AP National News

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan’s autocratic president has put his only son in charge of the Central Asian nation’s energy sector. The move further expands his clout in a move seen as laying the foundations for a political dynasty. According to a report Thursday by the official daily Neutral Turkmenistan, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov told his

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — International Criminal Court appeals judges have cut by two years the sentence of an Islamic radical who pleaded guilty to overseeing the destruction of historic mausoleums in the Malian desert city of Timbuktu. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, a former teacher, was sentenced to nine years in 2016 for the

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama attorney general’s office says Montgomery owes a $25,000 for changing the name of a street that bore the name of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The Alabama attorney general’s office sent a letter to Montgomery officials saying the city must pay $25,000 for violating a

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — President Joe Biden is wishing Americans a happy and closer-to-normal Thanksgiving. It was the second Thanksgiving celebrated in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. The president and first lady Jill Biden visited a Coast Guard station on Nantucket Island to extend Thanksgiving greetings virtually to service

By ABDOULIE JOHN and CARLEY PETESCH Associated Press BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Investigators with Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission have delivered a final report to the president, identifying and recommending for prosecution those most responsible for crimes and human rights abuses during the 22-year rule of former President Yahya Jammeh. President Adama Barrow said

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors say they have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of four Russian tourists at a local beach resort last month. The four Russians — a married couple, their daughter and son-in-law — were found dead in a hotel sauna in the village of Qerret, 50 kilometers (30 miles)

MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russian parliament has stripped a lawmaker who is critical of the Kremlin of his immunity, allowing prosecutors to press charges against him over the allegedly illegal killing of an elk during a hunting trip. Valery Rashkin first denied the accusations but later reversed course and confessed to killing

By SAM METZ AP / Report for America Dave Hickey, a prominent American critic whose essays covered topics ranging from Liberace to Norman Rockwell, has died. The brash style and mixing of high- and low-brow culture that characterized his work earned him legions of fans and leaves a lasting influence on a generation of artists

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has declared that five Catholic priests who were killed during the Paris Commune revolutionary government that took control of Paris in 1871 were martyrs who were killed out of “hatred for the faith.”The martyrdom declaration means that the five priests can be beatified, the first big step toward possible canonization,

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press AGUILILLA, Mexico (AP) — The Mexican government is rapidly running out of tools to control the expansion of the feared Jalisco cartel on the front lines of Mexico’s narco war in the western state of Michoacan. The stalled ground effort is being supplemented by an increasing aerial conflict. Mexico’s most

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s top court has ruled that the country’s widely criticized Job Creation Law is unconstitutional and ordered the government to amend it within two years. The law, passed last year, triggered days of protests in many cities that turned violent as thousands of enraged students and

ROME (AP) — National Geographic’s famed green-eyed “Afghan Girl” has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country. The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized Sharbat Gulla’s evacuation after she asked to be helped to leave the country. The Italian government will now

By DAVID EGGERT and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Lawmakers in several states are debating precisely how many Black voters are needed in a legislative district to ensure they can elect the representative they want. It may sound like an esoteric question, but it could have major ramifications in Congress and state legislatures.

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Israel’s defense minister says he hopes a better nuclear deal will come out of upcoming talks between world powers and Iran. But Benny Gantz says Israel is hedging its bets and building up its military capabilities. He spoke to reporters on Thursday, at the close

By VESELIN TOSHKOV and STEPHEN MCGRATH Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — A Bulgarian official says human error is believed to be the likeliest cause behind the fiery bus crash in Bulgaria that killed 44 people early Tuesday morning, including 12 children. The bus, which officials said had 52 people on board, mostly nationals of

MARION, Ohio (AP) — A radio station serving U.S. President Warren G. Harding’s hometown in Ohio says a reward offered by one of its listeners is providing new hope of finding a long lost dog collar stolen from his historic home. Scott Spears, host of a morning radio show on WWGH-FM in Marion, said the

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press The second Thanksgiving of the COVID-19 pandemic comes as a resurgent virus has pushed new infections in the U.S. to 95,000 daily and caused alarming increases at hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona. American families are facing dilemmas over gatherings that have become burdened with

By STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday swore in a new coalition government led by a Liberal former army general and declared an end to a months-long political crisis in the Eastern European nation. The vote in parliament, which passed overwhelmingly, caps a protracted political crisis that

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of “a very sad day” as her country became the latest to surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The national disease control agency said Thursday it recorded 351 additional deaths over the past 24 hours, taking the total COVID-19

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow will continue providing natural gas to Serbia on terms favorable to its ally. Putin voiced confidence Thursday that a new contract for gas supplies to Serbia would be signed quickly to replace the current one that expires at year-end.  Putin said at the start of