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U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Israel would make no more attacks on Iran’s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.Trump made his threat on social media Wednesday night as the war roiled global energy markets and Iranian missiles hit Qatar.The United States was informed about plans for an Israeli strike on Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field Wednesday but did not take part in it, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is escalating pressure on the region's energy sector, the price of oil surged another 5% to over $108 a barrel on international markets, increasing the cost of gasoline and other goods while squeezing the global economy.Global oil prices rose on news of the Pars field attack due to fears of Iranian retaliation on Gulf energy infrastructure. Hours later, authorities in Qatar said a ballistic missile hit the country’s key natural gas site, sparking a fire that caused “extensive” damage, and Qatar ordered some Iranian Embassy officials out of the country.Iran has been striking its Persian Gulf neighbors’ energy facilities since the war started on Feb. 28, and has made the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels, nearly impassable. Iran and Hezbollah have also been firing drones and missiles at Israel.The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 960 in Lebanon and 14 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The U.S. military says 13 U.S. service members have been killed and about 200 wounded.Here is the latest:Latest reports of live fireIsrael warned the public of another Iranian missile salvo early Thursday morning.Bahrain sounded its missile sirens early Thursday over an incoming Iranian attack.Trump threatens to blow up South Pars gas field if Iran attacks Qatar againU.S. President Donald Trump pledged Israel would make no more attacks on Iran’s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.Trump made his threat on social media Wednesday night as the war roiled global energy markets and Iranian missiles hit Qatar.Trump said in his post that the U.S. “knew nothing” about the attack, but a person familiar with the matter said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. was informed about Israel’s plans to strike the gas field but did not take part.Trump said Qatar “was in no way, shape, or form, involved” in Israel’s attacks on Iran’s gas field, but, “Unfortunately, Iran did not know this” and “unjustifiably and unfairly” attacked Qatar.“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,” Trump said in his threat.He added that he would “not hesitate to do so,” if Qatar’s liquified natural gas sites were attacked again.Australia’s leader condemns ‘reckless’ Iran reprisalsAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Iran’s ‘reckless’ reprisal attacks in the Middle East.“I’m deeply concerned by attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, including the latest overnight in Qatar,” Albanese told reporters in Hobart on Thursday. “We do not want to see the conflicts escalate further.”Qatar says Iran missiles damage more liquefied natural gas sitesQatar warned Thursday that additional Iranian missile attacks damaged more liquefied natural gas sites in the energy-rich nation, “causing sizable fires and extensive further damage.”Qatar Energy, the nation’s state-owned oil and gas company, announced the damage.It said firefighters were working to halt the blazes and no one had been hurt so far.Qatar is a key source of natural gas for the world’s energy markets.It already shut in its production earlier in the war, but extensive damage could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market after the Iran war ends.Arab summit ends with renewed call for Iran to end attacksA summit of Gulf Arab countries and others ended a meeting Thursday with a renewed, unified call for Iran to halt attacks on its neighbors.A statement by the nations at the summit denounced “these deliberate Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, which targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential buildings, and diplomatic missions.”“The participants emphasized that these attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way,” the statement said.The nations represented at the summit were Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.Analyst group calls gas field attack ‘clear expansion’ of warA New York-based think tank, the Soufan Center, described Israel’s decision to attack the Iranian offshore natural gas field as “a clear expansion of the conflict.”“Unlike oil storage depots that can be replenished and rebuilt on a shorter timeline, liquefied natural gas production facilities cannot be as easily ... repaired, especially against a backdrop of war,” the center said Thursday. “Extended timelines for repairs are a major blow to Iran’s economy, but above all else, they will be felt by Iranian civilians.The center added, “Israel’s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure within Iran that have been used for domestic repression, aiming to shape the conditions ripe for successful anti-regime mobilization by Iranians. It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.”Ship ablaze after attack off UAEAn attack set a ship ablaze early Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, authorities said.The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said “a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, which has resulted in a fire onboard.”It said the vessel was just off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas typically flows.Over 20 vessels have been attacked during the Iran war so far as Tehran tries to squeeze shippers as part of its pressure campaign over the conflict.US Senate vote on Iran war fails along familiar linesU.S. Senate Democrats forced another vote on legislation that would have halted President Donald Trump from continuing the war with Iran without congressional approval, but the vote failed along familiar lines.The vote breakdown was unchanged from last week on a similar war powers resolution.Democrats forced this vote mostly to bring up another debate on the war and force the Senate for a couple hours officially off the topic of a GOP push to impose strict voter identification requirements.Democrats are threatening to force more votes on the war unless Republicans agree to hold Cabinet-level hearings on the conflict.Latest reports of live fireIsrael’s military warned the public early Thursday of an incoming Iranian missile attack.Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister harshly criticizes Iran after overnight attacks“What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after a meeting between foreign ministers of the Gulf Arab states and others over the Iranian attacks tearing at the wider Middle East.“The attacks on my country and on my neighboring countries that are not involved in this conflict — that’s all I’m interested in,” Prince Faisal said. “We’re going to use every lever we have — political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise — to get these attacks to stop.”He criticized Iran’s attacks on Riyadh, the capital hosting the meeting.“I cannot see it as coincidental,” he said. “That’s the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy. … It tries to pressure its neighbors, and that’s not going to work.”UAE says Iran attacks targeting key gas sites are a ‘dangerous escalation’The United Arab Emirates early Thursday denounced Iran’s attacks targeting its Habshan gas facility and Bab field as a “dangerous escalation.”Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites.Iran also had attacked gas facilities in Qatar after Israel launched an attack against Iran’s South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Doha, Qatar’s capital.Saudi Arabia also reported downing Iranian drones targeting its natural gas facilities overnight.No ‘robust debate’ ahead of Trump’s decision to strike Iran, former counterterrorism official saysFormer National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent says he and other senior administration officials with doubts about the Iran war were prevented from sharing them with President Donald Trump.Speaking on Tucker Carlson’s show, Kent, who resigned this week, claimed Israel forced Trump’s hand despite what he said was no evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S.“A good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,” Kent told Carlson. “There wasn’t a robust debate.”Kent, a former Green Beret, declined to say who blocked his access to Trump when Carlson asked.Cargo ship struck by projectile off UAE coastThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that a vessel about 11 nautical miles east of Khawr Fakkan, in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates’ eastern coast, was hit by an “unknown projectile,” igniting a fire aboard.UKMTO issued the report early Thursday, saying authorities were still investigating the cause of the strike and that the ship’s crew managed the blaze.Since the Iran war started, some 20 vessels in the region have come under attack as the Iranian fire effectively halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded passes.Qatari authorities warn of possible incoming attackQatari authorities issued an emergency alert on mobile phones early Thursday, warning of a possible incoming attack.Kuwait says Grand Mosque to be closed to worshippers on major Muslim holidayKuwait’s ministry of information said early Thursday that the largest mosque in Kuwait City, which can accommodate thousands of worshippers for major prayers, will be closed to worshippers on Eid al‑Fitr due to the “current circumstances.”Eid al‑Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and is expected this year on March 19–20 typically draws tens of thousands of Muslims to pray together across Kuwait, including at the Grand Mosque.Authorities across Gulf countries have announced that Eid prayers will be held only inside regular mosques, with no large outdoor gatherings as a precaution. The ongoing Iran war has prompted Gulf states to curb large public events and gatherings.Fatality and injury counts in strike in West Bank are in fluxMedics and doctors were still assessing victims early Thursday morning as the Palestinian Red Crescent adjusted their toll to at least three killed and at least 13 injured. It had earlier reported four deaths.Those injured were taken to hospitals in nearby cities, Dura and Hebron.The group called the count preliminary and said the deaths resulted from a direct strike and “falling missile fragments.”House Speaker insists US operation in Iran ‘all but done’Speaker Mike Johnson still declines to call it a war, but he acknowledged the situation in the Strait of Hormuz “is dragging it out a little bit.”The Republican who is close to Trump told AP and others at the U.S. Capitol that the president was right to ask countries who have interests in the region to help in securing the strait.“I think it’s pretty absurd that those requests were rebuffed,” he said.“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now: We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles and their means of production, and neuter the Navy, and those objectives have been met,” he said. “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”Israel’s medical service says man in South Sharon region killed by shrapnelIsrael’s Magen David Adom said early Thursday that a foreign worker in his 30s was killed by shrapnel wounds at a scene in the South Sharon region, where its paramedics responded.Israel had said that it detected a new missile launch from Iran targeting the country late Wednesday, and that its defense systems were working to intercept the threat.Paramedics in West Bank say their response to strike was delayed due to Israeli military gatesPalestinian Red Crescent said it sent five ambulances to the Hebron-area strike site, where crews treated and rushed victims to the nearest hospital and clinic. Paramedics said they faced serious delays getting there, slowed by gates the Israeli military has set up around Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank and kept largely closed during the war.“This forced closure caused significant delays, compelling ambulances to take long, rugged alternative routes, which critically impacted the ‘golden hour’ essential for life-saving interventions,” the organization said in a statement.Israeli military says an Iranian cluster munition escaped Israeli air defenseThe Israeli military told the AP that the hit in the West Bank was from an Iranian missile impacting — not shrapnel from an interception.The Israeli military said it had been a cluster munition that was not intercepted by Israel’s air defense system and crashed into a structure.The strike killed at least four people and injured at least eight more, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The tally of those killed or injured has increased as medics continue to assess the scene.At least 4 killed in West Bank from Iranian missile attack, Palestinian medics sayThe Palestinian Red Crescent says first responders were treating people for shrapnel wounds in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday night as Iran fired missiles toward Israel.It said a strike killed at least four people and injured at least six others in Beit Awa. At least two wounded survivors were transported to a hospital. Palestinian Red Crescent medics are continuing to assess the scene, and the tally of those dead or injured may change.The fatalities were the first in the occupied West Bank during the Iran war. Missile debris has damaged homes and businesses during the first two and a half weeks.Palestinians lack the shelter and siren system that Israelis rely on to stay safe from incoming missiles or debris from Iran or Hezbollah. It was not immediately clear if the deaths and injuries were a result of a direct strike or debris from an interception.USS Ford will head to Mediterranean for repairs after a fireThe USS Gerald R. Ford is heading back to the Mediterranean for repairs and resupply following a fire, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press.The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said the Navy’s largest and newest aircraft carrier will pull into either the Navy’s base in Crete or another port in Europe.The carrier is currently operating in the Red Sea and its departure will mean U.S. Central Command will only have one aircraft carrier supporting operations against Iran.Last week’s fire in a laundry room rendered more than 100 beds unusable and led to about 200 sailors being assessed for smoke inhalation, according to military officials. They also said that while the fire was extinguished in a few hours, broader damage control efforts took around 30 hours.___— By Konstantin ToropinKey things to know about Iran's South Pars fieldThe natural gas field under the Gulf is the world’s largest. It’s shared by Iran and Qatar, and is called South Pars on the Iranian side and the North Field on the Qatari side.Iran is the fourth-largest consumer of natural gas in the world, and 80% of it comes from South Pars.Although the field mainly supplies Iran’s domestic needs, global oil prices rose on news of the attack due to fears of Iranian retaliation on Gulf energy infrastructure.Qatar, which has a much smaller population than Iran, has invested billions in developing the field as a source of liquefied natural gas for export. Iran tried to develop similar LNG exports but was blocked by sanctions over its nuclear program.▶ Read moreIsrael’s military says it is striking northern Iran for the first time since the war beganThe military said it was launching the strikes based on naval and military intelligence.Trump pays his respects as the remains of 6 US service members return from the Middle EastIt was the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the president has attended the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran.Wednesday’s dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with military policy. Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn’t speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.▶ Read moreQatar orders Iranian Embassy officials out of the countryQatar’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X Wednesday evening that it had declared the military and security attaches of the Iranian Embassy — as well as the staff in their offices — persona non grata.The ministry said it had requested they leave the country within 24 hours.The decision came after repeated Iranian targeting and acts of aggression toward Qatar, the ministry’s statement said.Shelters are crowded in Lebanon’s Sidon after an Israeli evacuation warningThe city of Sidon on southern Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast was crowded with freshly displaced people Wednesday after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning a day earlier for residents of the city of Tyre, farther south on the coast, and nearby villages and Palestinian refugee camps.The Lebanese University campus in Sidon opened its doors to people displaced from the Tyre district, initially without any supplies.“Unfortunately, we had to accommodate them without mattresses or blankets” at first, said Saad Ghazzawi, a shelter organizer.Batoul Shamseddine, who fled the Tyre area, said after receiving the warning, “we immediately packed whatever we could and ran out to the street. ... We found people everywhere out in the streets, everything was in chaos, like the Day of Judgment.”More than 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon by the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah.Egypt condemns attacks on energy infrastructure in the GulfThe foreign ministry said it stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and condemned attacks on their oil and gas facilities. It also condemned a reported Israeli attack on Iran’s natural gas field as “a dangerous escalation” and “a flagrant violation of international law.”4 people wounded in Saudi capital by debris from missile interceptionThe Saudi Civil Defense agency said the four were hurt when shrapnel fell on a residential area in Riyadh, causing limited damage. It said they were not Saudi citizens but did not provide their nationalities.The agency warned that attacking civilian sites was a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday declared a temporary pause in escalating fighting, two days after Kabul blamed Islamabad for a deadly airstrike in the Afghan capital that it said killed hundreds of people at a drug rehabilitation hospital.Both said they were suspending fighting before Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. The three countries have been trying to mediate a cessation of hostilities since Afghanistan and Pakistan renewed cross-border fighting in February, and had also been involved in helping broker a ceasefire between the two in October.The announcements came shortly after Afghan authorities held a mass funeral in Kabul for some of the victims killed in Monday's strike.Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the suspension of strikes on Afghanistan would take effect at midnight Wednesday and remain in place until midnight Monday.“Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with the Islamic norms,” Tarar said in a statement. However, he said that “in case of any cross-border attack, drone attack or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan,” the operations will immediately resume with renewed intensity.Afghanistan's government spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, didn't specify a time frame for the pause on the Afghan side. But he said that his country “will respond courageously to any aggression in the event of a threat.”Military installations targeted, Pakistan saysPakistan has rejected Afghanistan’s accusation that it targeted the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, insisting its strikes in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan Monday had been against military facilities. It has dismissed Afghan claims of hundreds of people killed as propaganda.Monday's attack in Kabul was the deadliest in a conflict that has been escalating between the two neighbors since late February. Afghan officials have put the death toll at 408 people, with 265 wounded. The toll couldn't be independently verified.The fighting has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including several in the capital, despite international calls for a ceasefire.Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for the Pakistani Taliban. The group is separate but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.Mass funeral in KabulBulldozers dug pits in a Kabul cemetery before Wednesday's mass funeral, which Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said was for more than 50 people whose remains couldn't be identified.Light rain fell as ambulances lined up outside the cemetery and began unloading dozens of plain wooden caskets. Some contained the remains of more than one person, Zaman said.The 2,000-bed Omid hospital was hit at around 9 p.m. on Monday. It had been renamed and expanded in size roughly a year ago from a previously existing treatment facility as part of the Taliban government’s efforts to stamp out a significant drug addiction problem in the country.Afghanistan’s vast poppy fields have been the source of much of the world’s heroin, which in combination with decades of conflict and widespread poverty has fueled drug addiction that the country’s government has vowed to combat.The site, near Kabul’s international airport, is adjacent to a former NATO military base, Camp Phoenix, where U.S. forces used to train the Afghan National Army. It wasn’t immediately clear what was now housed at the site.The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.Pakistan warns Afghanistan to make a choiceIn an interview with The Associated Press in Islamabad earlier Wednesday before he announced the pause in fighting, Tarar said Pakistan had "only targeted terrorist infrastructure.”“We have just gone after the Afghan Taliban regime, their military setups, their terrorist infrastructure, and all the setups which are supporting or promoting terrorists,” Tarar said.He told the AP that Pakistan's strikes “have been very precise and these strikes were carried out in an ammunition depot in Kabul. In the aftermath of which, we saw fumes and flames in the atmosphere in Kabul."He said the subsequent loss of life, which he did not quantify, occurred “because there was ammunition, there were technical equipment, there were arms there in that depot.”Tarar said Pakistan has given a clear choice to Afghanistan’s government: “Either you are with Pakistan or you are with the terrorists. So, they will have to make a choice, and they will have to make the choice very soon,” he said.Bodies were still being pulled from the smoldering remains of the hospital on Tuesday morning.Mujahid, the Afghan government spokesman, condemned the strike, accusing Pakistan of “targeting hospitals and civilian sites to perpetrate horrors.” He said those killed were “innocent civilians and addicts.”Latest conflict began in FebruaryThe fighting, the most severe between the two neighbors, began after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani airstrikes about three weeks ago. The clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October, after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants.Pakistan declared last month that it’s in “open war” with Afghanistan. The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface.___Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Elena Becatoros contributed to this report from Athens, Greece.

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans still dig French bulldogs, retrievers and German shepherds. But dachshunds are increasingly hot dogs.For the first time in over two decades, the sausage-shaped hounds were among the top five most prevalent dog breeds, according to American Kennel Club rankings released Wednesday. The standings cover 202 breeds and are based on puppies and older purebreds that were added last year to the AKC's registry, the nation's oldest. Registration is voluntary.It's not a complete picture of the U.S. canine population, which the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates at over 87 million. The kennel club's rankings don't include mixed-breed dogs or trendy hybrids such as goldendoodles and Pomskies.Still, the annual list can be a source of pride, or concern, among purebred fans.It's also a wellspring of criticism from animal rights groups such as PETA, which is suing the AKC over the physical ideals it promulgates for Frenchies, dachshunds and other breeds.Here's a look at the standings:The top 10:— French bulldogs. The leaders since 2023, but for how much longer? The AKC's registry added about 54,000 Frenchies last year, half as many as in 2023. The breed is known for being self-assured, apartment-friendly and endlessly funny, but it's also at the center of increasing public conversation about the health of flat-faced dogs, and even some fans lament the Frenchie craze. AKC spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden offers other explanations for the falloff: Breed booms come and go, particularly in the social media era, and some breeders may choose not to engage with the club.— Labrador retrievers. They set a record by owning the top spot for 31 years. Could they reclaim it? Stay tuned.— Golden retrievers. Everyone loves them.— German shepherds. Everyone respects them.— Dachshunds. Everyone on social media wants to see them in a Halloween costume. More on dachshunds below.— Poodles. Holding their own, though not what they were — No. 1 — in the pre-doodle 1960s and 1970s.— Beagles. The only breed to make the top 10 for every decade since the AKC was founded in 1884. They were No. 1 in the late 1950s.— Rottweilers. Hovering in the top 10 for almost 15 years.— German shorthaired pointers. They've made big gains in the last quarter-century.— Bulldogs. Easing off after hitting No. 4 a decade ago.Over the years:— 25 years ago: Yorkshire terriers were No. 6, and Frenchies were No. 64.— 50 years ago: Saint Bernards were the seventh most prevalent breed. Last year, they were 63rd.— 100 years ago: In the 1920s, the top 10 included three breeds that are still there today: German shepherds, beagles and bulldogs.The lowdown on dachshunds— The pluses: “They’re amusing to look at. They’re also very expressive dogs — they let you know what they’re thinking,” said Trudy Kawami, who has owned, bred, done dog sports and occasionally hunted rats with dachshunds since the 1980s. “They make you laugh every day.”— The caveats: Research has found the short-legged, long-backed breed has an elevated risk of a spinal disease. Originally bred to roust badgers, the driven, determined dogs can be very vocal, and if they can't exercise their instincts through hunting or sports, they might find unsuitable substitutes.— The misconceptions: “The proliferation of cute images on social media now is kind of a pain — because that cute little fluffy, cream-colored, long-haired dog can turn around and kill your pet gerbil really fast,” Kawami said. She's glad to see more people appreciate the quirky hounds, but she rues that “the minute a breed becomes popular…the whole market-supply-and-demand mechanism kicks in.”Up-and-coming newcomersThe AKC has added more than 50 types of dog to its roster of “recognized” breeds since 2000. Some have quickly become familiar faces, especially the cane corso, now the 11th most prevalent breed.Keep an eye out for the coton de tulear, which spurted from 92nd in 2024 to 79th last year. The American hairless terrier moved up from No. 125 to No. 108.Rare breedsThe rarest breeds also are relative newcomers: the grand basset griffon Vendeen, the sloughi and the Norwegian lundehund. All three joined the AKC pack in the last 15 years. But just ahead of them is the harrier, recognized since 1885.Pushback from PETAPETA contends that breeding lessens needy dogs' chance of adoption and perpetuates unhealthy traits. The activist group filed a lawsuit last year that accuses the AKC of promoting “the breeding of deformed, unhealthy dogs.” The kennel club responded that it’s committed to canine health and called the suit frivolous.In anticipation of this year's popular-breeds list, PETA produced videos in which comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer highlights the breathing problems that can beset short-snouted dogs and implores people not to buy them.“Breeders cash in on the look, and the dogs and their guardians pay for it,” she says in one clip.The AKC's Hunter Munden said the rankings are intended just to satisfy public curiosity, not “as an encouragement to buy any type of dog.”“No matter how you acquire your dog, do your research and make sure that a dog fits in your lifestyle,” said the spokesperson, who has two mixed-breed dogs and a West Highland white terrier.

JASPER, Ga. (AP) — There was a shooting Tuesday at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in a small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains in Georgia, and the gunman was shot and killed, police said.A Veterans Affairs employee was taken by helicopter to a hospital after the gunfire Tuesday afternoon, VA spokesman Peter Kasperowicz said.Jasper police responded to the scene around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the city said in a statement. Outside the VA clinic, the officers confronted the gunman, who was shot and killed, authorities said.The gunman was from the Jasper area, Jasper Police Chief Matt Dawkins told reporters at the scene. But details about him were not immediately released.“We don’t know what led up to it,” Dawkins said.Jimmy Mooney was shopping at a nearby Goodwill store when he heard gunfire.“We heard the gunshots going off,” he said. “There was probably 17 of us inside the Goodwill that was shopping, and, they had come and told us to get in the back of the store and during that time we could see the officers running down the hill. Gunshots started going off.”The Jasper police chief said the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be investigating the shooting along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.When asked about the suspect’s background, a Pickens County sheriff’s spokesman said he did not know whether he had a military background.The clinic will remain closed for the rest of the week, Kasperowicz said.“VA is rescheduling appointments as necessary and ensuring Veterans and staff have access to counseling and chaplain services in the wake of this tragic event,” he said in an email.The VA’s Office of Inspector General will assist local authorities in the investigation, he added.The outpatient clinic in Jasper offers services that include primary care and specialty health services, including laboratory, telehealth and mental health care, according to its website.Jasper, a town of about 5,000 people, is roughly 60 miles (97 km) north of downtown Atlanta. Signs on a highway through the town call it Georgia’s “First Mountain City” as the Blue Ridge Mountains come into view as motorists from Atlanta head north.Photos from the local newspaper, the Pickens Progress, showed more than a half-dozen law enforcement officers responding to the scene, wearing tactical vests near a strip mall in the town.The clinic opened in the summer of 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said in a news release announcing its grand opening.“The new Pickens County VA Clinic will increase access and ensure that our Veterans continue to receive the high-quality health care that they have earned and deserve closer to their home,” officials said in the release.___Martin reported from Kennesaw, Georgia.

Gregory Bovino, who became a face of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in large cities, confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he plans to retire from the Border Patrol in the coming weeks.Bovino, 55, joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and steadily rose through the ranks. But he wasn't well-known outside the agency until last June, when he became commander of the administration's crackdown in Los Angeles, which resulted in thousands of arrests, most notably near Home Depots and at car washes. Agents smashed car windows, blew open a door to a house and patrolled the fabled MacArthur Park. on horseback.Bovino, who often appeared in tactical gear, took his act to Chicago, patrolling down the Chicago River, in the Michigan Avenue tourist district and in neighborhoods across the city and suburbs. He led a helicopter raid at a large apartment building and used chemical agents to face demonstrators.After short stops in Charlotte, North Carolina, and New Orleans, Bovino was a near-daily presence as Minnesota's Twin Cities turned into a battleground between demonstrators and immigration authorities that led to the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Bovino left Minnesota shortly after Pretti was killed on Jan. 24 and was replaced by White House border czar Tom Homan.Bovino retires as chief of the Border Patrol's El Centro, California, sector, a position he held since 2020.Bovino takes a key role in Trump's mass deportation campaign“We’re not going to hit one location. We’re going to hit as many as we can. All over — all over — the Los Angeles region, we’re going to turn and burn to that next target and the next and the next and the next, and we’re not going to stop. We’re not going to stop until there’s not a problem here.”Bovino in an Aug. 25 interview with the AP describing his “turn and burn” approach to racking up immigration arrests.___“What happens at the border, even 100 years ago, didn’t stay at the border, and it still doesn’t. That’s why we’re here in Los Angeles.”Bovino, in AP interview, explaining the Border Patrol's increasing presence away from the border.Bovino raises his profile as commander of Chicago operation“We use the least amount of force necessary to effect the arrest, we do that. If I had more CS gas, I would have deployed it.”Bovino, in a Nov. 3 interview with the AP, on throwing a canister of gas at a crowd in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security said Bovino was hit with a rock. Bystanders rejected that claim and said agents deployed gas without warning. A federal judge later said Bovino lied about the encounter.___“My role is not to tell you that you can or cannot enforce validly passed laws by Congress. … My role is simply to see that in the enforcement of those laws, the agents are acting in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.”U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordering Bovino on Oct. 28 to provide daily briefings on how his agents are enforcing the law in Chicago.Bovino is reassigned from Minnesota“This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”Bovino at a Jan. 24 news conference on the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by federal authorities. His version of events was immediately called into question by eyewitness videos.—-“I don't think it's a pullback, it's a little bit of a change. Everybody in this room that has a business, you know you make little changes. You know Bovino's very good, but he's a pretty out there kind of a guy, and in some cases, that's good, maybe it wasn't good here.”President Donald Trump, on Bovino's reassignment from Minnesota in a Jan. 27 interview with Fox News Channel.__“She is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others weren’t even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot.”Bovino commenting March 5 on Trump firing Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices resumed their rise on Tuesday because of the war with Iran, but U.S. stocks held steadier this time around.The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to add to its gain from the day before, which was its biggest since the war began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 46 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%.It’s a break, for now at least, from the usual playbook since the start of the war, where stock prices have tended to go in the opposite direction of oil prices. The fear in financial markets has been that a long-term disruption to the global flow of oil could send prices so high for so long that it damages the global economy. Not only would higher gasoline prices sap households’ budgets, it could also push companies to pass on their own higher transportation costs to customers.On Tuesday, the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2.9% to settle at $96.21. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 3.2% to $103.42. But they pared even bigger gains from earlier in the morning, and they’re either roughly where they were at the end of last week or below.Delta Air Lines offered an encouraging signal about the strength of the economy after raising its forecast for revenue for the first three months of 2026. It said it’s seen demand to fly accelerate into March from both businesses and households.And that looks to be enough to offset higher prices for jet fuel because of the spike in oil prices. Delta said it still expects to report a profit for the start of 2026 that’s in line with its earlier forecast.Delta’s stock flew 6.6% higher, and it helped other airline stocks trim their own sharp losses for the year so far. United Airlines climbed 3.2%, and Southwest Airlines rose 2.2%.American Airlines gained 3.5% after saying it’s also likely to report stronger revenue growth for the start of this year than it had forecast earlier.Another big winner was Uber Technologies, which drove 4.2% higher after announcing an expansion of its partnership with Nvidia. They plan to launch a fleet of autonomous vehicles using Nvidia’s technology, beginning with Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first half of next year.Some beaten-down stocks in the financial industry, meanwhile, recovered losses from earlier in the year. That includes several that got swept up in worries about whether software businesses and others potentially under threat by AI-powered competitors will pay back all their loans. Blue Owl Capital gained 4.5%, and Ares Management rose 6.6%.They helped offset a 3.2% drop for Cencora after the pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution services company said it’s looking for a new chief financial officer. Its current CFO, James Cleary, will retire at the end of June.All told, the S&P 500 rose 16.71 points to 6,716.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 46.85 to 46,993.26, and the Nasdaq composite gained 105.35 to 22,479.53.The U.S. stock market has a track record of bouncing back relatively quickly from military conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Many professional investors are expecting that to be the case again, which has helped keep U.S. stock prices near their record levels.For all its dramatic swings over the last couple weeks, including several that struck hour to hour, the S&P 500 is less than 4% below its all-time high.That’s even as Treasury yields have climbed on expectations that higher oil prices will prevent the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates for a while. Higher yields push downward on prices for stocks and all kinds of investments.The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.20% from 4.23% late Monday, but it remains well above the 3.97% level it was at before the war with Iran began.The Fed will make its next announcement on interest rates Wednesday afternoon, and traders see virtually no chance of a cut, according to data from CME Group.Cuts to interest rates by the Fed would give the economy and job market a boost, and President Donald Trump has angrily been calling for them. But reductions would also worsen inflation.In Australia, the central bank is actually raising interest rates. Citing higher fuel prices, the Reserve Bank of Australia made its first hike since November 2023.In stock markets abroad, European indexes rose following a mixed finish in Asia. Indexes climbed 0.8% in London and fell 0.9% in Shanghai for two of the world’s bigger moves.___AP Writers Matt Ott, Elaine Kurtenbach and Rod McGuirk contributed.