AP National News

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president has authorized security forces to shoot to kill those participating in unrest. His move Friday opens the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent. The Central Asian nation this week experienced its worst street protests since gaining

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press GUIPRY, France (AP) — The wildfire spread across Europe of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus is driving soaring needs for testing. In France, where new infections are at record levels, production lines are humming, spitting out freshly packaged tests. The CEO of a test-kit manufacturer in western

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The government of the Netherlands has sparked anger by announcing it may have to double the amount of gas it pumps this year from a northern province that experienced a string of small earthquakes in recent years. The government has pledged to phase out gas

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is recalling its new ambassador to Prague after he criticized the country’s approach to a dispute with the Czech Republic over a state-run coal mine. In an interview released Thursday by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Ambassador Miroslaw Jasinski said Poland had showed a “lack of empathy, a lack of understanding

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s population has declined by 11.5% in the past decade, according to first results from the 2021 census.  The National Statistical Institute said that the nation has shrunk by 844,000 people, from some 7.3 million in 2011 to 6.5 million today. Experts attribute the decline to low birth rates, high mortality,

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three suspected pirates detained on a Danish military vessel after a fatal gunfight in November off West Africa have been released because preliminary charges of attempted murder against them have been dropped. Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup said he “had quite exceptionally ordered the prosecution” to drop the charges and added Thursday,

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is distributing an additional $4.5 billion in funds to help low-income Americans cover heating costs during a second pandemic winter, with cold-weather states receiving the largest share. That’s according to a state-by-state breakdown of funds being distributed under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has dismissed North Korea’s claim to have recently launched a hypersonic missile as an exaggeration, saying it was a normal ballistic missile that could be intercepted. The assessment is certain to anger North Korea. South Korea has previously avoided publicly playing down North

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran is displaying three ballistic missiles at an outdoor prayer esplanade in central Tehran as talks in Vienna aimed at reviving Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers flounder. The missiles exhibited on Friday are said to have ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, and are already

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities are facing face growing pressure to free an author who has been in detention for 10 days, allegedly over his criticism of the president and his son. Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has been in custody since Dec. 28, accused of violating a law against the

LONDON (AP) — Consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency have soared at a record rate, led by a surge in food and energy costs. The European Union’s statistical office released numbers Friday showing inflation rose to 5% in December compared with a year earlier. That’s the highest level in the

By ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to Myanmar to revive peace efforts after last year’s military takeover is provoking an angry backlash among critics, who say he is legitimizing the army’s seizure of power. Hun Sen is the first head of government to visit Myanmar since the

BERLIN (AP) — Budget airline Ryanair says it will stop serving Germany’s busiest airport at the end of March and close its base there. Ryanair said Friday that it’s reallocating five planes it has based at Frankfurt Airport to other European airports that “have responded with lower airport charges to stimulate traffic recovery.” The airline

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer Novak Djokovic is spending one of his important religious holidays in an Australian detention hotel working on his challenge against deportation regardless of who made an error on the visa or the vaccination waiver or whatever. Attention is moving away from Djokovic’s vaccination status and onto questions about how

LONDON (AP) — British troops are deploying to hospitals in London that are struggling to cope with “exceptional” staff shortages amid the surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant. The Ministry of Defense said Friday that it is sending some 40 military medics and 160 general duty staff to plug staffing gaps caused

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has announced it is tightening some entry restrictions while expanding its “sandbox” quarantine program, and has urged people to follow social distancing and mask rules to control the spread of COVID-19 fueled by the omicron variant. The government did not announce any lockdown, but issued restrictions on alcohol consumption in restaurants.

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Arsenal will wear all-white jerseys drained of the club’s traditional red colors for Sunday’s FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest as part of a campaign against youth violence. As 2021 drew to a close last week, the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy saw London mourn