AP National News

By BEN FOX Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan didn’t end with the departure of the last U.S. troops on Aug. 30. But it did slow to a trickle. The U.S. airlifted 124,000 people from Kabul, the capital, over about six weeks as the American-backed Afghan military

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government has issued a new order aiming to restrict media reporting of the country’s yearlong war, forbidding the sharing of non-official information on “military-related movements, battlefront results and situations.” The statement also warns that “supporting the (rival Tigray forces) directly or indirectly in the name

BERLIN (AP) — The German government says that Interpol’s new president, like all officials at the international law enforcement body, must act in accordance with the rule of law. The comments from Germany’s foreign ministry followed claims by human rights groups that the newly elected president of Interpol was involved in torture and arbitrary detentions

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have jumped to a new record high in a surge that hit the country’s president and has delayed the appointment of the new prime minister. The Health Ministry says the daily tally of new cases was 27,717 the previous day. That’s

CALAIS, France (AP) — French fishing crews temporarily blocked French ports and ferry traffic across the English Channel on Friday to disrupt the flow of goods to the U.K., a symbolic riposte in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing licenses.It’s the latest tension point between the neighboring countries, who are also trading blame for not doing

By NOHA ELHENNAWY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. envoy to Sudan says a deal struck to reinstate the country’s civilian prime minister after a military coup is imperfect but has saved the country from falling into civil strife. The recent deal between the country’s top general and the prime minister has seen him

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to help broker a settlement to a conflict between the two ex-Soviet neighbors. Putin’s talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will be held at the Russian leader’s Black Sea residence

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium and the Netherlands are taking new measures in an attempt to keep a COVID-19 spike from spiraling out of control, hoping that action now will safeguard the joys of Christmas next month. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had to reinforce measures for a the second time in a week and

CALAIS, France (AP) — French fishing crews blocked French ports and ferry traffic across the English Channel on Friday to disrupt the flow of goods to the U.K. in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing licenses. It’s the latest tension point between the neighboring countries, who are also trading blame for not doing enough to prevent

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi says a bilateral treaty signed with French President Emmanuel Macron to deepen bilateral cooperation will in turn strengthen the European Union. Draghi told a joint press conference with Macron Friday that the treaty deepens cooperation “in crucial sectors, from security to justice, from research to industry.” That includes

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A slew of nations have moved to stop air travel from southern Africa, and stocks have plunged in Asia and Europe in reaction to news of a new, potentially more transmissible COVID-19 variant. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that “the last thing we need is to

By YURAS KARMANAU KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday promised food and warm clothing to migrants who opt to stay at the border between the ex-Soviet nation and Poland and won’t return to their homeland. Lukashenko made the pledge during a visit to a facility that accommodates migrants at the border.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Police in Cyprus have arrested an Israeli man wanted by Italy for having helped spirit the 6-year-old lone survivor of a cable car accident out of Italy and to Israel. Eitan Biran was the sole survivor of the May 23 cable car crash in northern Italy that killed 14 people, including

Climate activists are blockading Amazon warehouses across the U.K. on Friday in an attempt to pressure the company on one of its busiest days of the year. They want the ecommerce giant to improve working conditions and end business practices that hurt the environment. Members of Extinction Rebellion targeted 13 Amazon fulfilment centers in the

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. It’s unclear where the new variant emerged, but scientists in South Africa first alerted the World

SHONAL GANGULY Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of jubilant Indian farmers waving green and white flags have marked the anniversary of their movement by celebrating a victory that forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw agriculture laws the farmers feared would drastically reduce their incomes. Using tractors, jeeps and cars, farmers from New

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister says the country is “on the threshold of an emergency situation” after authorities detected its first case of a new coronavirus variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. The Health Ministry says the traveler and two other suspected cases, all of whom were

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Advisers to the World Health Organization are holding a special session to flesh out information about a worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa, though its impact on COVID-19 vaccines may not be known for weeks. The technical advisory group on

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet has approved a $6.8 billion request for an extra defense budget through March to expedite the purchase of missiles, anti-submarine rockets and other weapons amid rising concern over the escalation of military activities by China, Russia and North Korea. The request, still pending parliamentary approval,

By NOHA ELHENNAWY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The UN mission in Libya condemns an attack by armed men on an appeals court as it was set to re-examine an earlier decision that disqualified the son of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi from running for president. On Friday, the UNSMIL warned that such acts would undermine