AP National News

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hope for a quick approval of the country’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by the World Health Organization, saying the move is essential for expanding its global supplies. Speaking during Sunday’s video call with Francesco Rocca, the president of the International Federation

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The announcement marks a reversal in course from September, when the Richmond statue was removed but the Democratic

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — An aid group says tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs has killed at least 24 people in Sudan’s western Darfur region. Adam Regal, the spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, says the fighting grew out of a financial dispute late Saturday between

By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The over-the-top parties and star-studded shows surrounding Miami’s Art Basel wrapped up this weekend with performances by Rosalia, Lizzo, Cardi B and rocker Lenny Kravitz. Miami’s art week has become a magnet for celebrities. Everyone from Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Joe Jonas were

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Norwegian Cruise Line ship with at least 10 passengers and crew members infected with COVID-19 has docked in New Orleans. Local news outlets confirmed the Norwegian Breakaway had arrived in the city. The Louisiana Department of Health said in a late Saturday news release that over the past week, the

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline fell 2 cents over past two weeks, to $3.46 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that the price drop is partly because of a crash in crude oil costs. It’s the first decline in gas prices in 14

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia has recorded its first case of the omicron variant. Health authorities in the North African country said Sunday that a man traveling in from Turkey tested positive for the new coronavirus variant.  A member of Tunisia’s COVID-19 task force, Dr. Hachemi Louzer, said the

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The long-delayed resumption of nuclear talks with Iran has gotten off to a rough start. Iran has been digging in and its negotiating partners are openly voicing frustration and pessimism. The U.S., European nations and even Iran’s ally Russia have raised questions about Iran’s seriousness. The talks

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer IRVING, Texas (AP) — The College Football Playoff is set and it is historic: Cincinnati will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Fourth-seeded Cincinnati becomes the first team to break through the CFP’s glass

By CARLEY PETESCH and BABACAR DIONE Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal has recorded its first cases of the coronavirus omicron variant. The Institute for Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training, a laboratory approved by Senegal for COVID-19 testing, said the first case was detected Friday. Hours later the Institut Pasteur announced the detection

By SYLVIE CORBET The Associated Press VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — Some anti-racist activists were beaten up as far-right former French TV pundit Eric Zemmour held his first campaign rally near Paris. Zemmour formally declared his candidacy for April’s presidential election in a video relaying his anti-migrants, anti Islam views. The 63-year-old with multiple hate-speech convictions

By ASHRAF KHALIL and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center Honors is returning to tradition this year. The lifetime achievement awards for artistic excellence will be presented Sunday night in a gala at the Kennedy Center’s main opera house after the coronavirus pandemic forced delays and major changes to last year’s

By JOHN HANNA and CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Elizabeth Dole has posted on social media that her husband, Republican political icon Bob Dole, has died at age 98. Dole overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, a Republican presidential candidate and then a symbol and celebrant

BERLIN (AP) — German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle says it is suspending cooperation with a Jordanian partner, Roya TV, because of concerns about anti-Israeli and antisemitic content and caricatures on its social media. Deutsche Welle said Sunday it had entered a partnership with Roya TV because the broadcaster addressed issues such as gender equality, the

By NICOLE WINFIELD, TRISHA THOMAS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press LESBOS, Greece (AP) — Pope Francis has offered comfort to migrants at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. He blasted what he said is the indifference and self-interest shown by Europe “that condemns to death those on the fringes.” Francis visited the

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Insurance companies operating in Louisiana will be charged at least $100 million to pay claims of two failed property insurers who went belly up in Hurricane Ida’s aftermath. But the cost of dealing with the insolvent insurers ultimately will fall on the state after insurance companies recoup the dollars through

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Leftovers were on the menu for moviegoers in North America this weekend. According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Encanto,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “House of Gucci” repeated in the top three spots. All three films are playing exclusively in theaters. The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually pretty quiet at the

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities have identified a man who jumped out of a jetliner’s galley door to the tarmac as the plane was taxiing to a gate at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Phoenix police said 30-year-old Daniel Ramirez was booked into jail Saturday night on suspicion of two felony counts of trespassing. Ramirez’s

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus has protested what it said was a Ukrainian helicopter’s intrusion into its airspace amid rising tensions between the two neighbors. Urkraine’s Border Service, however, has rejected the claim as false. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said Sunday that it summoned a Ukrainian military attache to lodge

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A string of shootings involving teenagers has placed renewed attention on a long-running problem of gun violence and gangs in Aurora just outside Denver. Activists and officials say easy access to guns is contributing to the problem in Colorado’s third largest city. But they also say it’s