AP National News

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African cricket player Quinton de Kock has apologized for refusing to play in a T20 World Cup game but says he felt his rights were “taken away” when he and his teammates were told they must take a knee in support of

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian capital has started a nonworking period intended to stem coronavirus infections as daily cases and deaths from COVID-19 surged to all-time highs. The government coronavirus task force reported 1,159 deaths in 24 hours, Russia’s largest daily toll of the pandemic. The number of new confirmed

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia has reported third-quarter profit above analyst expectations on increasing sales of 5G technology and trimmed costs. But the company warned on Thursday that the global shortage of semiconductors clouded the market outlook and could hamper growth. The Finland-based company reported net

HONG KONG (AP) — The president of Hong Kong’s legislature says it has become more efficient with no opposition members, after all pro-democracy lawmakers resigned late last year to protest the ouster of four colleagues for not demonstrating sufficient loyalty to Beijing. Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on political dissent in the past year,

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s National Statistics Institute says consumer prices increased this month by the country’s highest rate in 29 years as a result of soaring electricity costs. Preliminary data from the institute released on Thursday said consumer prices rose 5.5% in October compared to the same month in 2020. Regulatory measures so far haven’t

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Sony has reported its profit fell 54% in the last quarter, mainly due to a one-time tax-related gain that inflated last year’s number. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company managed to maintain results despite the coronavirus pandemic, reporting a 13% rise in quarterly sales. Tokyo-based Sony

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Shares have slipped in Europe and Asia after a retreat on Wall Street pulled the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average back from their latest record highs. Shares fell in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Shanghai. In Seoul, the Kospi edged 0.2% higher after Samsung Electronics reported its

SYDNEY (AP) — A 64-year-old fugitive who surrendered to Australian police because a Sydney lockdown left him jobless and homeless has been sentenced to an additional two months behind bars for escaping from prison almost 30 years ago. Darko Desic has been back in custody since mid-September when he walked into a Sydney police station

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank is facing the highest inflation in more than a decade and slowing business activity as it decides on monetary policy for the 19 countries using the euro. The bank’s governing council meets Thursday with no changes expected in interest rates or

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers are grilling Facebook and other tech giants over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. The tech giant’s head of safety said Thursday that the company supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an “unsafe experience.” Representatives from

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen has lowered its forecast for deliveries to customers and reported a decrease in operating profits for the third quarter. The global shortage of semiconductors disproportionately hit the company’s business in China despite strong demand for its cars there. The company said on Thursday that deliveries in 2021 would be in

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A Sudanese military official says Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan has fired at least six ambassadors, including the country’s envoys to the U.S., the European Union and France. Also fired were the Sudanese ambassadors to the U.N. mission in Geneva, Qatar, and China. The state-run Sudan TV also reported

By KEVIN FREKING and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Democrats are getting low marks from the public as they try to get a roughly $1.75 trillion spending package over the finish line. Fewer than half of Americans approve of how they’ve handled negotiations. And many say they know little

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths, along with other parts of Eastern Europe. While vaccines are plentiful, there is widespread reluctance to get them in many countries. Only about 16% of Ukraine’s 41 million people are fully vaccinated, the second lowest

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. says a threat by France to block British boats from its ports in a dispute over fishing licenses appears to breach international law. The government is vowing to retaliate if Paris goes through with the move. France announced Wednesday that it will bar British fishing boats from some French ports

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top executives at ExxonMobil and other oil giants are set to testify at a landmark House hearing Thursday as congressional Democrats investigate what they describe as a decades-long, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming. The much-anticipated hearing comes

By SUZAN FRASER and MEHMET GUZEL Associated Press KONYA, Turkey (AP) — For centuries, Lake Tuz in central Turkey has hosted huge colonies of flamingos that migrate and breed there when the weather is warm. But this summer, a heart-wrenching scene replaced the usual splendid sunset images of the birds. Carcasses of flamingo hatchlings and

By JOSH BOAK and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden promised to show the world that democracies can work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As he prepares to push that message at a pair of global summits, Biden’s case could hinge on what’s happening in Washington, where he

By DAVID RISING and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesians are looking ahead warily toward the holiday travel season, anxious for crucial tourist spending but worried an influx of visitors could spread the coronavirus just as its pandemic situation seems to be subsiding. After seeing infection and death rates soar in July

By VICTORIA MILKO and KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Associated Press investigation has found that Myanmar’s military has tortured detainees held across the country in a methodical and systemic way since it took over the government in February. A monk told the AP that security forces beat him with batons and