AP National News

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press New York has announced three more cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, bringing to eight the number of state cases linked to the new variant. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday said the cases appear to be unrelated. Seven of them have been found in New York City and

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police killed a Palestinian after he stabbed and wounded an ultra-Orthodox Jew near Damascus Gate just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. The crowded area is often the scene of demonstrations and clashes, and was the epicenter of violence last spring that helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s opposition Labour Party has raised complaints to police about Christmas parties held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s staff in his office last year in breach of coronavirus restrictions. Labour lawmakers wrote to London’s Metropolitan Police asking them to investigate reports that two parties were held at No. 10 Downing Street in

By AYA BATRAWY and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — France’s president and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince held a joint phone call with Lebanon’s prime minister during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the kingdom. The call on Saturday represented a significant gesture amid a diplomatic and political crisis between Lebanon and

HONOLULU (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for mountains on Hawaii’s Big Island, saying wind gusts of above 100 mph and 12 inches  or more of snow were possible. The warning in effect through Sunday morning for Big Island summits said “travel should be restricted to emergencies only” and those

By DASHA LITVINOVA, AAMER MADHANI and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin plan to speak in a video call Tuesday as tensions between the United States and Russia escalate over a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border. The buildup is seen as a sign of a potential

By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Legendary rocker Lenny Kravitz gave a private performance for a star-studded crowd that included Leonardo DiCaprio and local Latin boy band CNCO during Miami’s Art week. Friday’s lavish party is an annual affair hosted by art collector Wayne Boich. Venus and Serena Williams danced and

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leaders of European right-wing populist parties say they will cooperate more closely at the European Union’s parliament in order to defend the sovereignty of their nations. A statement published at the end of the meeting Saturday in Warsaw fell short of a declaration to create

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police shot a Palestinian after he stabbed and wounded an ultra-Orthodox Jew near Damascus Gate just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. The crowded area is often the scene of demonstrations and clashes, and was the epicenter of violence last spring that helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man has been charged with trying to intimidate the judge presiding over the manslaughter trial of the former officer charged in Daunte Wright’s death.The Star Tribune reports Cortez A. Rice was charged last week with tampering with a judicial officer, a felony. Rice allegedly went into a condominium building where

By DASHA LITVINOVA, AAMER MADHANI and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak in a video call Tuesday. Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have escalated over a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border that’s seen as a sign of a

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro has canceled its New Year’s Eve party due to renewed COVID-19 fears. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes announced the decision on social media on Saturday. Paes had previously promised the biggest New Year’s Eve party ever, with multiple firework displays and artists performing on a dozen stages across

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police say at least 21 people died after a bus carrying choir members to a wedding plunged into a river in Kenya on Saturday. Mwingi East Sub-County Police Commander Joseph Yakan said the driver tried to steer the bus past a flooded bridge, but the strong current swept the vehicle into

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police shot a Palestinian after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed and wounded near Damascus Gate just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. The crowded area is often the scene of demonstrations and clashes. The Magen David Adom emergency service said it treated an ultra-Orthodox man in his 20s, saying he was in

By JAY REEVES Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama inmate who survived an execution attempt and died years later of natural causes was laid to rest in a grave dug by family and friends. A defense attorney says Doyle Lee Hamm was buried Friday afternoon beside his parents, siblings and other relatives at

By KATHLEEN FOODY and COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge has imposed a combined $1 million bond for the parents of the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at Oxford High School, hours after police said they were caught hiding in a commercial building. James and Jennifer Crumbley entered not

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Winter has started out weird in the United States. It’s been flip flop weather in much of the country with the Pacific Northwest getting record rainfall while Denver and the Rockies still are waiting for their first significant snowfall of the season. Meteorologists say a stuck jet stream, the

By ILIANA MIER Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Pope Francis was heckled by an elderly priest as he arrived for a meeting in Athens with the head of the country’s Orthodox church. The priest shouted: “Pope, you are a heretic!” three times as Francis arrived at the residence of the head of Greece’s Orthodox

By COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — The parents of the Michigan teen charged with killing four students at Oxford High School have pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges, hours after police said they were caught hiding in a commercial building. James and Jennifer Crumbley entered pleas to each