Month: November 2021

By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia officials have certified the results of the Nov. 2 election, with Republicans ahead by two seats in the House of Delegates. But two races where Republicans are leading by razor-thin margins are eligible for recounts. Monday’s certified results show Republicans with 52 seats to 48

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Several thousand people have rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, demanding that authorities in the ex-Soviet nation transfer the jailed ex-president to a civilian hospital amid reports that his health is deteriorating after weeks of being on a hunger strike. Mikheil Saakashvili, 53, announced a hunger strike shortly after his

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Health care costs rise every year, but the nation’s biggest employers still see insurance coverage as an important benefit to provide. They just struggle getting the health care system to deliver what their workers need, according to Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health. Mitchell’s nonprofit

LONDON (AP) — Members of a gang of international jewel thieves who stole millions in gems and other valuables from wealthy victims including Formula One heiress Tamara Ecclestone have been sentenced to prison terms by a British judge. Italian citizens Jugoslav Jovanovic, Alessandro Maltese and Alessandro Donati struck three London mansions during a two-week burglary

By BROOKE LEFFERTS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When Bob Mackie was 11, his uncle asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and his response was a costume designer on Broadway. Mackie lived in California and had never been to New York, but he was fixated on the “color, excitement

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing a $25 million investment to repair Miami’s Freedom Tower. The aging building is also known as the “Ellis Island of the South” because it housed the Cuban Assistance Center where refugees received government help after leaving the communist island following

By ANNIE MA and MIKE MELIA Associated Press The rollout of COVID-19 shots for elementary-age children has exposed another blind spot in the nation’s efforts to address pandemic inequalities. Health systems have released little data on the racial breakdown of youth vaccinations, and community leaders fear that Black and Latino kids are falling behind. Only

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations has announced it will provide $40 million in emergency funding for conflict-wracked northern Ethiopia and drought-affected southern areas. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths allocated $25 million from the U.N.’s Central Emergency Response Fund and the country-based Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund allocated $15 million.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top diplomat says the bloc is planning to take action against anyone delaying Mali’s political transition. It’s also drawing up a list of sanctions to slap on Russian mercenaries that Mali’s government hired to fight extremists. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said foreign ministers agreed Monday to set

By SALAR SALIM and ZEINA KARAM Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Gaylan Delir Ismael, a 25-year-old from Iraq’s Kurdistan region, jumped at the chance to try to get to Europe when he heard that thousands from the Middle East were taking advantage of easily obtained tourist visas from Belarus. A diabetic, he was desperate to