Month: November 2021

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced a three-week partial lockdown amid surging COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands. The lockdown that begins Saturday night is the first to start in Western Europe since a new wave of infections began surging across parts of the

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A former German environment minister has announced his second run for the leadership of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party as the race to lead it in opposition starts to take shape. The Christian Democratic Union has decided to hold a ballot of its entire roughly 400,000-strong

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing Olympic officials say two foreign athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 in ongoing test events for February’s Winter Games, Officials also expressed sympathy for a Polish luge competitor who cracked a kneecap at the Olympics sliding center this week in a crash that has been blamed on human error. The two

By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she’s running for reelection next year. Her decision to run again pits her against a primary challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Murkowski is the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial earlier

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping emerges from a party conclave this week not only more firmly ensconced in power than ever, but also with a stronger ideological and theoretical grasp on the ruling Communist Party’s past, present and future. That lays the groundwork for him to take a third five-year term as party

By SAM MAGDY and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Libyan leaders have reaffirmed in Paris their commitment to ensure the success of the country’s political process through long-awaited elections next month. Regional and world powers hope the vote will pull oil-rich Libya out of its decade-old chaos. France hosted an international conference on

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand says it would delay the reopening of nightlife entertainment venues to Jan. 15 despite pleas from the industry to make it sooner. A spokesman for the government’s COVID-19 administration cited concerns about ventilation and inefficient prevention measures in pubs, bars and karaoke joints. Starting in November, Thailand began reopening to fully

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A jury has recommended up to 28 years in prison for a Missouri man found guilty of killing his wife. The jury returned the recommendation early Friday only hours after Joseph Elledge was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Mengqi Ji. The judge will make the official sentence Dec.

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — No country will see energy needs grow faster in coming decades than India, and even under the most optimistic projections part of that demand will have to be met with dirty coal power — a key source of heat-trapping carbon emissions. The fundamental question for

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s disease control center is calling for people to cancel or avoid large events and to reduce their contacts as the country’s coronavirus infection rate hits the latest in a string of new highs. The center said Friday that Germany’s infection rate climbed to 263.7 new cases

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s preparations for the next coronavirus surge include adding thousands more hospital beds to avoid a situation like last summer when many COVID-19 patients were forced to stay home, even when they needed supplemental oxygen. Japan has the most hospital beds per capita in the world, but

By FRANK JORDANS, ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Going into overtime, negotiators at U.N. climate talks in Glasgow are still trying to find common ground on phasing out coal, when nations need to update their emission-cutting pledges and, especially, on money. Talks are at a “bit of a stalemate,”