AP National News

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A year after thousands of pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, hundreds of people who assaulted officers and committed other crimes still haven’t been caught. The investigation into last January’s insurrection has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement officials. More than 700 people have been

By ANNIE MILLERBERND of NerdWallet The busy season for home remodeling usually ends in late summer or early fall, but contractors say demand from the pandemic renovation rush hasn’t let up. That means homeowners could call a dozen contractors, just to get a few calls back. To grab their attention, you may need to put

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds The semiconductor chip shortage and supply chain disruption have forced many automakers to remove certain features from their new vehicles. Here are a few notable examples and what you need to know. 

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An aide says Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time but has no serious symptoms. The aide said Wednesday on Twitter that Duda was under medical observation but feels well. He says the 49-year-old president has been vaccinated against the coronavirus and received a booster

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says coronavirus infections in the country have spiked to a new record high since the start of the pandemic. The government reported on Wednesday that 11,978 new infections were diagnosed a day earlier, more than the previous high of 11,345 set Sept. 2. That’s

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden has created an agency to combat disinformation as the country approaches a September general election. The mission of the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency is to “defend our open and democratic society and free opinions by identifying, analyzing and responding to inappropriate influences and other misleading information directed at Sweden or

By DANICA KIRKA and MIKE CORDER Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party is missing the chance to grill Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the government’s COVID-19 policies after testing positive for the coronavirus. Johnson  is scheduled to answer questions in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon and to deliver a statement

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s foreign minister has tested positive for the coronavirus as the European Union member country experiences a nationwide resurgence of infections. The foreign ministry’s press office said Wednesday that Teodora Genchovska tested positive from a PCR test for COVID-19 and will remain under medical supervision. The 50-year-old Genchovska is fully vaccinated.

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea, its first weapons launch in about two months and a signal it isn’t interested in rejoining denuclearization talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting its weapons arsenal. The launch

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s biggest opposition party says it will support the reelection of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Wednesday’s move gives the incumbent a clear run to a second term. A few figures in ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union had advocated nominating a woman to run as Germany’s next

By AYA BATRAWY and ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — An influential Saudi cleric who once served for years as head of the kingdom’s Shariah courts and whose ultraconservative views sparked outcry has died. His family announced the sheikh’s death on Twitter on Wednesday. The 90-year-old cleric leaves behind a legacy that

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has burst into the presidential race with an explosive remark about the country’s minority of unvaccinated people. Macron used the French word “emmerder” that is rooted in the French word for “crap” and means to rile or to bug. He spoke in an

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — World shares are mixed after heavy selling of technology shares cast a chill over the cheerful start to 2022 on Wall Street. Benchmarks rose in Paris, London and Tokyo but fell in Shanghai and Hong Kong. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices retreated.  Added to

MOSCOW (AP) — Local news reports say demonstrators angered by rising fuel prices have stormed the mayor’s office in Kazakhstan’s largest city and attempted to break into the presidential residence. The intensifying protests led the Central Asian country’s government to reisgn. According to the reports, many of the demonstrators who converged on the mayoral office

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has called for making it simpler for couples to adopt children as he presided over his first general audience of the New Year with a novel supporting cast. For the first time, a layman and a nun provided the English and Spanish translations of Francis’

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has received the medical exemption he needs but the 20-time major champion may still have some explaining to do. The exemption allows the top-ranked Djokovic entry to the tournament regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19. It’s a subject he has declined to

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities have announced a two-week ban on flights from the United States and seven other countries and are holding 2,500 passengers on a cruise ship for coronavirus testing as the city attempts to stem an emerging omicron outbreak. The two-week ban on passenger flights

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Officials in Ethiopia have arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared thousands of ethnic Tigrayans who recently were deported from Saudi Arabia, a new Human Rights Watch report says as the country’s deadly Tigray conflict continues. This is the latest report citing witnesses who have described mass arrests of ethnic Tigrayans. Ethiopia’s government

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military has apologized for causing public concern about its security readiness, days after it failed to stop a suspected North Korean defector who crossed the heavily fortified border to return to the North. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Won