AP National News

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — To much of the world the late Toni Morrison was a novelist, celebrated for such classics as “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye.” But the Nobel laureate also completed plays, poems, essays, and a handful of short stories, one of which is coming out as a

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president says he authorized law enforcement to open fire on “terrorists” and shoot to kill, a move that comes after days of extremely violent protests in the former Soviet nation. In a televised address to the nation Friday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed the unrest on “terrorists” and

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets are mixed after more declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. Tokyo and Taiwan declined but other regional markets advanced. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day before shedding 0.1%. Weakness

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group. But Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski denied the Pegasus software was being used to target his political opponents. Kaczynski said the secret

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has approved new restrictions to curb a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the three southwestern regions of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima. Daishiro Yamagiwa, the minister in charge of COVID-19 responses, says hospitals may get stretched thin soon, given the sudden surge in infections. Measures such

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Weeks after American billionaire Michael Steinhardt agreed to surrender dozens of plundered antiquities, three of the items remain on display at Israel’s flagship museum. Museums worldwide are facing greater scrutiny over the provenance — or chain of ownership — of their art. This has applied especially

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Three white men convicted of murder in the deadly chase and shooting of Ahmaud Arbery are back in court for sentencing. A Georgia jury in November found father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, guilty of murder and other crimes

By MARINA VILLENEUVE and MICHAEL HILL Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to make a virtual appearance before an Albany judge. Prosecutors are moving Friday to dismiss the only criminal charge filed against the Democrat in connection with the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office.

By COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A growing number of U.S. school districts are moving back to online classes because of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases. In Detroit, the shift involves 50,000 students. The change once again leaves parents juggling home and work schedules around the educational needs of their children. The

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan health authorities have begun vaccinating children aged 12 to 15, as the island nation’s top medical specialists warned of a wave of COVID-19 infections in the coming weeks driven by the omicron variant. Under the vaccination program, children will be given a single

By STEVE McMORRAN Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has embraced border officials’ decision to deny entry to tennis star Novak Djokovic, who had earlier been issued documents allowing him to enter the country ahead of the Australian Open without a COVID-19 vaccine. The move has raised questions about whether the

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has returned from space with hopes of new celestial investments. But he wants to first recover, as returning to life with gravity has proved heavier than he’d expected. Maezawa blasted off in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft along with a Russian cosmonaut on Dec.

By VICTORIA MILKO AP Science Writer Symptoms of common colds, the flu and COVID-19 can overlap, so experts say testing is the best way to determine what you have. The flu and COVID-19 can share symptoms including cough, fever and tiredness. Symptoms unique to COVID-19 include the loss of taste or smell. Colds tend to

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A surge in coronavirus cases has shut down California schools and sidelined thousands of police, firefighters and health care workers but officials are hoping it will be short-lived. Los Angeles County’s public health director said Thursday that she’s hoping it will begin to ease in February.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets are mostly higher after more declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. Tokyo and Taiwan declined but other regional markets advanced. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day before shedding 0.1%.

By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on two major Biden administration work rules to bump up the nation’s vaccination rate against COVID-19 at a time of spiking cases because of the omicron variant. The justices on the conservative-oriented court are hearing arguments Friday about

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation is surging and new omicron infections are spiking, but America’s employers are thought to have kept right on hiring in December on the strength of solid consumer spending. One reason for the optimism about the jobs data the government will issue Friday is that it

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s most populous state has reinstated some restrictions and suspended elective surgeries as COVID-19 cases surged to another record. New South Wales reported 38,625 new cases on Friday, prompting Premier Dominic Perrottet to announce regulations banning dancing and singing in pubs and nightclubs, and delaying non-urgent surgeries until mid-February. Hospitalizations reached 1,738

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will begin requiring visas for Venezuelans starting Jan. 21, after a surge in the number of migrants trying to reach the U.S. border. The Interior Department said Thursday that the decision was based on a tenfold increase in the number of Venezuelan citizens arriving in Mexico seeking to travel “in

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it will skip next month’s Beijing Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic and “hostile forces’ moves.” Its statement is largely redundant since it has already been suspended from the Games by the IOC. The International Olympic Committee last September suspended North Korea