AP National News

KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas are searching for a man who opened fire inside a shopping mall, wounding one person. Killeen Police Chief Charles Kimble says officers responded to the Killeen Mall at about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday after shots were fired. One person was shot multiple times and was taken by helicopter to

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union wants to set up a system of trade sanctions that it could impose on any foreign power it accuses of trying to coerce the 27-country bloc for economic or political gain. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, wants to be able to react

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina city is planning to put up a historical marker to commemorate a nightclub that hosted Black musicians and patrons in the segregated South. The city of Clemson purchased the marker in honor of the Littlejohn Grill. The venue opened after World War II and stayed open until the

By THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French authorities have announced that a man arrested at Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport linked to the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was misidentified.The Paris General Prosecutor’s office issued a short statement Wednesday after over 24 hours of checks. It said that the man arrested Tuesday

By DASHA LITVINOVA, AAMER MADHANI and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to appoint envoys to continue talks in light of escalating tensions involving Russia massing tens of thousands of troops near its border with Ukraine. The Kremlin said Wednesday it was unclear

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s air force says the country’s military chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Tamil Nadu state. It says in a tweet that the helicopter “met with a tragic accident.” The dead

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Rev. Craig Duke has been a Methodist minister for three decades, building a reputation as a staunch advocate of LGBTQ inclusion. His pastoral duties have now been terminated — the result of a bitter rift surfacing in his Indiana church. The divisions flared after

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s parliament has selected Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to become the rich Alpine country’s next president on New Year’s Day. The choice of Cassis was largely a formality after he was chosen as vice president a year ago. Switzerland’s presidency rotates every year among the seven members of the executive Federal Council,

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says no U.K. government minister will attend the Beijing Olympics. Johnson on Wednesday called it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott. Johnson was asked in the House of Commons whether the U.K. will join the United States, Australia and Lithuania in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games. He

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Masked Milanese turned out in all their finery for La Scala’s gala season opener of Verdi’s “Macbeth” in a fully seated theater. The performance on Tuesday night was a welcome return to the famed opera house after  after the pandemic made last year’s premiere a televised-only affair

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Pfizer says a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to offer important protection against the new omicron variant. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech tested how well vaccine-produced antibodies could neutralize omicron in lab dishes. They found significant weakening after the standard two doses. But a booster dose increased

MILES BRANMAN Edmunds (AP) — One of the perks of buying a new vehicle is that it offers features that promise a safer and more convenient driving experience. Some technologies have trickled down from luxury to mainstream segments, while others have been introduced quickly across the market. But which features are essential? In this week’s

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say an Israeli woman has been stabbed and lightly wounded in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood. The suspect, a Palestinian female minor, was later arrested inside a school. The stabbing took place in Sheikh Jarrah, where several Palestinian extended families are at risk of being evicted by Jewish settlers amid a

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization’s European region has recorded a slight drop in both COVID-19 cases and deaths last week after facing a string of weekly increases. The U.N. health agency also noted figures showing that all the 212 confirmed cases of the omicron variant so far identified in 18 European Union countries

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Deqa Dhalac is the first Somali immigrant to become the mayor of a U.S. city. The 53-year-old became mayor of South Portland, the fourth largest city in Maine, on Monday. She describes her rise in local politics as very old fashioned with her election coming after

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Olaf Scholz has become Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Scholz’s government takes office with high hopes of modernizing Germany and combating climate change but faces the immediate

By AMANDA BARROSO of NerdWallet It’s easy to go overboard on gifts for your kids for the holidays, but the result could be a drained bank account and an overstuffed toy bin come January. Money and child development experts point out that setting a holiday spending budget keeps your finances in check and could help

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Norwegian government is introducing a 10-person limit for gatherings at private homes to counter an uptick in COVID-19 cases, although the number will be increased to 20 on Christmas and New Year’s eves. It also is capping attendance at public events without assigned seating at 50. In addition, the government