AP National News

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland’s ruling party leader. The senator is suing the official, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, for slander over comments suggesting he was placed under surveillance in connection to wrongdoing. Hours after the news was reported about the

By MICHELLE LIU Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh is scheduled for a virtual hearing Monday as a judge could consider lowering the $7 million bond she set last month. Prosecutors have accused Murdaugh of stealing more than $6.2 million from clients by funneling the cash through

CAIRO (AP) — One of Egypt’s last independent human rights organizations says in a statement it has closed down, citing government persecution. Egypt’s government has engaged in a widespread crackdown on dissent for years that has stifled many of the country’s civil society groups and jailed thousands. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, an

GENESEO, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois family has solved the mystery of what happened to their missing cat that likes to sit on horses. The Quad-City Times reports that Ann Kandis said the cat, named Noodles, jumped into the trunk of her father’s car in November 2018 while he was at the family’s farm in

By KONSTANTIN MANENKOV and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Senior U.S. and Russian officials have formally launched special talks aimed at defusing tensions over a Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine. The talks are part of a flurry of diplomatic activity in Europe this week. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — A 33-year-old aspiring Olympian has set a Walt Disney World marathon weekend record, sweeping all four races in Florida. Brittany Charboneau of Denver ran Sunday’s 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes. She also won the 5K, 10K and half-marathon as part of the “Dopey Challenge,” which is

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks fell broadly in afternoon trading on Wall Street Monday and bond yields continued rising as investors anticipate moves by the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.8%.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European drug regulator says it has started evaluating an application by Pfizer for its pill to treat the effects of COVID-19. Monday’s announcement comes as countries in much of the 27-nation bloc are reporting soaring numbers of infections as the highly-transmissible omicron variant sweeps across the continent. The European

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile is implementing a fourth vaccination dose for some citizens as the number of daily coronavirus infections rises. President Sebastián Piñera was present on Monday when two adults with immunosuppression problems received a fourth vaccination for COVID-19 at a Santiago hospital. Piñera says Chile is applying a fourth dose early because

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra is ordering Medicare to reassess a big premium increase facing millions of enrollees this year. The increase was largely attributed to a pricey new Alzheimer’s drug with questionable benefits. Becerra’s directive on Monday comes days after drugmaker Biogen slashed the price of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — As coronavirus cases spike in Mexico and tests become scarce, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told Mexicans to just assume they had COVID-19 if they had symptoms. The number of confirmed cases spiked by 186% last week. López Obrador said Monday the Omicron variant is “a little COVID,” arguing that hospitalizations

By The Associated Press This week’s new entertainment releases include new albums from Elvis Costello and The Lumineers, and John Cena reprises his “The Suicide Squad” role in the DC universe spin-off series “Peacemaker.” In Joel Coen’s first film without his brother, Ethan, he directs the stark, expressionist “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” starring Denzel Washington

BRUSSELS (AP) — The spokesman for European Parliament president David Sassoli says the Italian has been hospitalized due to abnormal functioning of his immune system. He said the 65-year-old Italian has been in the hospital in Italy since Dec. 26. All his activities have been canceled. Sassoli suffered a severe case of pneumonia in September

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy is targeting the unvaccinated with a host of new coronavirus restrictions. As of Monday, proof of vaccination or a recent infection is required to access public transport, cafes, hotels, gyms and other popular venues. The new “super” health pass requirement eliminates the ability to access services

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has been easing coronavirus restrictions after a decline in new infections while the fast-spreading omicron variant is yet to fully hit the country. The overnight curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. was canceled Monday. The move allows bars and restaurants and others to stay open without restrictions. Only fully

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, is buying Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $12.7 billion. The acquisition announced Monday would wed a powerhouse in console gaming, Take-Two, with a mobile gaming company with an

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, is buying Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $12.7 billion. The acquisition announced Monday would wed a powerhouse in console gaming, Take-Two, with a mobile gaming company with an

BEIJING (AP) — Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern states are visiting China for meetings this week with officials from the world’s second largest economy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday gave no details of the agendas for the visits, but said they were expected to “deepen relations between the two sides.”

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government says property developers must bear the cost of removing dangerous cladding that has left scores of apartment buildings at risk of fire, and thousands of residents facing steep bills to make their homes safe. The risk posed by some kinds of aluminum composite cladding

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Damage wrought by Hurricane Ida in the U.S. state of Louisiana and the flash floods that hit Europe last summer have helped make 2021 one of the most expensive years for natural disasters. Reinsurance company Munich Re said Monday that overall economic losses from natural disasters worldwide