AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s justice minister says he will present legislation next month to remove from the country’s criminal code a ban on doctors “advertising” abortions, one of several more liberal social policies that the new government plans. The three parties that form Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government have long opposed the current rules, but they

By ASTRID GALVAN Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Safe haven laws drew attention this month when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned the role they play in the debate around abortion rights. Slightly over 4,000 babies have been surrendered since the first law took effect in 1999, according to the National Safe Haven

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of small business owners have rallied in South Korea’s capital, calling for the withdrawal of a curfew and tough coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities. The protesters pumped their fists in the air and chanted, “Guarantee the right to live!” and

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says one migrant has died and dozens are feared missing after a boat sank off the coast of the island of Folegandros. The body of the unidentified man was recovered during an ongoing search and rescue operation launched after the boat sank some 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets have followed Wall Street higher after President Joe Biden reassured investors by calling for more vaccinations but no business or travel curbs in response to the omicron coronavirus variant. Shanghai, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. London opened lower. Wall Street rose after

MADRID (AP) — Spaniards looking for a respite from the pandemic’s gloom and doom are turning their attention Wednesday to a rite that for more than two centuries has marked the beginning of the festive period: the country’s bumper Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” or “The Fat One.” The draw, held annually since 1812,

By SAM MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan parliamentary committee says it’s become “impossible” to hold the country’s long-waited presidential election in two days as scheduled. The announcement on Wednesday was the first official statement that the balloting would not happen on Friday after all, following stepped-up calls for a delay of the

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says a broad search and rescue operation has been launched after a boat carrying migrants ran into trouble and sank south of the Cycladic island of Folegandros, leaving dozens potentially missing. The coast guard said Wednesday that 12 people had been rescued from a small lifeboat, with survivors

BANGKOK (AP) — Rescue officials say a landslide at a remote jade mine in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state has left at least one person dead and 70 missing and a search and rescue operation is underway. Reports were scant from the area in Hpakant, which is the center of the world’s biggest and most lucrative

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. Although the early findings are not conclusive, especially because daily figures are prone to fluctuations, the signs that South Africa’s intense wave is

By DAVID McHUGH and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Russia’s natural gas pipeline to Europe is built and filling with gas. But the Nord Stream 2 pipeline still faces a rocky road ahead before the gas can flow to customers in Germany and Europe. First, the U.S. secretary of state has said

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says a broad search and rescue operation has been launched after a boat carrying migrants ran into trouble and sank south of the Cycladic island of Folegandros, leaving dozens potentially missing. The coast guard said Wednesday that 12 people had been rescued from a small lifeboat, with survivors

By FARES AKRAM Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Virtually every household in the Gaza Strip relies on batteries to keep their home running — a result of years of chronic power outages. Families use batteries to fuel everything from lights to internet routers to solar panels. This has mitigated one crisis but

By VICTORIA MILKO Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Construction for tourism in Indonesia’s Komodo National Park is raising concerns from U.N. officials, environmental activists and residents about damage to Komodo dragon habitat. Construction is under way for a visitor center and other features on a main island where the huge endangered lizards live, and

SYDNEY (AP) — New COVID-19 cases in Australia’s most populous state have surged to a pandemic record, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with state leaders to discuss preventative measures. Morrison emerged from Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting again rejecting lockdowns and mask mandates imposed by the federal government. He said policies on mask wearing were