AP National News

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s lockdowns of big cities to fight coronavirus outbreaks are prompting concerns about more disruptions for the economy after two makers of processor chips said their factories were affected. That adds to unease over the omicron variant’s global economic impact. Analysts warn Vietnam, Thailand and other

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French president Emmanuel Macron and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to a pair of leading European figures Friday as France formally took the reins of the 27-nation bloc for the next six months with big ambitions. They went together to France’s famed Pantheon

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World markets have turned lower, tracking a retreat on Wall Street led by declines in big technology stocks. Shares fell in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Shanghai but rose in Hong Kong. U.S. futures also slipped. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president says he authorized law enforcement to open fire on “terrorists” and shoot to kill, a move that comes after days of extremely violent protests in the former Soviet nation. In a televised address to the nation Friday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed the unrest on “terrorists” and

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — To much of the world the late Toni Morrison was a novelist, celebrated for such classics as “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye.” But the Nobel laureate also completed plays, poems, essays, and a handful of short stories, one of which is coming out as a

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer Regardless of who made an error on the visa or the vaccination waiver or whatever, the reality for men’s tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic was spending one his important religious holidays in an Australian detention hotel working on his challenge against deportation. Attention is moving away from Djokovic’s vaccination

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, is to celebrate its 110th anniversary this weekend amid deep divisions, graft allegations and broad challenges that saw it perform dismally in local government elections last year. The anniversary event, to take place in the country’s northern Limpopo province

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Louis Riddick realizes he is in a favorable position. He is an analyst on the NFL’s most iconic television package with ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and still has hopes of running a franchise as a general manager. But with the offseason starting for many teams Monday, it’s unclear if

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — To much of the world the late Toni Morrison was a novelist, celebrated for such classics as “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye.” But the Nobel laureate also completed plays, poems, essays, and a handful of short stories, one of which is coming out as a

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The president of Kazakhstan has declared that constitutional order is “mainly restored” after the country was engulfed in unprecedented unrest in recent days. He was quoted by his spokespeople as saying Friday that “an anti-terror operation has commenced. Law enforcement agencies are working hard. Constitutional order has

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets are mixed after more declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. Tokyo and Taiwan declined but other regional markets advanced. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day before shedding 0.1%. Weakness

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has approved new restrictions to curb a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the three southwestern regions of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima. Daishiro Yamagiwa, the minister in charge of COVID-19 responses, says hospitals may get stretched thin soon, given the sudden surge in infections. Measures such

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Weeks after American billionaire Michael Steinhardt agreed to surrender dozens of plundered antiquities, three of the items remain on display at Israel’s flagship museum. Museums worldwide are facing greater scrutiny over the provenance — or chain of ownership — of their art. This has applied especially

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Three white men convicted of murder in the deadly chase and shooting of Ahmaud Arbery are back in court for sentencing. A Georgia jury in November found father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, guilty of murder and other crimes

By MARINA VILLENEUVE and MICHAEL HILL Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to make a virtual appearance before an Albany judge. Prosecutors are moving Friday to dismiss the only criminal charge filed against the Democrat in connection with the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office.

By COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — A growing number of U.S. school districts are moving back to online classes because of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases. In Detroit, the shift involves 50,000 students. The change once again leaves parents juggling home and work schedules around the educational needs of their children. The

By STEVE McMORRAN Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has embraced border officials’ decision to deny entry to tennis star Novak Djokovic, who had earlier been issued documents allowing him to enter the country ahead of the Australian Open without a COVID-19 vaccine. The move has raised questions about whether the