AP National News

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will begin transferring thousands of inmates out of federal prisons this week as part of a sweeping criminal justice overhaul signed by President Donald Trump more than three years ago. The department is now spelling out how “time credits” for

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has rejected the merger between South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai and Daewoo. Officials said Thursday that a union between two of the world’s biggest players in the industry would have given the merged company a global stranglehold on the production of liquified natural gas carriers.

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN BRUSSELS (AP) — United Nations World Food Program senior official Mary-Ellen McGroarty is warning that Afghanistan is facing a “tsunami” of hunger because of a shortage of funds that’s needed to get food to people across the country. In an interview with The Associated Press, the WFP leader in Afghanistan urged the

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Many of the victims of New York City’s deadliest fire in years are still awaiting burial after funerals began with services for two children killed by Sunday’s blaze in a Bronx apartment building. Community leaders have been huddling to make arrangements for the 17 dead. They included eight children.

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since mid-November. U.S. jobless claims climbed by 23,000 last week to 230,000, still low by historic standards. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week blips, was up nearly 6,300 to

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British officials say the self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 will be reduced from next week to five full days, instead of seven. Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said Thursday that early signs suggest the rate of hospitalization from the coronavirus is

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Senior U.N. refugee agency and European Union officials are accusing Latvia, Lithuania and Poland of using questionable methods to keep out migrants trying to enter from Belarus. Officials say the three countries also continue to deny access to aid groups that want to help people stuck in

MADRID (AP) — Spain is introducing price controls for COVID-19 home testing kits after an outcry over reports of price-gouging during the Christmas holidays, when demand for the rapid antigen tests outpaced supply. Authorities announced Thursday that the maximum price for the kits on sale at pharmacies from Saturday will be 2.94 euros ($3.37). Health

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities have found the body of a woman believed to be the wife of an Iranian man who drowned after being swept away by a rain-swollen torrent as the couple and other migrants trekked through the hills of northern Greece to avoid police patrols. The fire department said Thursday the

By CHRISTOPH NOELTING and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press KOBLENZ, Germany (AP) — A former Syrian secret police officer was convicted by a German court Thursday of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago. Anwar Raslan is the highest-ranking Syrian official so far convicted of the

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Catholic church in Poland has asked a court to determine whether a Polish man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest is gay and whether that sexual contact may have been pleasurable for him. The victim, Janusz Szymik, was a 12-year-old altar

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Richie will be honored all night long for his musical achievements. The Library of Congress said Thursday that Richie will receive the national library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He will be bestowed the prize at an all-star tribute in Washington, D.C., on

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark will offer fourth coronavirus vaccination shots to risk groups and vulnerable citizens as the pandemic situation in the country has worsened due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said Wednesday that health authorities would offer fourth vaccine jabs to the “most vulnerable groups”

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat says that a Russian military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela can’t be excluded if tensions with the United States mount. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation in Monday’s talks in Geneva, said in televised remarks Thursday

LONDON (AP) — England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, one of the scientists who led the U.K.’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, will leave his role in March. Van-Tam became a household name for his frequent appearances at the government’s televised COVID-19 news briefings. He gained popularity with his engaging soccer analogies that helped

BEIRUT (AP) — A general strike by public transportation and labor unions has paralyzed Lebanon as the nation suffers through one of the world’s worst economic crises. Thursday’s protests come as the country’s ruling class has done almost nothing to pull Lebanon out of its meltdown, which is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The website of Iran’s supreme leader has showcased an animated video that appears to show a robot calling in a drone strike to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The animated video was part of a contest to mark the Jan. 3, 2020, killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat says that a Russian military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela can’t be excluded if tensions with the United States mount. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation in Monday’s talks in Geneva, said in remarks televised Thursday

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The new Dutch government is meeting to discuss whether to extend or ease its coronavirus lockdown amid growing anger among owners of businesses that have been shuttered for weeks. The Netherlands has been in a strict lockdown since mid-December, with measures including all nonessential stores,

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has blocked the merger between South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai and Daewoo. Officials said Thursday that a union between two of the world’s biggest players in the industry would have given the merged company a global stranglehold on the production of liquified natural gas carriers. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager