WHO says measures used against delta should work for omicron
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Measures used to counter the delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the coronavirus pandemic, even in the face of the new omicron version of the virus, World Health Organization officials said Friday, while acknowledging that the travel restrictions imposed by some countries may buy time. While about three dozen […]8 hours ago
Brazil’s Bolsonaro investigated for linking vaccine and AIDS
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — BRASILIA, Brazil — A justice of Brazil’s top court ordered on Friday that President Jair Bolsonaro be investigated for comments linking COVID-19 vaccines to AIDS — an assertion rejected by doctors and scientists. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes instructed the country’s top prosecutor, Augusto Aras, to look into the accusation […]14 hours ago
Governor apologizes for Nevada’s role in Indigenous schools
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — When it was time for Winona James to return to school, her family hid her in brush near their home in the Carson Valley to prevent officials from the Stewart Indian School from finding her. James, a member of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, was among the more […]15 hours ago
Contact tracing revs up in some states as omicron reaches US
The arrival of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in the U.S. has health officials in some communities reviving contact tracing operations in an attempt to slow and better understand its spread as scientists study how contagious it is and whether it can thwart vaccines. In New York City, officials quickly reached out to a […]15 hours ago
Plumber’s find possibly tied to 2014 Texas megachurch theft
HOUSTON (AP) — For more than seven years, no one has known what happened to $600,000 in checks and cash that was stolen from a safe at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch, which has one of the largest congregations in the country. Now, there’s a possible plot twist in the case: The money might never […]16 hours ago
Breonna Taylor honored by peaceful augmented-reality garden
Say her name with flowers on your tongue — that’s what Breonna Taylor’s sister wants during Miami’s art week from people visiting an augmented reality garden created to honor her late sister. “Breonna’s Garden,” commemorating the 26-year-old medical worker fatally shot by police during an apartment raid, is a reminder of the transformational power of […]17 hours ago
Iconic sheer trail at Zion National Park to require permits
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Zion National Park will soon require reservations to hike a famous southern Utah trail perched on the edge of a red-rock cliff, officials announced Friday. As of April 1, people who want to hike the narrow Angels Landing hike will need permits provided through a lottery system. The lottery will […]17 hours ago
Nearing 100, Betty White’s life is a page-turner in new book
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photo of Betty White, with dimpled smile and guileless gaze, fills the cover of a coffee table book arriving the month before her 100th birthday. The image evokes the genuine White, according to the book’s author, Ray Richmond. After digging into her life and career, he concluded that she’s as […]18 hours ago
National Guard chief gets COVID-19 after overseas trip
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief of the National Guard has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an overseas trip to visit guard troops in Europe for Thanksgiving. Gen. Dan Hokanson has been working remotely and isolating himself from contact with others all week, Guard spokesman Wayne Hall said Friday. Other U.S. officials said Hokanson […]18 hours ago
The AP Interview: Scientist says omicron was a group find
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The Botswana scientist who may well have discovered the omicron variant of the coronavirus says he has been on a “rollercoaster of emotions,” with the pride of accomplishment followed by dismay over the travel bans immediately slapped on southern African countries. “Is that how you reward science? By blacklisting countries?” Dr. Sikhulile […]18 hours ago
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor vetoes GOP abortion bills
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed five Republican-authored anti-abortion bills on Friday, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could curtail if not end a woman’s right to abortion. Evers, who is making his support for abortion rights a key plank of his 2022 reelection […]19 hours ago
Belgian zoo says its 2 very runny-nosed hippos have COVID-19
BRUSSELS (AP) — A Belgian zoo said Friday that a pair of hippopotamuses in its care are in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, possibly the first time ever such animals have caught the disease. Belgium’s national veterinary lab has confirmed that Antwerp Zoo’s two hippos — Imani, aged 14, and 41-year-old Hermien — contracted […]20 hours ago
Outgoing Czech government to order vaccine mandate for 60+
PRAGUE (AP) — The outgoing Czech government is planning to order a vaccine mandate for people aged 60 and over and for some professional groups, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Friday. But it’s unclear whether the measure will be enforced by his successor. Vojtech said his ministry will issue the order next week making […]20 hours ago
Israel confirms 7 cases of omicron, 27 others suspected
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Health Ministry said Friday it has confirmed seven cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, stoking fears of a pending surge in infections. Four of the confirmed cases are unvaccinated individuals who had recently returned from South Africa. The other three include two people who returned from South Africa […]20 hours ago
Sanders to Biden: Cut back looming Medicare premium hike
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned. In a letter Friday to President Joe Biden, the Vermont Independent called on the president to act […]21 hours ago
Clergy abuse survivor Saviano lauded at funeral for courage
Phil Saviano was a clergy sex abuse survivor whose courage to go public and resolve to hold abusers and their enablers accountable inspired and strengthened survivors from around the world, his brother said at his funeral Mass on Friday. Saviano, who died Sunday at age 69 after a battle with gallbladder cancer, was remembered at […]21 hours ago
Where’s the snow? Rockies winter starts with a whimper
DENVER (AP) — Denver’s winter has started with a whimper, and the parched mountains to the west aren’t faring much better. The Mile High City has already shattered its 87-year-old record for the latest measurable snowfall set on Nov. 21, 1934, and it’s a little more than a week away from breaking an 1887 record […]21 hours ago
Judge won’t dismiss 25 murder counts against Ohio doctor
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge Friday refused to dismiss the 25-count murder indictment against an Ohio doctor accused of ordering excessive painkillers for hospital patients, meaning one of the biggest cases of its kind ever brought against a U.S. health care professional will proceed toward trial. William Husel, 46, has pleaded not guilty. His […]21 hours ago
Mexico overhauls handling of migrants to release pressure
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Benjamín Villalta, a 39-year-old Nicaraguan, couldn’t believe that a Mexican immigration office would open in the middle of the night to give him and some 40 other migrants one-year humanitarian visas allowing them to move about Mexico and work. “They took our information and at most we waited half an hour,” […]21 hours ago
Hoarse Biden says it’s just a cold he caught from grandson
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has at least one thing in common with thousands of parents and grandparents this winter: He’s picked up a cold from his young grandson. The president has had an unusually low, scratchy voice and an occasional cough all week, prompting questions from the press about his health on Friday. […]22 hours ago
Russia registers record for virus-linked deaths in October
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s state statistics agency says that 74,893 people with COVID-19 died in October — the highest monthly tally in the pandemic that comes as the country grappling with a major surge of coronavirus infections and deaths. A report by Rosstat on Friday brought the overall number of virus-linked deaths between April 2020 […]23 hours ago
Omicron-stricken South Africa may be glimpse into the future
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Dr. Sikhulile Moyo was analyzing COVID-19 samples in his lab in Botswana last week when he noticed they looked startlingly different from others. Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern — one that appears to be driving a dramatic surge in […]23 hours ago
Sri Lanka reports 1st omicron case in returnee from Nigeria
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka announced Friday it has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in an unvaccinated person who returned from Nigeria. Health ministry spokesperson Dr. Hemantha Herath said the 25-year-old Sri Lankan woman returned on Nov. 24, four days before the government banned travelers from six […]23 hours ago
