Month: November 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian rocket has blasted off successfully to deliver a new docking module to the International Space Station. The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled at 6:06 p.m. (1306 GMT) Wednesday from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. It was carrying the Progress cargo ship with the Prichal (Pier) docking module

LONDON (AP) — A man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for sending a bomb hoax to a U.K. coronavirus vaccine factory and similar parcels elsewhere including a laboratory in Wuhan. About 120 people had to be evacuated from a plant in Wales producing the Oxford-Astrazeneca shots in January after 54-year-old

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A panel of U.K. lawmakers has slammed the government’s handling of compensation claims from legal residents whose lives were torn apart when authorities questioned their right to be in the country. The lawmakers are demanding an overhaul of the program four years after the scandal first emerged.

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Social distancing has became mandatory again across the Netherlands as coronavirus infections continue to soar. Meanwhile, the head of the country’s leading intensive care physician is calling for even tougher measures to rein in the pandemic. The Netherlands is in the midst of a surge

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Italian government is targeting unvaccinated people in its latest effort to contain rising coronavirus infections. A government decree is excluding them from certain activities, including indoor dining and theaters over the holidays. The aim is to stave off financially crippling lockdowns just as the economy is

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is appealing to the European Union not to forget the plight of ordinary citizens and political prisoners in the former Soviet country. The EU is focused on a security crisis at its borders that it blames on President Alexander Lukashenko. It’s preparing

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Some British politicians are demanding a change in parliamentary rules after a lawmaker was told she could not bring her 3-month-old baby into the House of Commons chamber. Labour Party legislator Stella Creasy says she had received a letter from House of Commons authorities after she took

By ANNA HELHOSKI of NerdWallet Workers seeking a new career may face challenges if they’re looking to retrain, labor experts say. That’s because there are few social supports in place that allow career-change aspirants the time and financial help to do it. The “Great Resignation” won’t necessarily lead to a “great retraining,” but there are

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The Slovak government has approved a two-week national lockdown amid a record surge of coronavirus infections. Prime Minister Eduard Heger said the measures that become effective on Friday will target all, both unvaccinated and vaccinated. Under the lockdown, people can leave their homes only for some specific reasons. These include buying

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria and North Macedonia have begun periods of national mourning in honor of the victims of a bus crash that killed 45 people and injured six others. The accident occurred Tuesday while the bus was traveling through Bulgaria carrying tourists to neighboring North Macedonia. Though the

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, has lost control of the city councils of Johannesburg and other major cities, following recent local government elections. The ANC won less than 50% of the votes in the municipal elections earlier this month, a major blow for the

By RONALD MONTOYA Edmunds This has been a tough year to buy a new or used car in America. With COVID-19 factory shutdowns, semiconductor chip shortages, rising prices and supply chain issues, it’s been nothing but bad news for car shoppers. And for those who’ve waited, hoping Black Friday sales would bring some reprieve from

BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey shows that German business confidence has dropped for the fifth consecutive month amid persistent supply-chain bottlenecks and a resurgence of coronavirus infections in Europe’s biggest economy. The Ifo institute said Wednesday that its monthy confidence index dropped to 96.5 points in November from 97.7 last month. Companies’ assessment

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and Singapore say they will partially reopen their borders next week to fully vaccinated citizens, after nearly two years of closure due to the pandemic. The leaders of both countries said in separate statements Wednesday that limited travel will be allowed across the land border from Monday, with plans

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden is recommending that everyone between the ages of 18 and 65 should get a booster shot against COVID-19 six months after having gotten the second jab. Swedish Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said Wednesday about 7 million people in Sweden out of a total population of 10 million have had

PRAGUE (AP) — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have soared to a new record high, reaching almost 26,000 daily cases. The Health Ministry said Wednesday that the daily tally hit 25,864 on Tuesday, about 3,000 more than the previous record registered on Friday. The country’s infection rate has risen to 1,061 new cases per

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government says Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has gone to the battlefront after the leader said martyrdom might be necessary in the yearlong war with rival fighters approaching the capital. A government spokesman told reporters the prime minister arrived at the front on

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has tested negative for COVID-19 after his French counterpart, whom he met early in the week, became infected with the coronavirus. De Croo’s office said Wednesday that he will do an important part of his work remotely in line with restrictive measures that the government as

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — Rising unemployment, endemic corruption and a recent economic crisis that slashed state salaries have pushed Iraqi Kurds to sell their homes, cars and other belongings to pay off smugglers with the hope of reaching the European Union from the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Most of the

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Injuries and COVID-19 protocol absences have muddled the NHL standings throughout the first quarter of the season. The traditional Thanksgiving benchmark is not necessarily an indicator of who will make the playoffs. The season also started a week later than usual. Recent seasons have also begun to crack the

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says coronavirus cases jumped by 11% in Europe in the last week, the only region in the world where COVID-19 has continued to increase since mid-October. In its weekly assessment of the pandemic released on Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said cases and deaths globally have risen by

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Israel and Morocco have signed a landmark agreement that lays the foundation for security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and future arms sales. The memorandum of understanding is the centerpiece of a visit this week by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Morocco. Morocco and Israel established

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press VERSAILLES, France (AP) — France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been given a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($84,000) in a sex-tape case that rocked French soccer. Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Magdalena Andersson has resigned as Sweden’s prime minister hours after being appointed as the country’s first female prime minister. She did so after suffering a budget defeat in parliament Wednesday and her coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government. The government’s own budget

By JON GAMBRELL and JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two journalists from Norwegian state television were arrested and held for over 30 hours by security forces in Qatar before being freed. The arrest of the journalists from NRK came while they reported on the upcoming FIFA World Cup. They

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s would-be governing parties are vowing to modernize Europe’s biggest economy and step up efforts against climate change. They announced an agreement Wednesday that leaves center-left leader Olaf Scholz poised to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel within weeks. The coalition will shift Germany’s leadership

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is spawning in an explosion of color as the World Heritage-listed natural wonder recovers from life-threatening coral bleaching episodes. Scientists on Tuesday night recorded the corals fertilizing billions of offspring by casting sperm and eggs into the Pacific Ocean off the Queensland state coastal city of Cairns.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A thick cloud of smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital, earning it the ignominious title of the world’s most polluted city, according to a Swiss air quality monitoring company. Platform IQAir says that Lahore now stands at the top of its polluted cities ranking, with an air quality index of 203

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Millions of Americans are loading up their cars or piling onto planes, determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic. The number of air travelers this week is expected to approach or even exceed pre-pandemic levels. Auto club AAA

By DANIEL NIEMANN and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press ESCHWEILER, Germany (AP) — Germany is inching toward the mark of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. The country’s leader-in-waiting announced plans Wednesday to create an expert team at the heart of the next government to provide daily scientific advice on tackling the coronavirus pandemic. German officials including outgoing

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hosting Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates seek to repair ties and increase economic cooperation. The visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, seen as the de-facto leader, is the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations