by the Legislature. The bill, which passed the Senate on Wednesday after earlier passing the House, would take effect July 1 …

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Activists want stricter regulations of short-term rentals in Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory sees a growing number of displaced renters and a spike in housing costs, the Hispanic Federation said in a report Wednesday. The number of units operating as short-term rentals in Puerto Rico jumped to more than 25,000 in 2023 from …

NEW YORK (AP) — The 72 remaining free agents (q-rejected qualifying offer): AMERICAN LEAGUE BOSTON (4) — Adam Duvall, of; Corey Kluber, rhp; Adalberto Mondesi, ss; Joely Rodríguez, lhp. CHICAGO (4) — Tim Anderson, ss; Elvis Andrus, 2b; Mike Clevinger, rhp; Bryan Shaw, rhp. CLEVELAND (1) — Kole Calhoun, of. DETROIT (2) — Matt Boyd, lhp; Miguel Cabrera, dh. HOUSTON …

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. Saint Thomas Tommies (17-10, 7-5 Summit League) at North Dakota State Bison (13-14, 6-6 Summit League) Fargo, North Dakota; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: St. Thomas visits …

Streaming service FuboTV has filed an antitrust lawsuit against ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Hulu, which are planning to launch a sports-streaming venture in the fall. The lawsuit has been filed in the Southern District of New York. FuboTV, which focuses primarily on live sports, is seeking a jury trial. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report …

La madre del líder opositor ruso Alexei Navalny presentó una demanda ante un tribunal en la ciudad ártica de Salekhard ante la negativa de las autoridades a entregarle el cadáver de su hijo, reportó la agencia noticiosa estatal rusa Tass el miércoles. Se ha fijado una vista a puerta cerrada para el 4 de marzo, según la información, que citó …

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Un exinformante del FBI que enfrenta cargos por mentir sobre sobornos por varios millones de dólares que involucraban al presidente Joe Biden, a su hijo Hunter, y a una compañía energética de Ucrania, tuvo contacto con funcionarios vinculados a los servicios de inteligencia de Rusia, informaron fiscales el martes. La fiscalía reveló el supuesto contacto como …

Joaquin Niemann competed outside LIV Golf in his offseason and got something money can’t buy. He was among three players given a special invitation Wednesday to play in the Masters. Augusta National also invited 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune, the first Japanese player to be European tour rookie of the year, and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark. Nieman had said when he won …

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli strikes hit a neighborhood of the Syrian capital on Wednesday morning, killing two people and causing material damage, Syria’s state TV said. There was no confirmation of the strikes from Israel. In neighboring Lebanon, state media and security officials said an Israeli airstrike killed two people, including a young girl, triggering a rocket attack on …