AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-VARIANT-GLOBAL — Japan is suspending the entry of all foreign visitors from around the world as a new coronavirus variant spreads. The decision means Japan will restore border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers. Many countries have moved to tighten their borders even as scientists warn it’s not clear if the new omicron variant is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. By Mari Yamaguchi and Foster Klug. SENT: 1,210 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-VARIANT-EXPLAINER — What we know and don't know about omicron. SENT: 950 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-ABORTION — Both sides are telling the Supreme Court there’s no middle ground in Wednesday’s showdown over abortion. The justices can either reaffirm the constitutional right to an abortion or wipe it away altogether. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 940 words, photos. With SUPPREME COURT-ABORTION-JUSTICES’ OWN WORDS — Justices have had a lot to say about abortion over the years — in opinions, votes, Senate confirmation testimony and elsewhere. SENT: 1,860 words, photos.
IRAN NUCLEAR — Talks between Iran and world powers resume in Vienna aimed at bringing Tehran in compliance and the U.S. back into the nuclear deal designed to prevent the Islamic nation from acquiring an atomic bomb. UPCOMING by 1000GMT. WITH IRAN-NUCLEAR-EXPLAINER. sent: 1,060 words photos.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT-TRIAL — The trial of actor Jussie Smollett will boil down to the question of whether the jury believes the actor’s version of what he says was a racist and homophobic attack or that told by two brothers who say they helped the actor fake the attack. SENT: 830 words, photos. With JUSSIE SMOLLETT-TIMELINE — Key moments since Jussie Smollett reported Chicago attack. SENT: 760 words, photos.
INDIA-INTERFAITH LOVE — Arbaz Mullah was a Muslim man in love with a Hindu woman. But the romance so angered the woman’s family that — according to police — they hired members of a hard-line Hindu group to murder him. It’s a grim illustration of the risks facing interfaith couples as Hindu nationalism surges in India. By Sheikh Saaliq. SENT: 1,500 words. photos, video. With INDIA-INTERFAITH LOVE-ABRIDGED SENT: 1,080 words, photos, video.
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TRENDING NEWS ————————————————————
OBIT-VIRGIL ABLOH — Designer Virgil Abloh a leading fashion executive hailed as the Karl Lagerfeld of his generation, has died of cancer. He was 41. SENT: 750 words, photos.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER — Merriam-Webster has declared vaccine its 2021 word of the year. Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for the dictionary company, says lookups for the word increased 601% over 2020. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ESPER-LAWSUIT — Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper claims in a lawsuit against the Defense Department that material is being improperly withheld from his use as he seeks to publish an “unvarnished and candid memoir” of his time in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. SENT: 530 words, photo.
TEXAS-MCCONAUGHEY — Actor Matthew McConaughey isn’t running for Texas governor after months of publicly flirting with the idea of becoming the latest celebrity candidate. SENT: 230 words, photo.
CLIMATE CHANGE-SUPER SPUDS — University of Maine researchers are trying to produce potatoes that can better withstand warming temperatures as the climate changes. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — Australian authorities have announced a third case of the omicron COVID-19 variant as government leaders reconsider plans to relax border restrictions this week. SENT: 410 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ZEALAND — The emergence of the omicron variant isn’t changing New Zealand’s plans to ease restrictions in Auckland and move the nation into a new, more open phase of its pandemic response. Bars, restaurants and gyms in Auckland can reopen from late Thursday, ending a coronavirus lockdown that began in August. SENT: 370 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE — Malaysians working in Singapore are holding joyful reunions with their loved ones after returning to their homeland following the partial reopening of a land border that has been shuttered for nearly two years due to the pandemic. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WHO-TRAVEL-BANS — The World Health Organization has urged countries around the world not to impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new omicron variant. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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HONDURAS-ELECTIONS — Leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro claimed victory in Honduras’ presidential election, setting up a showdown with the National Party which said its candidate had won a vote that could end the conservative party’s 12 years in power. SENT: 860 words, photos.
TAIWAN-BALTIC-STATES — Lawmakers from all three Baltic states have met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in a sign of further cooperation between European Union nations and Taiwan. It is the first joint visit to Taiwan by members of parliament from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. SENT: 260 words, photos.
MEXICO-VIOLENCE — Authorities in northern Mexico say a drug gang was behind a shooting attack outside a city hall that killed a feminist activist and a bodyguard. The attacker also died in the shooting outside the city hall in Guaymas, in the northern border state of Sonora. SENT: 290 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-BLASPHEMY — Pakistani authorities say a mob has burned a police station and four police posts in the northwest overnight as officers detained a mentally unstable man accused of blasphemy. SENT: 290 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION 2022-SPANISH MISINFORMATION — This month’s elections may have offered a preview of the Spanish-language misinformation that could pose a growing threat to Democrats, who are already anxious about their standing with Latino voters after losing some ground with them last year. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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NORTHWEST-STORMS — Weather officials are urging Northwest residents to remain alert because more rain is on the way to an area with lingering water from extreme weather from a previous storm. SENT: 520 words.
HISPANIC MAN BEATEN-OFFICERS ARRESTED — A federal appeals court says a Hispanic Iraq War veteran can revive his lawsuit over a beating by two New Orleans police officers who he says called him a “fake American." SENT: 400 words.
POLICE SHOOTING-MARYLAND — Police in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County say that an officer fatally shot a knife-wielding man and later found a woman who was dead inside the same home. SENT: 330 words.
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BUSINESS
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GLOBAL-PRICE SPIKES — From appliance stores in the United States to food markets in Hungary and gas stations in Poland, rising consumer prices fueled by high energy costs and supply chain disruptions are putting a pinch on households and businesses worldwide. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
JAPAN-NISSAN — Nissan says it’s investing 2 trillion yen ($17.6 billion) over the next five years and developing a cheaper, more powerful battery to boost its electric vehicle lineup. The Japanese automaker plans to build 15 new electric vehicles by fiscal 2030. SENT: 400 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS -- Asian stock markets have fallen further after the omicron variant of the coronavirus was found in more countries and governments imposed travel controls. SENT: 520 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FILM-BOX OFFICE — Thanksgiving weekend moviegoing was still far from the feast it normally is, but Disney’s “Encanto” and the Lady Gaga-led “House of Gucci” both gave a lift to two genres that have been particularly battered by the pandemic: family movies and adult dramas. SENT: 840 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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BKN-PISTONS-LAKERS — LeBron James had 33 points, nine assists and no confrontations with Isaiah Stewart in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons. James appeared to have no significant interactions with Stewart after both players were ejected from the teams’ last meeting in Detroit a week earlier after an altercation. By sports writer Greg Beacham. SENT: 740 words, photos.
FBN-STACKED AFC WEST — The Denver Broncos’ 28-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers means every team in the AFC West has a winning record heading into December. The Kansas City Chiefs have won four straight and are on top at 7-4. But the Broncos, Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are all just a game back at 6-5. By pro football writer Arnie Stapleton. SENT: 840 words, photos.
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