AP National News

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet You likely lean on a variety of apps and websites to manage your professional life, your social life and even your financial life. Technology can do a lot for you, but sometimes taking an old-fashioned approach is actually better. In some circumstances, talking to a real person — either over

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A retired Russian admiral has alleged that the 2000 Kursk submarine disaster was caused by a collision with a NATO sub in an unproven claim that defies the official conclusion that the country’s worst post-Soviet naval catastrophe was triggered by a faulty torpedo. Retired Adm. Vyacheslav Popov

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Environmental activists are welcoming the end of electricity generation from coal in Portugal. But they said Monday the possible conversion of the country’s last coal-fired power plant into one that burns wood pellets would be a step in the wrong direction. The last Portuguese coal plant stopped generating over the weekend.

CAIRO (AP) — A Sudanese doctors’ group says that the country’s security forces have targeted hospitals and prevented injured protesters from getting treatment since top generals initiated a coup last month. In a statement Monday, The United Office of Sudanese Doctors said security forces have stopped ambulances carrying injured protesters from reaching hospitals, entered emergency

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Austrians savored one last mulled wine in packed Christmas markets before the curtain came down on the holiday season that was just getting underway, plunging the country that gave the world “Silent Night” into its fourth lockdown of this pandemic on Monday.  The capital, Vienna, awoke groggily

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China is demanding that Lithuania end its newly enhanced relationship with Taiwan that has already prompted Beijing to downgrade diplomatic ties with the EU-member nation. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday demanded Lithuania “immediately put right its mistake” of allowing the self-governing island to open a de-factor

The Associated Press Thailand’s DTAC and True Corp. plan a merger that they say will create an “equal partnership” for pursuing opportunities in the tech sector. Regulators reportedly asked the companies for clarification about the plan, which was announced Monday by Norway’s Telenor Group, parent company of DTAC, and Charoen Pokphand (CP) Holding, the parent

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has drawn criticism from the United States for his remarks about the status of the Crimean Peninsula. It came Monday after he secured his second term with a landslide victory in a runoff election Sunday. The U.S. Embassy released a statement voicing “deep concern” over Radev’s recent

By LISA RATHKE and WILSON RING Associated Press Vermont’s sole congressman, Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, says he’ll run for Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Senate seat next year. Welch made the announcement Monday, a week after the 81-year-old Leahy said he won’t seek reelection. The 74-year-old Welch is one of the most liberal members of Congress.

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s health minister says the rapid rise in coronavirus cases means it’s likely everyone in the country who isn’t vaccinated will have caught COVID-19 by the end of the winter, and some of those will die. Official figures showed more than 30,000 newly confirmed cases in Germany

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s coronavirus death toll continues to hover near all-time highs, but the number of new infections has continued to decline. The state coronavirus task force on Monday reported 1,241 COVID-19 deaths, down from the pandemic’s record of 1,254 recorded last week. The task force also reported 35,681

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Markets have opened higher in Europe after a mixed day of trading in Asia. A resurgence of coronavirus outbreaks has prompted some countries to look to stricter precautions to curb yet another wave of the pandemic. Shares rose in London, Paris, Tokyo, South Korea and Shanghai but fell in

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Democracy is deteriorating across the world, with countries notably taking undemocratic and unnecessary actions to contain the coronavirus pandemic, an intergovernmental body said in its new report Monday. International IDEA says that as of August 2021, 64% of countries have taken an action to curb

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The International Monetary Fund says it has reached a preliminary agreement with Pakistan, toward reviving a $6 billion bailout for the Islamic nation. In Monday’s statement, the IMF said it reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistani authorities on policies and reforms. Pakistan and IMF signed the accord

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer Peng Shuai’s appearance in a video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach aired after the Chinese tennis player was out of public view for almost three weeks. The IOC and the Chinese government would like this to be the end of a saga which has run since

By TRISHA THOMAS Associated Press ROCCELLA JONICA, Italy (AP) — Officials in southern Italy are seeing a sharp increase in the number of migrant crossings using a lesser-known smuggling route from Turkey to the southern region of Calabria, in the “toe” of boot-shaped Italy. Entire families of wealthier Afghans, Iraqis and Iranians are paying upwards

JERUSALEM (AP) — A one-time spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu has taken the stand against him in a corruption trial in Jerusalem. Nir Hefetz, a former spokesman for Netanyahu and a key prosecution witness, began testifying on Monday. His statement had been delayed because Netanyahu’s defense attorneys requested time to review new evidence alleging that Netanyahu’s

By BARBARA SURK Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The world police agency meets in Istanbul this week to elect new leadership. But human rights groups are warning that Interpol’s powerful network of global cops could end up in the hands of authoritarian governments. Representatives of countries like China and the United Arab Emirates are bidding

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — It was the decade Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, the Celtics-Lakers rivalry took flight and the NBA’s second dynasty reigned on the Boston Garden’s parquet court. It was also a time of ongoing struggle and crisis across America, when the country was forever altered on a

By SCOTT BAUER and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — The city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, says at least 5 people are dead and more than 40 injured after an SUV sped through barricades and into a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb. The city did not release any additional information about those who