AP National News

By FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press MUREHWA, Zimbabwe (AP) — The number of pregnancies among girls and teenagers in Zimbabwe rose dramatically during the pandemic. Zimbabwe has long struggled with such pregnancies and child marriages because of lax enforcement of laws, poverty, and cultural and religious practices. But COVID-19 intensified the situation. The country of 15

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer HONOLULU (AP) — The Sony Open is a reunion of sorts for three No. 1 amateur players in the world. The mentor is Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. Joining him at Waialae this year are Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima. Matsuyama is their inspiration. Both remember watching Matsuyama win the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese minister assigned the task of containing COVID-19 while steering the world’s third largest economy toward growth says Japan must learn to coexist with the coronavirus. Daishiro Yamagiwa said Wednesday he is confident he can carry out that precarious “balancing act.” Japan had managed to

MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — A segment of a 110-year-old Florida Keys bridge has reopened to pedestrians and bicyclists following a $44 million restoration project. Rehabilitation construction on the oft-photographed 2.2-mile span of the Old Seven Mile Bridge began in late 2017.  Nicknamed “Old Seven,” the iconic bridge was completed in 1912 as part of Henry

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean rescuers have resumed their search for six missing construction workers believed to be trapped at a collapsed construction site in the southern city of Gwangju. About 10 vehicles were destroyed and dozens of nearby households and shops were forced to evacuate Tuesday afternoon following the partial collapse of

By JOHN RABY Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. The Republican governor’s office says Justice had a sudden onset of symptoms, then was administered a PCR test that was positive for the coronavirus. A test by a state laboratory confirmed the initial result and

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Twin panda cubs have made their first public appearance before devoted fans in Tokyo, but they will be on display only briefly for now — over three days — due to a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. The twins, male cub

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Novak Djokovic’s attempt to stave off deportation and be allowed to play in the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 is headed for a legal hearing the day before he is scheduled to begin his title defense at a Grand Slam tournament he’s won a record nine

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The COVID-19 surge caused by the omicron variant means once-reliable indicators of the pandemic’s progress are much less so, complicating how the media is able to tell the story. The Associated Press is telling its journalists not to rely too much on skyrocketing case counts

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats have taken their first step toward creating a universal health care system. A legislative committee in the state Assembly advanced a bill on Tuesday that would replace California’s private insurance market with a plan paid for by the government. But the proposal is still

By ED WHITE Associated Press FLINT, Mich. (AP) — It’s been a year since former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was hit with unprecedented criminal charges in the Flint water scandal. The cases against him and eight other people are moving slowly, bogged down by disputes over millions of documents and other issues. Snyder is charged

BEIJING (AP) — The northern Chinese city of Tianjin has ordered a second round of COVID-19 testing on all 14 million residents after multiple cases of the omicron strain were found during initial screenings that began Sunday. The official Xinhua News Agency says authorities have carried out almost 12 million tests so far, with 7.8

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street higher after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said U.S. interest rates might be raised earlier than planned. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced. Oil prices edged higher. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.9% after Powell said

By EDNA TARIGAN and FADLAN SYAM Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has kicked off a COVID-19 booster campaign for the general public, prioritizing third shots for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The government hopes to provide 21 million booster shots in January to people who received their second jabs at

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has moved to clarify how mistakes were made on the immigration document he submitted on his arrival in Melbourne as a COVID-19 vaccination saga continues to overshadow the days leading up to the Australian Open. A statement was posted on Djokovic’s

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China have blocked the U.N. Security Council from supporting new sanctions on Mali for its military leaders’ decision to delay next month’s elections until 2026. The military’s action was a blow to the restoration of democracy in the troubled West African nation. Kenya’s

W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jack Eichel finally skated with the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time since being acquired from Buffalo and becoming the first NHL player to undergo artificial disk replacement surgery on his neck in November. Eichel said even though his new teammates were preparing for their game

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, has made the reporting of rapid antigen test results mandatory as it experienced its deadliest day of the pandemic. The 21 deaths reported in New South Wales on Wednesday topped the previous record of 18 set on Monday. The state saw 34,759 new COVID-19 cases

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The children of a deceased man who said he was molested as a child by a priest have sued the Roman Catholic church under a new California law that allows survivors to bring lawsuits for the suffering a loved one endured. The family of Jim Bartko

By ASTRID SUAREZ Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s foreign minister says the country’s consul in Haiti has received threats after trying to provide humanitarian assistance to 18 former Colombia soldiers who were arrested last year for allegedly participating in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. The foreign minister did not provide details