AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s disease control agency said Friday that the country has entered into a “nationwide state of emergency” because of surging coronavirus infections. The head of the Robert Koch Institute said regular medical care cannot be guaranteed anymore in some parts of the country because hospitals and intensive care wards

BEIJING (AP) — China is threatening to retaliate against Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian says Lithuania will “reap what it sows,” but gave no details.  He described the move as an “egregious act” that “grossly interferes” in China’s internal

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have reported a record number of coronavirus deaths for a third day in a row. Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported 1,254 virus deaths Friday, up from the previous record of 1,251 registered the day before. The task force also reported 37,156 new confirmed cases. The daily new infections in

By ELOGE WILLY KANEZA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States has ended a sanctions program for Burundi, saying circumstances have changed in the East African nation several years after a bloody political crackdown. The U.S. says sanctions and visa restrictions on 11 people designated under the program have been lifted, reflecting President

BY MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on African nations to heed warnings posed by crises in Ethiopia and Sudan, take seriously popular demands for better governance and enact reforms. Blinken said growing extremism, increasing authoritarianism and exploding corruption in Africa are imperiling democracy,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets are mostly higher after Wall Street hit a record and Japan’s Cabinet approved a record stimulus package worth nearly a half-billion dollars. Market benchmarks in London, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Tokyo advanced. Hong Kong declined. Wall Street futures were up after a 0.3% gain

By ARITZ PARRA and RENATA BRITO Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A group of 39 Palestinians is waiting in a restricted area of the Barcelona airport for a fifth day after they refused to board their flight during a stopover because they wanted to request asylum in Spain, the country’s authorities say. Their flight on

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it scrambled fighter jets to respond to a group of Russian and Chinese warplanes that entered its air buffer zone unannounced. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft in the country’s air defense identification zone off its eastern

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record 56 trillion yen, or $490 billion stimulus package, including cash handouts and aid to ailing businesses, to help the economy out of the doldrums worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. The plan includes doling out 100,000 yen, or $880, each in

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says the country will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases. Schallenberg said the lockdown will start Monday and initially last for 10 days. Students will have to go back into home schooling, restaurants will close and

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Aaron Curry was known a decade ago as an NFL bust. He was the No. 4 pick of the 2009 draft and four years later he was out of the league. Curry is hoping in the future he’s known for his success as a coach.

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The task force in charge of Taiwan’s COVID-19 response has acknowledged that the island could have done better in fighting the disease, after 12 families who lost relatives to the pandemic filed a claim seeking financial compensation from the government. The Central Epidemic Command Center says

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Afghanistan is facing a looming humanitarian crisis as aid organizations struggle with ways to pay doctors, nurses and others on the ground because there is currently no way to transfer salaries to bank accounts there. The head of the International Committee of the Red

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A surprising disclosure in Malaysian Parliament that former Prime Minister Najib Razak has asked to be given a house and land estimated to be worth $24 million despite his graft conviction has sparked fierce reactions. The matter was raised by ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who questioned if it was true

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say seven migrants have been killed and eight others injured after the driver of the vehicle they were traveling in lost control and crashed in northern Greece. Police said Friday the vehicle carrying 15 people had been traveling on a highway from the area of Greece’s northeastern border with

By MARIA CHENG and FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — When the coronavirus first emerged last year, health officials feared the pandemic would sweep across Africa, killing millions and destroying the continent’s fragile health systems. Although it’s still unclear what COVID-19’s ultimate toll will be, that catastrophic scenario has yet to materialize in

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy seized control of the House floor for more than eight hours overnight, preempting passage of President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill. Part political performance, part stall tactic, the hours-long speech was rambling and full of vitriol. McCarthy acknowledged he was “angry.”

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press HODMEZOVASARHELY, Hungary (AP) — An independent conservative candidate for prime minister in Hungary is vowing to restore western alliances he says have frayed under the leadership of right-wing leader Viktor Orban. In an interview with the Associated Press, joint opposition candidate Peter Marki-Zay said he will reverse the closer ties

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is engrossed in debate over the legacy of apartheid’s last president, F.W. de Klerk, who died last week at 85. Some people want to remember de Klerk as the liberator of Nelson Mandela. But others say he was responsible for racist murders. The controversy comes