Dracula's castle proves an ideal setting for COVID-19 jabs
At Dracula's castle in picturesque Transylvania, Romanian doctors are offering a jab in the arm rather than a stake through the heart.
World News
Tech sell-off drags stocks lower, pulling market below highs
Drops in several Big Tech companies led the stock market lower Monday, pulling major indexes below the record highs they set last week. The S&P 500 lost 1% after spending the first half of the day wobbling between small gains and losses. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gave back 2.5% as Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google’s parent company fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had traded higher for much of the day but dipped into the red in the last half-hour of trading. Small-company stocks also did poorly, dragging the Russell 2000 index down 2.6%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.61%.
Sirens sound in Jerusalem as rockets fired from Gaza in day of deadly escalation
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said an Israeli airstrike killed nine people in Gaza, including three children in Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Muti: Pandemic year silenced culture, leaving world stunned
RAVENNA, Italy (AP) — Maestro Riccardo Muti has once again reopened the Italian musical season in his adopted hometown of Ravenna after another — and if all goes well perhaps final — round of pandemic closures.
Czechs light nearly 30,000 candles to honor COVID-19 victims
PRAGUE (AP) — Czechs lit nearly 30,000 candles at Prague Castle, the seat of the presidency, on Monday evening to pay their respects to the pandemic’s victims.
Romanian leader tells Biden more NATO troops needed in east
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's president told U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Monday that more NATO troops are needed on the alliance's eastern flank given Russia actions that are perceived as threatening by many in the region.
Migrant arrivals by sea on Italian island swell past 2,100
ROME (AP) — Several hundred more migrants reached a tiny Italian island before dawn on Monday, swelling to past 2,100 the number of arrivals in around 24 hours and fueling calls from across the political spectrum for the Italian government to strengthen its migration policies.
Spain: Expert warns that virus surge could follow parties
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s top coronavirus expert on Monday delivered a stern warning to citizens who are acting as if the pandemic has ended now that the government has relaxed measures against the spread of the coronavirus amid an accelerating rollout of vaccines.
The Latest: Washington data shows drug overdoses increased
SEATTLE -- Washington state’s Department of Health says preliminary data shows more people died of drug overdoses in 2020 than any other year in at least the last decade.
EU: Pandemic measures to total about $5.85 trillion
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's top economy official said Monday that the recovery measures the EU and its 27 member states have in the works to emerge from the pandemic total around $5.85 trillion.
Hugs to be allowed in England as part of lockdown easing
LONDON (AP) — In less than a week, people in England will be able to give friends and family a hug for the first time since restrictions were put in place in March last year at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamas fires rockets at Jerusalem after clashes at mosque
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Monday, including a barrage that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem, after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city.
Greece welcomes young students back to school; courts reopen
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece reopened primary schools and junior highs for in-person classes Monday for the first time in months, as the country eases coronavirus restrictions even as daily infections and deaths remain stubbornly high.
Paris court tries anti-racism activist for statue attack
PARIS (AP) — A French activist for Black rights went on trial in Paris on Monday for defacing a statue of a historical figure from France’s colonial, slave-trading past, calling the protest a political act to denounce deep-seated racism.
Watch Now: Inside some of the world’s most unusual vaccination centers
Take a look at some of the most unusual vaccination centers from around the world, from castles to boats.
Prost! Bavaria opens some of its famous beer gardens again
MUNICH (AP) — Bavarians were able to enjoy a tall beer in the spring sun Monday in several areas, as some outdoor beer gardens reopened in the southern German state.
Dracula's castle is offering free Covid-19 vaccinations to anyone brave enough to visit
Bran Castle, in Transylvania, announced its Pfizer BionTech Vaccine Marathon in a Facebook post published Friday.
Air raid sirens, explosions heard in Jerusalem amid tensions; Hamas claims responsibility
Explosions heard in Jerusalem as Hamas claims responsibility for a rocket attack amid clashes that injured hundreds of Palestinians.
Albania prime minister set on firing the country’s president
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister expressed his determination Monday to remove the president from his post, claiming he has embarrassed the country.
Dracula's castle proves an ideal setting for COVID-19 jabs
BUCHAREST (AP) — At Dracula’s castle in picturesque Transylvania, Romanian doctors are offering a jab in the arm rather than a stake through the heart.
US trashes unwanted gear in Afghanistan to be sold as scrap
BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) — The twisted remains of several all-terrain vehicles leaned precariously inside Baba Mir’s sprawling scrap yard, alongside smashed shards that were once generators, tank tracks that have been dismantled into chunks of metal, and mountains of tents reduced to sliced up fabric.
Vaccine maker BioNTech says no need to waive patents
BERLIN (AP) — The head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said Monday that there is no need to waive patents on coronavirus vaccines because manufacturers will be able to produce enough shots to supply the world over the coming year.
UK standards watchdog looking into Johnson's Mustique stay
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s parliamentary ethics watchdog confirmed Monday that she is investigating Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a vacation in the Caribbean just before the coronavirus pandemic.
Malaysian prime minister announces one-month virus lockdown
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — All of Malaysia will be placed under a near lockdown for about a month to fight the coronavirus, but businesses will be allowed to continue to operate at reduced capacity, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Monday.
