AP National News

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union official has warned Russia that the bloc has a battery of additional sanctions ready if Moscow decides to invade neighboring Ukraine. On the eve of an EU summit on the issue, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that beyond scaling

PARIS (AP) — Human rights activists with Amnesty International have urged the French soccer federation to pay attention to rights violations of migrant workers in Qatar a year before the World Cup. They have unveiled a giant banner on the French soccer federation’s building. It says “Thousands have died in Qatar and the soccer federation

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) — A former city councilor has won the Republican nomination for an Arkansas state senate seat in a special primary election, beating out candidates that included “19 Kids and Counting” father Jim Bob Duggar. Poll results from Tuesday’s election show that Republican challenger Colby Fulfer, who is chief of staff for the

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union drugs regulator said Wednesday that people 18 and older can receive a booster shot for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months after their initial shot of the one-dose vaccine. The European Medicines Agency also said the J&J vaccine can be used as a

By ARITZ PARRA and BARRY HATTON Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Residents on the Spanish island of La Palma are daring to hope that a volcanic eruption is over after almost three months. Islanders have endured unnerving daily explosions, earthquakes, rivers of molten rock and a huge ash plume containing toxic gases. The Cumbre Vieja

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A Berlin court has ruled that a Russian convicted of killing a Chechen man in Germany capital two years ago acted at the behest of Russian authorities. The Berlin regional court said Wednesday that Russian security services provided 56-year-old Vadim Krasikov with a false identity, fake passport

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers seeking government-subsidized health insurance for next year have through Wednesday to sign up if they want their new plan to start Jan. 1. It’s the first of two deadlines for HealthCare.gov coverage, with increased financial assistance available through President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief legislation. The last

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy has tested a laser weapon and destroyed a floating target in the Mideast. The test Tuesday saw the USS Portland test-fire its Laser Weapon System Demonstrator at the target in the Gulf of Aden, the body of water separating East Africa

By JAN M. OLSEN and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s data privacy watchdog fined gay dating app Grindr $7.16 million for sending sensitive personal data to hundreds of potential advertising partners without users’ consent. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said Wednesday that it imposed its highest fine to date because the

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A Berlin court has convicted a Russian man of a killing in Germany’s capital two years ago that prosecutors say was ordered by Russia. The 2019 slaying of a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity sparked outrage in Germany and inflamed diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Moscow.

Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The State Department says a journalist accompanying U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a trip to Britain and Southeast Asia has tested positive for COVID-19. Spokesman Ned Price said one of the 12 members of the traveling press corps on Blinken’s trip tested positive for coronavirus on

BEIJING (AP) — China has reported its economy slowed in November, buffeted by coronavirus outbreaks, weak demand and supply chain disruptions. Retail sales were weaker than in October and inflationary pressures are complicating efforts to boost growth. The spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, Fu Linghui, said the global environment was becoming “more complex

Associated Press IDI, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian court has handed down prison sentences for five men accused of being involved in killing a Sumatran elephant and illegally trading its ivory, as local conservation authorities look to protect the endangered species. The court in Aceh on Wednesday sentenced the men for violating Indonesian laws protecting

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace has renewed calls against proposed deep-sea oil and gas exploration off southwest Greece, warning of “unbearable” consequences to endangered Mediterranean whales and dolphins. A Greenpeace Greece official said Wednesday the project should be scrapped before “it starts to wreck the Mediterranean.” The appeal came as

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — A United Nations report says the prolonged pandemic and surging prices are undermining food security for millions of people in Asia. The report by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization released Wednesday says access to food worsened in 2020, with more than 375 million people facing

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have held a video call to discuss bilateral relations and international affairs. The summit Wednesday comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian troop buildup near Ukrainian borders that is stoking fears of a

By KRUTIKA PATHI and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — The luxury fashion house Chanel has chosen Leena Nair, an industry outsider from India and longtime executive at Unilever, to be its new CEO. Nair said in a Twitter post that she was “humbled and honored” to be appointed to the role at

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla (AP) — Reedy Creek fire officials say a small fire at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Tuesday may have sprouted from a tree. WESH-TV reports that officials say the fire near Cinderella Castle could have been caused by debris from the classic fireworks show set off at the castle. The castle

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of people were trapped on the rooftop of a Hong Kong skyscraper after a major fire broke out, as firefighters rushed to rescue them and put out the blaze. The fire started in the early afternoon Wednesday at the World Trade Centre on Gloucester Road

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The head of the European Union’s executive has warned Russia that the bloc has a battery of additional sanctions ready if Moscow decides to invade neighboring Ukraine. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that beyond scaling up and expanding existing sanctions, the EU can adopt “unprecedented