AP National News

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man accused of putting razor blades and screws in pizza dough at supermarkets in Maine and New Hampshire has been sentenced to four years and nine months in  prison. The hearing proceeded Thursday although 39-year-old Nicholas Mitchell of Dover, New Hampshire, was recovering from COVID-19 contracted in jail. The judge

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jury selection has resumed in the trial of a suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in Daunte Wright’s shooting death. Heading into Thursday’s proceedings, prosecutors and attorneys had seated nine of the 14 jurors needed for former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial, with

By BERNARD McGHEE Associated Press They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service. But both also saw their legacies tarnished by their actions in the long, bloody war in Iraq. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are among the many noteworthy

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A ball planned for the first Black mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, has been canceled amid concerns its circus theme was inappropriate in the once-segregated city. The Junior League of St. Petersburg has thrown such balls since 2006. But the Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday that it scrapped the event

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Authorities in Norway say at least 50 people in Oslo have been infected with the omicron coronavirus variant. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the cases are connected to a company’s Christmas party in a restaurant in the capital. The Oslo Municipality said Thursday

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer PARIS (AP) — The sister of a man who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is asking seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to help save her brother’s life. Zeinab Abu Al-Kheir told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Hamilton’s declaration two weeks ago in

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military has deployed coastal defense missile systems near the Pacific Islands also claimed by Japan, a move intended to underline Moscow’s firm stance in the dispute. The Bastion systems were moved to Matua, a deserted volcanic island in the middle of the Kuril Islands chain.

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Spacewalking astronauts have replaced a broken antenna outside the International Space Station after getting NASA’s all-clear for orbiting debris. Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron completed the job Thursday. They were supposed to do it Tuesday, but NASA delayed their spacewalk because of potentially threatening

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian government has vowed to reinforce measures to contain the coronavirus even more with fresh measures to be decided Friday, possibly including more school closures and further reducing opening times of bars and restaurants. Local media say Friday’s possible measures also include further cuts in indoor sports events, and reducing group

CALLAHAN, Fla. (AP) — Officials say a 57-year-old Florida man who served as the music minister at a church is accused of fatally shooting his wife and two adult children. Nassau County Sheriff Bob Leeper says William Conway Broyles called 911 on Wednesday to report what he had done. He later told investigators that he

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British and Irish governments are expressing optimism that a thorny spat between the U.K. and the European Union over Northern Ireland trade can be resolved. But Ireland’s top diplomat said Thursday that negotiations are likely to drag on into next year. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries have decided to maintain the amount of oil they pump to the world. The decision comes even as the new omicron variant casts a shadow of uncertainty over the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Officials from

NEW YORK (AP) — The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin a prop gun that went off on a New Mexico film set, killing a cinematographer, backs up the actor’s assertion that he did not pull the trigger. Lisa Torraco, a lawyer for assistant director David Halls, told ABC News that her client has always

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s lawmakers have rejected a civic legislative proposal that would have outlawed abortion as homicide. The vote Thursday to reject the proposal was overwhelming, also because most of the ruling right-wing party lawmakers voted against it. Submitted by an anti-abortion group, the proposal called for up to 25 years in prison

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys has teased some of her new material at an intimate performance in Miami where she also guided a few hundred people through a 10-minute meditation. Keys asked concert goers gathering for an immersive exhibit on the eve of Art Basel Miami Beach to

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a new treasury and finance minister after the previous one stepped down as the country’s currency has tumbled to record lows. An announcement published in the Official Gazette on Thursday said Erdogan named deputy minister Nureddin Nebati to the post. The announcement said Lutfi

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Migrants seeking to enter the United States will again have to stay in Mexico as they await immigration hearings. The Biden administration reluctantly announced plans Thursday to accept the Trump-era policy and agreed to Mexico’s conditions for resuming it. That paves the way for returns to

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press New York (AP) — Country music star Kelsea Ballerini had no intentions of starting a new job as an author in 2020. She did plan to tour her new album, “Kelsea” — then the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of the world. As COVID-19 all but stopped the touring

By WILLIAM J. KOLE Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love is being honored by a Boston foundation for his work on and off the court to take the stigma out of mental health struggles. The Cleveland Cavaliers power forward is the latest recipient of the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation’s Award in

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries have decided to maintain the amount of oil they pump to the world even as the new omicron variant casts a spikey shadow of uncertainty over the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Officials from OPEC countries, led