AP National News

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press BARINAS, Venezuela (AP) — Farmer Julio Álvarez hasn’t sold milk in about a year and a half even though the cows at his farm in northwestern Venezuela are milked every day. Fuel shortages and rationing make it impossible to transport it to market. The fed up Álvarez was among

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The last piano on which Frederic Chopin played and composed is being renovated by a U.S. expert who is giving it back its original mid-19th century characteristics. Paul McNulty is spending days at the Chopin museum in Warsaw filling in some cracks in the soundboard and

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State University of New York Chancellor James Malatras said he will resign amid criticism for sending text messages mocking one of the women who later accused former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. Calls for Malatras’ resignation or removal began after state Attorney General Letitia James

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a crash in Minneapolis that followed a police pursuit of an SUV that was reportedly stolen has left two juveniles dead and three others hospitalized. Police say officers in suburban Robbinsdale spotted a Mercedes SUV about 2 a.m. Thursday that was reported stolen in Minneapolis and attempted to stop the

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The average interest rate on a long-term mortgage in the U.S. held firm again this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year, fixed rate home loan ticked down this week to 3.10% from 3.11% last week.

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Anuel AA finally felt free to express himself uncensored on his new album, “Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren” (Legends Never Die). It came out on the the trap and reggaeton star’s 29th birthday, and landed soon after he finished his three-year probation in a case of illegal

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer It’s never easy to define a year in pop culture, especially in a rollercoaster year like 2021, when we were up and down again, and again, and again. People looked for happiness where they could find it and were cheered by Britney Spears’ new freedom, the renewed love that

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s health minister says the country plans to impose fines of up to 3,600 euros (around $4,000) on people who flout a coronavirus vaccine mandate for all residents ages 14 and over that it aims to introduce in February. The government announced last month that it would

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1968,

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest X-ray observatory is circling the world after launching from Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX launched the spacecraft early Thursday on its $188 million mission to shed light on exploded stars, black holes and other violent high-energy events unfolding in the universe. It’s actually

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s independent vaccination advisory panel says it is recommending COVID-19 shots for children aged 5 to 11 with pre-existing conditions or who are in close contact to vulnerable people. The expert panel also said Thursday that young kids without pre-existing conditions can be vaccinated if there is an “individual desire” to do

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police arrested a congressional staffer on Thursday after he walked into a legislative building with a gun in his bag. The incident led to a brief lockdown in a Capitol Hill complex that’s still on edge nearly a year after a deadly insurrection. Police say

By AAMER MADHANI and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has opened the first White House Summit for Democracy by sounding an alarm about a global slide for democratic institutions. He’s calling for world leaders to “lock arms” and demonstrate that democracies can deliver. In making the case for action Thursday

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Maria Ressa, joint winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace prize says media worldwide should join forces in “fighting for facts” amid threats to press freedoms instead of competing with each other. Speaking at an Oslo press conference Thursday with fellow laureate Dmitry Muratov of Russia, Ressa, a Filipina, said that since

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1968,

By COREY WILLIAMS and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Two lawsuits seeking $100 million each have been filed against a Michigan school district, its superintendent and others after four students were fatally shot and others wounded at Oxford High School. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger says the lawsuits were filed in Detroit federal court

By NOHA ELHENNAWY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Israel’s foreign minister is in Cairo on a diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening ties and shoring up a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Egypt’s president, foreign minister and intelligence chief on Thursday. The talks reflect budding ties

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s national security advisor has tweeted that the last round of technical talks with the U.S.-led coalition has ended, signaling a new phase in U.S. involvement in the fight against the extremist Islamic State group. The official has said the last round of talks will formally

ROME (AP) — News reports and the Italian Culture Ministry say Italian director Lina Wertmueller, the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for directing, has died. She was 93. Wertmueller in 1976 became the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for directing for “Seven Beauties,” a film for which she also was nominated