AP National News

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A 2009 lawsuit settlement that Prince Andrew’s lawyers claim protects him from being sued by an American woman has been publicly released. The lawyers said the $500,000 settlement between Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein was released in Manhattan federal court on Monday. The prince’s attorneys

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Hospitals aren’t usually incubators of great music, but in the case of English indie-pop band Glass Animals, one member’s medical emergency led to a breakout album and a Grammy nomination. Drummer Joe Seaward was struck by a truck while riding his bike. Dave Bayley, the

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks are moving higher on the first trading day of the year, a day after closing out 2021 with big gains for the third year in a row. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% and the Nasdaq rose 1.1%.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A new survey shows that Israeli technology companies once again thrived during the coronavirus pandemic last year. The survey by Start-Up Nation Central says Israeli tech companies raised $26.6 billion in investment in 2021. It says that is an all-time high and more than doubles its previous record set in 2020. The

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general recently issued subpoenas to former President Donald Trump and his two eldest children in connection with an ongoing civil investigation into the family’s business practices. Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in a court filing Monday that it is seeking testimony

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — All schools in Canada’s most populous province will be shut down and move to online learning because of a record number of coronavirus infections fueled by the ultra-contagious omicron variant. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also announced indoor dining and gyms will close.  Ontario is seeing record new

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungary’s right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, offering his “complete support” to the controversial leader. Orban, a champion of what he calls “illiberal democracy,” is facing a close parliamentary election this spring. In a statement on Monday, Trump praised

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — All schools in Canada’s most populous province will be shut down and move to online learning because of a record number of coronavirus infections fueled by the ultra-contagious omicron variant. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also says restaurants and gyms will close.  Ontario is seeing records new infections

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The fire that has already destroyed South Africa’s main Parliament chamber flared up again Monday about 36 hours after it started in the 130-year-old complex of historic buildings. Firefighters have been sent back to the Parliament precinct in the center of Cape Town after

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting rights legislation. Schumer says in a letter to colleagues that the Senate “must evolve” on the rules. Pointing to the Jan. 6 attack on the

By HAROLD ISAAC Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti has welcomed the new year with violence as Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the northern city of Gonaïves following a shootout between his security forces and an armed group that had warned the leader not to set foot in the city. Local media reported that

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a ship in the Red Sea, armed drones targeted Baghdad’s international airport, and hackers hit a major Israeli newspaper. The assaults Monday show the reach of Iran-allied militias on the second anniversary of America’s killing of a top Iranian general.

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say a fourth person has died after several people pulled out weapons and fired more than 50 bullets at a New Year’s Eve party in Mississippi. A coroner said 52-year-old Nathaniel Harris died Sunday from multiple gunshot wounds. Three others were wounded but survived. Dozens of people were thought to

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of people have blocked roads in several locations in Serbia demanding that the authorities scrap any plans for lithium mining that ecologists say would devastate the environment. Several minor incidents were reported on Monday as angry drivers sought to push through the crowds that halted traffic in the northern city

BERLIN (AP) — About 700 sheep and goats have been recruited in Germany’s drive to encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The animals were arranged on Monday into the shape of a roughly 100-meter (330-foot) syringe in a field at Schneverdingen, south of Hamburg. Shepherd Wiebke Schmidt-Kochan said it wasn’t difficult to work

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks are getting the new year off to a solid start, posting gains on the first day of trading after closing out 2021 with big gains for the third year in a row. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday allowed extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and the FDA says they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is suggesting there will be no tightening of measures to slow the current surge in coronavirus infections, in spite of the country’s healthcare system remaining under strain for weeks. The highly transmissible omicron variant has sent Britain’s daily new caseload soaring over Christmas and the New Year,

By COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden only rarely talks about last January’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the conspiratorial lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Likewise, Biden has prioritized other matters ahead of voting rights — a matter that directly relates to the

By AAMER MADHANI and PARKER PURIFOY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A winter storm packing heavy snow has closed government offices and schools in the nation’s capital and surrounding suburbs. Monday’s storm dumped between 6 and 11 inches of snow six and grounded the president’s helicopter. Travel was treacherous and more than 500,000 customers lost