AP National News

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Thousands of protesters have gathered in Vienna after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the country’s skyrocketing coronavirus infections. Among others, the far-right opposition Freedom Party has called for Saturday’s protest and vowed to combat the new restrictions. The Austrian lockdown

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer On both sides of America’s abortion debate, activists are convinced that the 1973 Supreme Court ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion is imperiled as never before. Yet no matter how the current conservative-dominated court handles pending high-profile abortion cases, including the arguments Wednesday over a Mississippi law banning

BEIRUT (AP) — A group of U.S. congressmen have held meetings with Lebanon’s top leaders during a fact-finding mission to the Middle East nation roiled by an unprecedented economic crisis. The delegation is on a three-day trip that started Friday and will report to President Joe Biden and the Congress,  proposing ways to help the

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister says he will hold a series of talks in Europe about the pressure of migrants on the European Union’s border with Belarus, a crisis that he expects will continue. Mateusz Morawiecki said Saturday he was meeting counterparts from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia over the weekend and will travel

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani fire official says an early morning fire that erupted in a slum in the country’s south destroyed about 100 huts but no one was hurt in the blaze. The official says the fire broke out on Saturday in the dwellings along the Lyari River, under a bridge in central

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Thousands of protesters have gathered in Vienna after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the quickly rising coronavirus infection rate in the country. Among others, the far-right opposition Freedom Party has called for Saturday’s protest and vowed to combat the new

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says it has now fully vaccinated 44 million people, which is more than half of its population of 85 million. The health ministry made the announcement on Saturday, saying that the 44 million have received two doses of the vaccine. The country has recorded at least 128,000 deaths since the

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery took the witness stand to tell jurors he pulled the trigger fearing for his own life. Meanwhile, hundreds of Black pastors rallied outside the Glynn County courthouse in coastal Georgia in response to a defense attorney’s failed efforts to

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Senegal, where he’s wrapping up a weeklong, three-nation tour of Africa. On a trip overshadowed by crises elsewhere on the continent, Blinken is pushing American-built infrastructure projects, sustainable development, women’s empowerment and other human rights initiatives to

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has welcomed more than 200 foreign tourists to its largest island, the first to visit the Southeast Asian country after nearly two years of border closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fully vaccinated travelers from South Korea will spend their holidays in Phu Quoc hotel resorts without a mandatory

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is hoping that a charity soccer match that includes Swiss Guards, Vatican employees, priests, a player with Down syndrome, migrants and members of the Roma community will deal a significant “kick” to discrimination. The match takes place on Sunday in Rome and will be refereed by Lazio team captain Ciro

By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and TAMEEM AKHGAR Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The family of a prominent Afghan doctor says he was kidnapped and killed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The doctor’s son said on Saturday that Mohamed Nader Alemi was abducted two months ago by kidnappers demanding a ransom. The son says

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s record high coronavirus death toll persisted for a second straight day on Saturday, as the number of new infections declined. The state coronavirus task force reported 1,254 COVID-19 deaths, matching Friday’s tally. The task force also reported 37,120 new confirmed cases. The daily new infections in recent weeks appear to have

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon says its navy has rescued a boat carrying migrants that had left the country heading west across the Mediterranean Sea, but broke down off the coast. It’s the latest case of desperate people — mostly Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians — sailing toward European Union member Cyprus, and sometimes Turkey, seeking to

LONDON (AP) — The man who was once Britain’s most powerful newspaper editor has dropped his bid to head the country’s broadcasting regulator. The decision is a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre was the government’s favorite candidate to be chairman of Ofcom — so much so that when

VIENNA (AP) — Thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Vienna after the Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the quickly rising coronavirus infection rate in the country. Among others, the far-right opposition Freedom Party has called for Saturday’s protest and vowed to combat the new restrictions. The lockdown will start early

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Police opened fire on protesters in rioting that erupted in downtown Rotterdam around a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions. The Dutch city’s mayor called Friday night’s rioting “an orgy of violence.” Police say that two rioters were hospitalized after being hit by bullets and investigations were

BEIJING (AP) — An employee of Chinese state TV has posted photos of missing tennis star Peng Shuai online in a new effort to dispel concern about her disappearance after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. The photos appeared Friday on Twitter, which cannot be seen by most internet users in China. The

PRAGUE (AP) — Soaring coronavirus infection rates in the Czech Republic have hit a new record for the second time this week. The Health Ministry says the daily tally jumped to 22,936 on Friday, almost 500 more than the previous record set on Tuesday. The country’s infection rate has risen to 929 new cases per