Month: January 2022

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Officials in Ethiopia have arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared thousands of ethnic Tigrayans who recently were deported from Saudi Arabia, a new Human Rights Watch report says as the country’s deadly Tigray conflict continues. This is the latest report citing witnesses who have described mass arrests of ethnic Tigrayans. Ethiopia’s government

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military has apologized for causing public concern about its security readiness, days after it failed to stop a suspected North Korean defector who crossed the heavily fortified border to return to the North. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Won

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s military says a Katyusha rocket has struck an Iraqi military base housing U.S. troops at Baghdad’s international airport. No damage or casualties were reported from the attack, which was the third in as many days targeting Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. The attacks began on Monday, the anniversary of

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s health minister is advocating tougher curbs on contact between people as the country prepares for a new rise in coronavirus infections fueled by the omicron variant. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country’s 16 state governors are set to confer Friday on charting a way forward. They’re likely to build on restrictions

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says coronavirus infections in the country have spiked to a new record high since the start of the pandemic. The government reported on Wednesday that 11,978 new infections were diagnosed a day earlier, more than the previous high of 11,345 set Sept. 2. That’s

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has recorded its highest-ever number of new coronavirus infections — driven by the ultra-contagious omicron variant — despite restrictions on travel and required quarantines. The Health Ministry’s daily statistics reported Wednesday that 11,978 new infections were recorded a day earlier, the most since the

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia is experiencing rising COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations and long queues at testing centers as it continues to battle the rapid spread of the virus in most states. The country recorded more than 64,000 cases Wednesday, up from 47,000 a day earlier. Prime Minister Scott Morrison met virtually with the national

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — More than half of the NFL’s 32 teams have female fan clubs. The Detroit Lions’ Women of the Pride group is one of them. Verdell Blackmon showed up for a recent game and left no doubt who she was cheering for that afternoon. Blackmon’s hair and

By SARAH RANKIN and DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia officials are defending their response to the snowy gridlock that resulted on Interstate 95 after a winter storm dumped nearly 11 inches of snow. Officials noted the storm that started as rain, meaning roads couldn’t be pretreated. It was followed by an

By ARITZ PARRA Associated Press MADRID (AP) — An unprecedented number of coronavirus infections is once again exposing the underfunding and shortcomings of public health care systems, even in developed parts of Europe. Spain is especially feeling the crunch. Only a few weeks ago, officials in Spain thought the country was in relatively good shape