AP National News

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed to a modest annual rate of 2.1% in the July-September quarter, slightly better than first reported. But economists are predicting a solid rebound in the current quarter as long as rising inflation and a recent uptick in COVID cases do not derail

By DARIA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has taken an experimental nasal vaccine against the coronavirus, three days after he received his booster shot, as Russia faces its worst surge of infections and deaths since the pandemic began. Putin was vaccinated with Sputnik V, Russia’s domestically developed vaccine,

By FRANK JORDANS and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Two of the prospective partners say a three-party agreement to form the next German government will be presented on Wednesday. The deal paves the way for center-left leader Olaf Scholz to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming weeks. The center-left Social Democrats

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plummeted last week to the lowest level in more than half a century, another sign that the U.S. job market is rebounding rapidly from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 71,000 to 199,000, the lowest since mid-November

By PHILIPP JENNE and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has warned that his inspectors are close to being unable to “guarantee” they know what’s going on at all of Iran’s nuclear sites. The comments Wednesday by Rafael Mariano Grossi represented a stark alarm after his trip

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to nominate Shalanda Young to head the Office of Management and Budget. That’s according to a person familiar with his plans. Young has served as the office’s acting director for much of 2021. Biden’s first nominee for the position,

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian rocket has blasted off successfully to deliver a new docking module to the International Space Station. The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled at 6:06 p.m. (1306 GMT) Wednesday from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, carrying the Progress cargo ship with the Prichal (Pier) docking module attached to

By FRANK JORDANS and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Two of the prospective partners say a three-party agreement to form the next German government will be presented on Wednesday. The deal paves the way for center-left leader Olaf Scholz to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming weeks. The center-left Social Democrats

LONDON (AP) — A man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for sending a bomb hoax to a U.K. coronavirus vaccine factory and similar parcels elsewhere including a laboratory in Wuhan. About 120 people had to be evacuated from a plant in Wales producing the Oxford-Astrazeneca shots in January after 54-year-old

By FRANK JORDANS and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Two of the prospective partners say a three-party agreement to form the next German government will be presented on Wednesday. The deal paves the way for center-left leader Olaf Scholz to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming weeks. The center-left Social Democrats

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A panel of U.K. lawmakers has slammed the government’s handling of compensation claims from legal residents whose lives were torn apart when authorities questioned their right to be in the country. The lawmakers are demanding an overhaul of the program four years after the scandal first emerged.

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government says Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has gone to the battlefront after the leader said martyrdom might be necessary in the yearlong war with rival fighters approaching the capital. A government spokesman told reporters the prime minister arrived at the front on

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Social distancing has became mandatory again across the Netherlands as coronavirus infections continue to soar. Meanwhile, the head of the country’s leading intensive care physician is calling for even tougher measures to rein in the pandemic. The Netherlands is in the midst of a surge

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Twenty small towns in northern Italy’s autonomous South Tyrol province have imposed new anti-coronavirus restrictions. The partial lockdown is aimed at containing rising coronavirus infections and saving the key winter tourism season in one of the least-vaccinated parts of Italy. The restrictions in towns north of Bolzano

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is appealing to the European Union not to forget the plight of ordinary citizens and political prisoners in the former Soviet country. The EU is focused on a security crisis at its borders that it blames on President Alexander Lukashenko. It’s preparing

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Some British politicians are demanding a change in parliamentary rules after a lawmaker was told she could not bring her 3-month-old baby into the House of Commons chamber. Labour Party legislator Stella Creasy says she had received a letter from House of Commons authorities after she took

By ANNA HELHOSKI of NerdWallet Workers seeking a new career may face challenges if they’re looking to retrain, labor experts say. That’s because there are few social supports in place that allow career-change aspirants the time and financial help to do it. The “Great Resignation” won’t necessarily lead to a “great retraining,” but there are

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Israel and Morocco have signed a landmark agreement that lays the foundation for security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and future arms sales. The memorandum of understanding is the centerpiece of a visit this week by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Morocco. Morocco and Israel established

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has set another record for coronavirus infections as the government discusses whether to impose a national lockdown to tame the surge. The Health Ministry said Wednesday that daily infections surpassed 10,000 for the first time as 10,315 tested positive Tuesday. That’s over 1,000 more than the previous record registered Friday.

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, has lost control of the city councils of Johannesburg and other major cities, following recent local government elections. The ANC won less than 50% of the votes in the municipal elections earlier this month, a major blow for the