AP National News

By MARK PRATT Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A winter storm that has already left areas of the South with more than 6 inches of snow moved into the Northeast during the morning commute and prompted many school districts to close for the day. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urged people to stay off the roads

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a modest 199,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate fell sharply, at a time when businesses are struggling to fill jobs with many Americans remaining reluctant to return to the workforce. At the same time, Friday’s jobs report from the Labor Department

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a modest 199,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate fell sharply, at a time when businesses are struggling to fill jobs, with many Americans remaining reluctant to return to the workforce. The Labor Department said Friday that the nation’s unemployment rate fell

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The tallest mountain in the Galapagos islands is erupting, spewing lava down its flanks and clouds of ash over the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute says a cloud of gas and ash from Wolf Volcano rose to 3793 meters (12,444 feet) above sea level following the eruption that began shortly before

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro currency hit its highest level on record, led by surging food and energy costs. The European Union’s statistics office said Friday that consumer prices in the eurozone rose 5% in December compared with the previous year. That’s

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Orthodox Christians in Russia, Serbia and other countries are observing Christmas amid restrictions aimed at dampening the spread of the coronavirus. The majority of Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7,  with midnight services especially popular. The churches in Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece mark the Nativity

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron maintained on Friday his rude remarks about the country’s minority of vaccine refusers, saying he cannot accept that they infringe on others’ freedom. The 44-year-old outspoken president, who is expected to seek re-election later this year, made headlines earlier this week by using the word “emmerder” — rooted

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Nations across Europe are scrambling to prop up health systems strained by staff shortages blamed on the new, highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus. Troops have been deployed to London hospitals. Health care workers infected with COVID-19 are treating patients in France. The Netherlands

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India has delivered two tons of medicines to Afghanistan, although it has not officially recognized its Taliban government. A government spokessperson says the medicine was given to Kabul’s Indira Gandhi Hospital, which was set up with Indian assistance in 2004. Last month, India supplied Afghanistan with

By STEVE McMORRAN Associated Press On the tennis court, Novak Djokovic’s timing is perfect. But when the No. 1 player boarded a plane for Australia to play the first Grand Slam of the year with a COVID-19 vaccine exemption, his timing hardly could have been worse. While he was in the air, the game apparently

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The government of the Netherlands has sparked anger by announcing it may have to double the amount of gas it pumps this year from a northern province that experienced a string of small earthquakes in recent years. The government has pledged to phase out gas

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president has authorized security forces to shoot to kill those participating in unrest. His move Friday opens the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent. The Central Asian nation this week experienced its worst street protests since gaining

By ZEN SOO and KATIE TAM Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities have ordered about 170 people, including several officials, to be quarantined at a government facility after they attended a birthday party where two guests later tested positive for the coronavirus. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has expressed disappointment that government

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press GUIPRY, France (AP) — The wildfire spread across Europe of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus is driving soaring needs for testing. In France, where new infections are at record levels, production lines are humming, spitting out freshly packaged tests. The CEO of a test-kit manufacturer in western

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is recalling its new ambassador to Prague after he criticized the country’s approach to a dispute with the Czech Republic over a state-run coal mine. In an interview released Thursday by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Ambassador Miroslaw Jasinski said Poland had showed a “lack of empathy, a lack of understanding

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s population has declined by 11.5% in the past decade, according to first results from the 2021 census.  The National Statistical Institute said that the nation has shrunk by 844,000 people, from some 7.3 million in 2011 to 6.5 million today. Experts attribute the decline to low birth rates, high mortality,

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three suspected pirates detained on a Danish military vessel after a fatal gunfight in November off West Africa have been released because preliminary charges of attempted murder against them have been dropped. Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said he “had quite exceptionally ordered the prosecution” to drop the charges and added Thursday,

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has dismissed North Korea’s claim to have recently launched a hypersonic missile as an exaggeration, saying it was a normal ballistic missile that could be intercepted. The assessment is certain to anger North Korea. South Korea has previously avoided publicly playing down North

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is distributing an additional $4.5 billion in funds to help low-income Americans cover heating costs during a second pandemic winter, with cold-weather states receiving the largest share. That’s according to a state-by-state breakdown of funds being distributed under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance