AP National News

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch King Willem-Alexander is swearing in a new ruling coalition, led for the fourth time by Mark Rutte. The ceremony Monday comes amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown and policy challenges ranging from climate change to housing shortages to the future of agriculture. It follows a

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in Kazakhstan say nearly 8,000 people were detained by police during protests that descended into violence last week and marked the worst unrest the former Soviet nation has faced since gaining independence 30 years ago. Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry reported Monday that a total of 7,939 people

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

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — Healthcare and front-line workers along with people above age 60 with health problems are lining up at vaccination centers across India to receive booster shots as infections linked to the omicron variant surge. India is better prepared now than it was last year when the

JERUSALEM (AP) — Two former Israeli prime ministers are facing off in a Tel Aviv courtroom as Benjamin Netanyahu’s defamation suit against Ehud Olmert gets underway. Netanyahu, his wife and son appeared in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s court Monday for the opening of their case against Olmert, Netanyahu’s predecessor as Israel’s prime minister. The Netanyahus

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Officials from Russia and the United States and its NATO allies will sit down for talks focusing on Moscow’s demand for Western security guarantees amid a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine. Russian and U.S. negotiators launched the talks in Geneva on Monday. They will be followed

By DAVID PORTER, BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Hospitals worked Monday to save the lives of multiple people gravely injured by inhaling smoke in a fire that is already New York City’s deadliest in three decades. Dozens of people were hospitalized, and as many as 13 were

By ROD McGUIRK and MARK D. BAKER Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis star Novak Djokovic has won a court battle to stay in Australia to contest the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, but the government has threatened to cancel his visa a second time. A judge reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was

By WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has granted residency rights to thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip after years of legal limbo. The residency allows people to get an official ID number and passport. Without this official status, it is impossible to

By WILL WEISSERT and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is beginning to recede as a top priority in the minds of Americans. It’s increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances, particularly inflation. That potentially spells political trouble for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. A poll from

BANGKOK (AP) — A legal official says a court in Myanmar has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison after finding her guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions. Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges and given a four-year prison sentence,

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ Associated Press BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — Twice in less than two months, Venezuela’s opposition has prevailed in the gubernatorial race in the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez, with the results giving hope to that faction while shocking the ruling party. Voters in the state

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress, has rejected a request for an interview by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. In a combative letter Sunday to committee chairman Bennie Thompson, Jordan says, “The American people are tired of Democrats’

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Friday after a Federal Reserve official suggested U.S. interest rates might have to be raised higher than expected to cool inflation. Shanghai and Hong Kong gained while Tokyo declined. Oil prices gained. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.3% on Thursday

By ROD McGUIRK and MARK D. BAKER Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge who will decide whether top-ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic plays in the Australian Open has questioned what more the Serbian could have done to meet Australia’s coronavirus entry requirements. The 34-year-old is fighting deportation and the cancellation of his

BEIJING (AP) — A major Chinese city near Beijing has placed its 14 million residents on partial lockdown after 40 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. China has stepped up its zero tolerance anti-virus strategy in the runup to the Winter Olympics, which open Feb. 4

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN, ANDREW SELSKY and DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Harrowing tales of escape have emerged after a fire broke out in a New York City apartment building. Rancid black smoke filled hallways, rising from floor to floor. People tripped and fell as they rushed down darkened stairwells, unable to

By JAKE SEINER AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees are promoting Rachel Balkovec to manager at Low A Tampa, making her the first woman to skipper a team affiliated with Major League Baseball, according to two people familiar with the move. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition

By SOPHIA TAREEN and KATHLEEN FOODY Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — The leader of the Chicago Teachers Union is blaming the city’s mayor for a continued standoff over COVID-19 protocols. Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey says the union and district “remain apart on a number of key features,” including more testing and lower thresholds