AP National News

By DIANE JEANTET and DAVID BILLER Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Protesting truckers snarled traffic along highways in many Brazilian states on Thursday as President Jair Bolsonaro asked them to stand down and later published an unusual statement backpedaling his comments that inflamed political tensions. Bolsonaro rallied supporters on Tuesday to coincide with

ROME (AP) — The Italian Coast Guard has rescued 125 migrants who took refuge on the rocky edge of a tiny uninhabited isle after one of their boats sank near Lampedusa island. The coast guard said the migrants, including 20 minors, were “in a clear state of shock” when they were spotted on Isola dei

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 310,000, a pandemic low and a sign that the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant has yet to lead to widespread layoffs. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press Imagine a giant all-you-can-eat buffet, row after row of hot, steaming offerings. The thing is, there are only 12 items on the menu, cooked by 53 different chefs. That, in a nutshell, is what you’ll get with “The Metallica Blacklist” a box set of covers of the 1991 Metallica self

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Twenty Democratic attorneys general have voiced their support for a lawsuit challenging South Carolina’s new abortion law. The prosecutors argue in a brief filed in federal court Wednesday that the restrictive measure could harm their states by taxing resources if women cross borders to seek care. South Carolina’s law restricts

By MIKE BALSAMO and ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House will withdraw the nomination of a gun-control advocate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after David Chipman ran into bipartisan opposition in the Senate. He won praise from advocates for his work pushing for greater regulation and

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant. The government’s expansive new rules, announced Thursday, mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In an unusual North Korean parade that showcased military animals and virus workers in hazmat suits instead of ballistic missiles, leader Kim Jong Un still managed to seize the spotlight by looking thinner and more energetic than he has in years. Experts say Kim’s weight

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italian authorities say anti-terrorism police have raided the homes of eight people allegedly advocating violence, particularly against journalists, in upcoming protests against the government’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements. The raids were carried out on Thursday in Rome and five northern cities, including Bergamo, which has been particularly hard

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has sacked two Cabinet members, including one who was widely reported to have unsuccessfully plotted for him to lose a parliamentary no-confidence vote last week. Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao was deeply controversial even before the alleged mutiny attempt for being imprisoned for four years in Australia

By ED WHITE Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The University of Michigan is being sued by 10 people who say they were sexually assaulted by a campus doctor. The school is accused of violating Michigan law by limiting the number of people who can speak at public meetings held by its governing board. Victims of

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The number of workers still on furlough in Britain has fallen to its lowest level since a salary support program was first introduced at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic 18 months ago. HM Revenue and Custom, which compiles the data, said Thursday that 1.6 million people

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A Jordanian court has upheld the convictions of two former senior officials on sedition and other charges connected to an alleged plot against the kingdom involving the half-brother of King Abdullah II. Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid were sentenced to 15 years in prison in July by a state

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s already thin supply of COVID-19 vaccines has taken another significant hit. The World Health Organization’s Africa director says that for various reasons, including the rollout of booster shots, “we will get 25% less doses than we were anticipating by the end of the year.” The

BERLIN (AP) — Investigators have carried out searches at the German finance and justice ministries in a probe of suspected obstruction of justice by employees of a unit of the country’s customs service that fights money laundering. Word of the searches comes just over two weeks ahead of a parliamentary election in which Finance Minister

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Tehran has died. The report Thursday did not elaborate on the cause of death of Christopher Mapanga, but reportedly he had suffered from liver disease. It said the Iranian foreign ministry coordinated with police and judicial authorities for legal procedures and identification of the

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she has been treated for breast cancer and the treatment “went well.” The 61-year-old says Thursday that the cancer was found in February during a routine mammogram, and she had a lumpectomy to remove it. She says she completed radiation treatment in

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A year ago on Thursday, Greece’s notoriously squalid refugee camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos burnt down, leaving nearly 12,000 people in need of emergency housing as winter approached. European leaders then vowed such squalid facilities would be a thing of the past. But

MADRID (AP) — Nearly 800 people have been evacuated from their homes and road traffic has been disrupted as firefighting teams and planes fight a wildfire in southwestern Spain. The fire in a mountain range of the Malaga province broke out late Wednesday and grew overnight, prompting the first evacuations near the resort town of

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British airline easyJet said it has rejected an unsolicited takeover approach as it announced plans to raise another 1.2 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) from shareholders to shore up its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Thursday, the company said its board had “unanimously” rejected the