AP National News

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — African health officials and the United Nations are warning of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world as the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses rises, and routine vaccinations could be affected, too. The U.N. children’s

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has decided to keep its pandemic stimulus efforts unchanged even as consumer prices spike and central banks in other parts of the world look to dial back support as their economies bounce back from the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak. The

BEIJING (AP) — China has defended a new border law following criticism by India that it might disrupt the resolution of a 17-month-old standoff over disputed territory that has led to violent clashes. The law says Beijing will combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries. That prompted an appeal by India not

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — The businessman who organized the flight that resulted in the death of Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala has been found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft. Sala died after the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft in which he was traveling crashed in the English Channel in January 2019. Sala was

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently lost about 20 kilograms (44 pounds), but remains healthy and is trying to boost public loyalty to him amid worsening economic problems. Two lawmakers say the

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian officials have praised the “steel friendship” with China during talks with China’s foreign minister. The talks come amid fears in the West that Beijing, by heavily investing in the Balkan state, is trying to exert its political influence in that part of Europe. Serbia, a

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow city authorities have ordered most people to stay off work for at least 11 days, to stem coronavirus infections as new daily cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Russia surged to all-time highs. The government’s coronavirus task force on Thursday reported 1,159 deaths in 24 hours.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish appeals court has increased a sentence to two brothers by a year, giving them 15 years in prison each for the murder of a biracial man on a Danish island in June 2020. The slaying had sparked a nationwide debate about racism. The Eastern High Court in Copenhagen ruled

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press The move to phase out gifted education in New York City comes as districts across the country confront accusations that the programs are a form of racial segregation. The issue is that Black and Latino students historically have been underrepresented. Experts say that the teachers who often refer students to

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Public school programs for the gifted and talented are getting increased scrutiny as critics denounce them as modern-day segregation and push for broader access or outright elimination. Black, Latino and Native American parents have charged that exclusive programs underscore inequities in an educational system that

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, says the social media giant does not prioritize engagement and user growth over safety. That contradicts Senate testimony by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who claims Facebook knows its systems harm vulnerable people and hasn’t made meaningful changes to prevent it. Bickert spoke

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s president says the ballot box is the best way of breaking a political stalemate after the country’s parliament threw out the government’s proposed state budget for next year. But the head of state’s plan to hold a snap election could backfire by producing an even

BERLIN (AP) — The U.N.’s top human rights official is calling for countries to act decisively on climate change, saying it is a “matter of survival” for humanity. The global body’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that “only urgent, priority action can mitigate or avert disasters that will have huge – and

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say an American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. Flight 976 was heading Wednesday evening from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — European gas prices have dropped after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the country’s major natural gas company to pump more gas into EU storages. During a call with officials late Wednesday, Putin told the head of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom, to start pumping gas into the company’s

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Fighter jets have flown over the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki as parachutists landed and troops marched in the city to mark a national holiday commemorating Greece’s defiance of Fascist Italy that forced it to enter World War II. But some student parades traditionally held in municipalities on were cancelled Thursday,

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A Hungarian official announced Thursday that the government will allow employers to require that their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for work. Additional new measures will include the required wearing of masks on public transportation and a ban on visits to public health

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats say a deal is within reach on President Joe Biden’s big domestic bill. But tempers have flared as a paid family leave proposal fell out and a billionaires tax plan ended up scrapped, largely to satisfy one pivotal senator. Biden

By DANICA KIRKA and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain says it will summon the French ambassador for a dressing-down, the latest move in a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union. Britain’s government warned France on Thursday that it would retaliate should

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors have brought charges against a former defense minister over a massive blast at a munitions disposal factory in 2008 that killed 26 people. A state body in charge of probing high officials said it had charged Fatmir Mediu, a defense minister in 2005-2008, with abuse of his position. The