News

Defendant Anwar Raslan (right) and others involved in his trial stand in the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, at the start of a trial session last month. Raslan was put on trial in April 2020 in a landmark case in Germany.

World News

In a landmark case, a German court convicts an ex-Syrian officer of torture

10:19am January 13, 2022

by Deborah Amos

The world's first criminal trial on torture in Syria's prisons ended Thursday in Koblenz, Germany — the first time a high-ranking ex-Syrian official faced Syrians in open court in a war crimes case.

Queue Listen Now

Virginia's Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, pictured on the campaign trail, speaks with now Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears after a rally in Fredericksburg, Va., Oct. 30, 2021. Youngkin and Sears, both Republicans, won election on Nov. 2, and will be sworn into of

Virginia's first Black woman lieutenant governor says we need to move on from slavery

10:09am January 13, 2022

by Ben Paviour

Winsome Sears, a Republican, will be sworn into office Saturday in Virginia alongside Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin. Sears ran, in part, on the idea that the country's racial reckoning has gone too far.

Queue Listen Now

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, sits in a car as he leaves Parliament after attending the weekly Prime Ministers' Questions session in London, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022.

U.K. ministers are closing ranks around Boris Johnson amid calls for his resignation

6:13am January 13, 2022

by The Associated Press

Johnson apologized on Wednesday for attending a "bring your own booze" party in the garden of the prime minister's Downing Street office and residence in May 2020.

Abortion rights jump to a top priority for Democrats in a new poll

4:02am January 13, 2022

by The Associated Press

The number of Democrats citing abortion rights as a top priority for the federal government to address jumped from less than 1% in 2021 to 13% in a new poll.

A volunteer receives daily necessities on behalf of residents under home quarantine in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 12, 2022.

China is doubling down on its 'zero-tolerance' COVID policy ahead of the Olympics

3:13am January 13, 2022

by The Associated Press

China is battling coronavirus outbreaks in six cities. More than 20 million people are in some form of lockdown.

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says a test launch of a hypersonic missile on Tuesday in North Korea.

U.S. hits North Korean officials with sanctions after missile test

10:47pm January 12, 2022

by The Associated Press

The U.S. is also proposing U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September, each of which it says "were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

The Army is increasing its largest signing bonus to $50,000 for some new recruits

9:53pm January 12, 2022

by Jonathan Franklin

Until now, the Army has offered a maximum bonus of $40,000. The head of Recruiting Command said the pandemic has made attracting new talent much more of a challenge.

A COVID-19 home test in the U.S. comes with a swab to swirl in the nostrils. But some users say they're swabbing the throat too — even though that's not what the instructions say to do. "They may stab themselves," cautions Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting hea

Coronavirus FAQ: Why are some folks hacking home COVID tests by swabbing their throat?

9:45pm January 12, 2022

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

The FDA-authorized tests call for a nasal swab. Some doctors are tweeting that they're doing a throat swab too — though they don't recommend this step to the public. Here's a look at the swab debate.

The Jan. 6 select committee has requested testimony from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Politics & Government

The top House Republican won't comply with Jan. 6 panel request to voluntarily testify

9:42pm January 12, 2022

by Barbara Sprunt

Among its questions, the committee is probing any conversations Kevin McCarthy had with former President Donald Trump on the day of the Capitol attack.

State Medicaid programs sign lucrative deals with transportation companies that are supposed to provide reliable free rides to and from medical care. But some shuttle drivers never show, or some patients have been injured during rides because their wheelc

Health & Safety

Medicaid pays millions for patient transportation. Sometimes the ride never comes

9:22pm January 12, 2022

Medicaid's transportation contracts can be worth tens of millions for companies that land them. But patients say rides to and from medical care often show up late — or sometimes not at all.