LIFESTYLE

The overcast, drizzly skies match the somber mood at the Tshwane University of Technology, a hot spot in South Africa’s latest surge of COVID-19 cases, apparently driven by the new omicron variant.

Postal workers who recall packages and letters piled up in distribution hubs a year ago are gearing up for another holiday crush.

The second Thanksgiving of the COVID-19 pandemic comes as a resurgent virus has pushed new infections in the U.S. to 95,000 daily and caused alarming increases at hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona.

A Virginia man is fighting to hang on to $9,000 in unemployment benefits that the state gave him when his compressor plant closed in 2018.

A year after new owners took over Bally's casino in Atlantic City, a $100 million facelift is underway involving hotel rooms, the casino floor and more.

Giant balloons once again wafted through miles of Manhattan, high school and college marching bands from around the country were back, and so were the crowds at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A renowned Chinese fashion photographer has apologized for her past work after online critics called it insulting to the Chinese people and fashion house Dior removed one of her photos from a show in Shanghai.

Some of Europe's Christmas markets are warily opening amid surging coronavirus infections.

On this year’s Black Friday, things almost seem normal.

Subway sandwich chain co-founder Peter Buck has died.

The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department’s review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke.

Millions of Americans are loading up their cars or piling onto planes, determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic.

Santa is back this year, but he's asking people to be cautious as he continues to tiptoe through the pandemic.

Traveling this holiday season can be safe if you're fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

First, the good news: There is no shortage of whole turkeys in the U.S. this Thanksgiving.

Even as visitors again crowd below the jumbo screens in New York’s Times Square, the souvenir shops, restaurants, hotels and entrepreneurs within the iconic U.S. landmark are still reeling from a staggering pandemic.

Pregnant women with COVID-19 face increased chances for stillbirths compared with uninfected women.

Business is booming at a truck-driving academy in suburban Los Angeles amid a nationwide shortage of long-haul drivers.

Democrats have brushed aside monthslong divisions and are approaching House passage of their expansive social and environment bill.

The House has handed President Joe Biden a marquee victory.

It was the Meghan hour Thursday on the talk show of her friend, Ellen DeGeneres.

It’s a neutral pronoun that’s proving anything but: A nonbinary pronoun added to an esteemed French dictionary has ignited a fierce linguistic squabble in the country.

Customers are caught in the middle of a growing dispute between Amazon and Visa over transaction fees.

The United States opened its borders to people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but some who got the shots are finding they're still not eligible to visit.

Pandemic-weary workers at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts are holding a one-day strike over stalled contract negotiations with management.

The number of airline passengers traveling for Thanksgiving this year is expected to rebound to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, but the Transportation Security Administration says it is ready to handle the surge.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says crowds will once again fill Times Square this New Year’s Eve.

Many people in Turkey are facing increased hardship as prices of food and other goods have soared.

When Bob Mackie was 11, his uncle asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and his response was a costume designer on Broadway.

America is about to find out where its heart is.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi surprised advocates, and even many of her Democratic colleagues, when she revived a long-sought paid family and medical leave plan and said it would be part of a massive social and environmental spending bill in the House.

At only 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the “Sesame Street” canon.

The books editor for National Public Radio has died at 46.

New York City has ushered in the holiday season with the arrival of a 79-foot Norway spruce that will serve at Rockefeller Center as one of the world’s most famous Christmas trees.

It's been a bear of a year for Ohio's Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the nation’s second-largest zoological park.

The government is telling nursing homes to open their doors wide to visitors, easing many remaining pandemic restrictions while urging residents, families and facility staff to keep their guard up against outbreaks.

Since the start of the pandemic, Associated Press editor Pia Sarkar tried to play it safe.

In 1972, Big Bird lined up on `Sesame Street' to receive a measles vaccine as part of a campaign to get more youngsters inoculated against the disease.

A new study shows that the personal luxury market of high-end accessories, leather goods and apparel has snapped back to pre-pandemic levels.

An 89-year-old man in Rhode Island has earned his Ph.D. and became a physicist after working toward it for two decades and thinking about it for a lifetime.

Home test kits for COVID-19 can add a layer of safety and reassurance to holiday gatherings by providing on-the-spot results.

Designers Christopher John Rogers, who designed Vice President Kamala Harris' purple inauguration ensemble, and Emily Bode-Aujla have taken top honors at the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America awards.

Medicare enrollees who take expensive medicines could save thousands of dollars a year under the Democrats’ sweeping social agenda bill, but those dividends won’t come overnight.

Microsoft has launched a digital immersive tour at the ancient birthplace of the Olympic Games in southern Greece.

Women — and some men — in Congress have been fighting for government child care assistance for almost 80 years.

Members of a small northeastern Arizona tribe are voting Thursday for their next chairman.

The U.S. says that it’s inviting the global community to visit now that the government has ended the ban on travelers from 33 countries.

Thanksgiving is Jonatan Mitchell’s favorite holiday.

Sometimes, gifting is a crap shoot.

A lot of that human-pet bonding during the pandemic is slowly coming to an end as more offices reopen.

Charlie Watts kept his feet firmly on the ground despite the success of the Rolling Stones.

They came in just ahead of that time, said Hus daughter Leah, who also works at the restaurant, the Royal Palace. Their duties will include greeting customers, serving drinks and dishes and returning used glasses and crockery. We will use them to make sure the 1.5 meters (5 feet) we need during the corona crisis sticks, Leah Hu said. We want to give them a normal name," said Leah Hu. They help us with the work we do, said Leah Hu.

FILE - In this Oct.23, 2019 file photo, tourists wait to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, at the Louvre museum, in Paris. Iconic sites that are among some of France's biggest tourist draws won't reopen when the country lifts most of its coronavirus restrictions next week. Neither the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower nor the Versailles Palace will be reopening next week when France lifts many of its remaining coronavirus lockdown restrictions. None of France's three most iconic tourist sites will reopen when the country lifts most of its remaining coronavirus lockdown restrictions next week. About 20%-30% of the museums rooms might be closed but of course the Mona Lisa will be open," Sacristin said.

Visitors view en exhibition of face masks at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 28, 2020. With the coronavirus pandemic still not over yet, the Czech National Museum in Prague has put on display the most visible symbol of the country's response to it, face masks. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)PRAGUE The National Museum in Prague has put on display the most visible symbol of the Czech Republic's response to the coronavirus - face masks. If we want to leave a legacy for future generations, this collection of face masks says only positive things about us, National Museum spokeswoman Lenka Bouckova said Thursday. The Nation Museum exhibition is set to expand with future donations when people no longer need to use masks.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)BOSTON Marijuana shops in many states have enjoyed brisk business during the coronavirus pandemic. Recreational shops reopened this week in Massachusetts with strict regulations after being ordered shut down the past two months. Its a real concern, said Amanda Rositano, president of New England Treatment Access, which operates two marijuana shops serving both recreational and medical marijuana customers. Charlie Baker last month, arguing it was arbitrary to order them closed while liquor stores and medical marijuana dispensaries remained open as essential businesses. Like other nonessential retailers allowed to reopen this week, retail pot shops are limited to offering curbside pickup and online and phone orders.

When could a COVID-19 vaccine be ready? But scientists have never created a vaccine so quickly, and theres no guarantee any under development will ultimately work. The most promising vaccine candidates are expected to move into larger tests this summer. How quickly those studies can determine whether the vaccines are safe and effective depends in part on how widely the coronavirus is still spreading. The studies will need to enroll 20,000 people or more for each vaccine candidate, with half of them getting the real vaccine and the rest getting a dummy shot.

A man and a woman demonstrate dining under a plastic shield Wednesday, May 27, 2020 in a restaurant of Paris. As restaurants in food-loving France prepare to reopen, some are investing in lampshade-like plastic shields to protect diners from the virus. The strange-looking contraptions are among experiments restaurants are trying around the world as they try to lure back clientele while keeping them virus-free. The prototype plastic shields are known as the Plex'eat, and they resemble big clear lampshades suspended from the ceiling. Mathieu Manzoni, the director of H.A.N.D, said he thinks the plastic shields are a pretty, more poetic solution for restaurateurs who fear that social distancing could cut their capacity by half or more.

(AP Photo/Denis Farrell)CHICAGO These are children of the global pandemic. This is life under lockdown, through the eyes of children. Like many children under lockdown, she misses her friends and her teachers and especially misses playing her favorite game, netball. Thats life during the coronavirus pandemic for Tresor Ndizihiwe, a 12-year-old boy who lives in Rwanda, one of seven brothers and sisters. By comparison, the coronavirus pandemic seems manageable, the 10-year-old says.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? The most common symptoms of the coronavirus are fever, a dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. But as the virus spreads around the world, additional symptoms are being identified. Some people never feel sick or notice any symptoms, even though they're infected and can still spread it to other people. For mild symptoms, like a slight cough or a mild rash, health experts say you may not need to rush to the emergency room.

Millions of people have helped online retail sales surge as consumer spending fell off rapidly when businesses shut down. She's among millions who have helped online retail sales surge as consumer spending fell off rapidly when businesses shut down. In the U.S., retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened stores and weighed down a tanking economy. Measured year over year, online sales surged 21.6%. It's panic on lots of levels, said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail, a global consulting firm specializing in retail strategy and shopper insights.

WASHINGTON Many laid-off workers who lost health insurance in the coronavirus shutdown soon face the first deadlines to qualify for fallback coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We are in the middle of a pandemic, and God forbid if I get sick and I don't have it," she said of her health insurance. They can go to the federal HealthCare.gov or their state's health insurance website. The federal-state Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid cover kids in families with incomes well above the poverty level. Government statistics on people losing and finding health insurance coverage in the coronavirus contraction won't be available for months.

FILE - In this Feb.25, 2020 file photo, model Kaia Gerber leads other models as they wear creations for the Saint Laurent fashion collection during Women's fashion week Fall/Winter 2020/21 presented in Paris. The coronavirus lockdown -- which has hit luxury fashion houses on their bottom lines -- has also given pause to rethink the pace of fashion. The coronavirus lockdown, which has hit luxury fashion houses on their bottom lines, has also given pause to rethink the pace of fashion, offering the possibility to return to less hectic, more considered periods of creativity and production and perhaps consumption. Armani also has called for a major rethink of changes in luxury fashion during his 45 years as a stalwart of Milan fashion. The Italian Fashion Chamber is promoting three days of online presentation of mens and womens collections in July to substitute the regular June calendar.

Small businesses are navigating a new way to work with customers amid concerns of the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/LM Otero)NEW YORK Many business owners are changing the way they make money as they attempt to recoup revenue lost to the coronavirus outbreak. Four months after launching the Velvet Window clothing store in Dallas, Amy Witt was forced to close its doors. The forced closure gave me the opportunity to say, whats wrong with my business how do I fix it? Witt says. After companies were forced to lay off staffers during the Great Recession, many turned to freelancers when they began hiring again.

Rio Arriba County, where a language other than English is spoken in over half of homes, is at the bottom at 9%. This pandemic makes it all the more challenging, said Javier Sanchez, mayor of Espanola, a city of 10,000 in Rio Arriba County. In Rio Arriba County, more than 16% of residents are Native American, compared with just over 1% in neighboring Los Alamos County. The latter is home to Los Alamos National Laboratory and almost half its residents have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 15% in more rural Rio Arriba County. The Census Bureau will absolutely be able to catch up with the rural count, said Tim Olson, associate director of field operations.

We dont talk much about her early life in Sierra Leone, when 3,956 people died during the Ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016. I covered the Ebola epidemic as a journalist for The Associated Press, first in Liberia and then in Sierra Leone. And it changed mine: The year after the epidemic ended in Sierra Leone, I decided to adopt there. And yet it would be almost another year before Sierra Leone was finally declared Ebola-free. ___Virus Diary, an occasional feature, showcases the coronavirus saga through the eyes of Associated Press journalists around the world.

How should I clean and store my face mask? Cloth face masks worn during the coronavirus pandemic should be washed regularly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health experts recommend wearing a mask made from cotton fabric, such as T-shirts, or scarves and bandannas, when you are outside and unable to maintain social distancing from others. It is best to clean your mask in a washing machine or with soap and hot water. Watts advises storing the clean, dry mask in a new paper bag to keep it safe from germs.

(AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS The bride wore a white beaded dress and a white cloth face mask that said Mrs. in curly black letters. In early May, they invited a handful of close friends who live near Las Vegas the self-proclaimed Wedding Capital of the World and bought cheeky face masks for the nuptials. Guests are rare and typically don face masks. Were seeing a lot of the kind of traditional, old school elopements with just the couple, said Melody Williams, executive director of chapel operator Vegas Weddings. Escobars sister and niece who live in Las Vegas joined them for the ceremony, wearing face masks as they watched the special moment.

The coronavirus pandemic has reawakened debate about the continued viability of what has been the physical lifeblood of global economies: paper money and coins. This time cash itself, passed from hand to hand across neighborhoods, cities and societies just like the coronavirus, is a source of suspicion rather than reassurance. In the midst of the coronavirus era, a thousand calculations are made before cash is handled mostly with gloved hands. Cash, Cohle says, now carries an extra stigma.But is ditching cash altogether even feasible? Humans have a centuries-old emotional relationship with physical money that is difficult to erase.

FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo from left, Tiffany Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, arrive ahead of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump said Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in acongratulatory tweet. His youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, recently graduated from Georgetown Law School. Tiffany Trump had to give up the traditional commencement ceremony after schools shut down and shifted to on online instruction because of the coronavirus outbreak. Her older siblings Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric followed their father into the world of business.

What can a COVID-19 antibody test tell me? An antibody test might show if you had COVID-19 in the recent past, which most experts think gives people some protection from the virus. But studies are still underway to determine what antibody level would be needed for immunity. Dozens of companies are making rapid antibody tests to help identify people who had the virus and may have developed some immunity to it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially allowed companies to launch antibody tests with minimal oversight.

This combination of photos shows selfies of, Clarence Allen Rainwater and Dawn Burton Rainwater, from left, Robert Onishi and Chris Onishi, Kathryn Ray, Quinten Daulton and Eric Little. As the pandemic has changed the world, it has also revealed surprising traits within ourselves, both dormant and newly discovered. I may not be the smartest person, but I know I have a huge heart and a lot of empathy. Most of them had to use their time much differently than when we had school, Little said. Wright, a clinical psychologist and the APA's senior director for health care innovation, also studies the effects of trauma.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. Johnson & Johnson is ending sales of its iconic talc-based Johnsons Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada, where demand has dwindled amid thousands of lawsuits claiming it has caused cancer. The worlds biggest maker of health care products said Tuesday the talc-based powder will still be sold outside the U.S. and Canada. The company insists, and the overwhelming majority of medical research on talc indicates, that the talc baby powder is safe and doesnt cause cancer. The New Brunswick, New Jersey, company said the baby powder decision came as it moves to discontinue about 100 consumer health products. J&J will still sell its less-popular cornstarch-based baby powder in North America.

NEW YORK U.S. births continued to fall last year, leading to the fewest number of newborns in 35 years. The CDC found the number of births fell about 1% from 2018, to about 3.7 million. Birth rates continued to fall for teen moms and for women in their 20s. Aside from a one-year uptick in 2014, U.S. births have been falling every year since 2007, when a recession hit the country. It's unclear what will happen to births this year, said Brady Hamilton, the CDC report's lead author.

BUDAPEST Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation banning the legal recognition of transgender citizens. The bill changes the sex category in official documents like birth certificates to sex at birth, defined as the biological sex determined by primary sex characteristics and chromosomes. Once determined, the birth sex category can't be changed. The amendments were part of a large legislative package submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, head of the Christian Democratic party. Among those expressing concerns about the legislation were the European Parliament, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights and the Hungarian Psychological Society. This decision pushes Hungary back toward the dark ages and tramples the rights of transgender and intersex people, Amnesty International Hungary international researcher Krisztina Tamas-Saroy said in a statement.

In this photo taken Thursday, May 7, 2020 brewery daughter Iris Detter pours a beer outside her 120 year old family brewery and traditional Bavarian restaurant in Altoetting, Germany. The 'Graminger Weissbraeu' brewery, which has been in the same family for a century, is preparing to welcome guests back to its restaurant for the first time in two months with new rules and fears for the future. Bavaria, one of the last German states to start reopening the hospitality sector as the country gradually eases its coronavirus restrictions, is letting restaurants serve guests outside starting Monday and inside a week later. The brewery produces 200,000 liters (52,800 gallons) of beer per year, but is suffering from the restaurant closure and the cancellation of a local festival in June. Its a relief to reopen the beer garden and then the restaurant for guests, but the new social distancing conditions are very difficult, she says.

In this April 7, 2020, handout photo, Japneet Singh, right, delivers pizza to health care workers at Kings County Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Now, hes all about pizza. Singh and his family have paid for and delivered hundreds of pies to hospitals, police stations and fire departments since the gurdwara suspended in-person services. In New York, 25-year-old Japneet Singh, a fellow Sikh, also thought of pizza for under-resourced hospitals and overworked, minimum wage employees in the crosshairs of the virus. These are minimum-wage workers, Singh said.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)NEW ORLEANS Every Labor Day weekend, St. Mary Parish celebrates two industries at a tourist event with a seemingly improbable title: the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. A worldwide oil glut was pushing down prices even before the pandemic fight lowered energy demand, contributing to layoffs. The state seafood promotion board estimates the industry's economic impact at $2.4 billion. Now, shrimp boats remain docked at Morgan City on the Atchafalaya River in St. Mary Parish, seafood dealer Edgar said. The estimated payroll is more than $3 billion, according to the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association.

In this picture taken on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, gondoliers President Andrea Balbi sails his gondola at the canal Grande (Grand Canal) in Venice, Italy. For years, the unbridled success of Venice's tourism industry threatened to ruin the things that made it an attractive destination to begin with. For years, Venice has faced an almost existential crisis, as the unbridled success of its tourism industry threatened to ruin the things that have drawn visitors for centuries. Now the coronavirus pandemic has dammed off the tide of tourists and hobbled the citys economy. Debates over how to manage tourism have always been heated in Venice and are especially fraught now.

Uwakwe is an artist/photographer and submitted his art work to the the Illinois State Museum, which is documenting what daily life is like for Illinois families during the coronavirus pandemic. Later, it would become one of the images Uwakwe used to create paintings inspired by the pandemic. To see maybe six people there, everyone wearing a mask, he said, it brought everything together.Around the world, people like Uwakwe are creating photographs, paintings, emails, journals and social media posts that will shape how the world remembers the coronavirus pandemic for years and centuries to come. But the pandemic itself is challenging the groups ability to collect because the museum is closed, so curators are asking potential donors to hold onto items. You collected World War II experience in the 1950s, Pretzer said.

In this picture taken on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, keys hang at the reception of the Saturnia hotel, in Venice, Italy. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)VENICE The Italian government announced Saturday that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europes longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets under way. Both regional and international borders will open June 3, with the government eliminating a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Such an opening is exactly what tourism operators have been waiting for -- even if European neighbors so far appeared be wary of the unilateral Italian announcement. The hotels last guest -- a determined couple of honeymooners from Argentina -- checked out around March 11, days after Italys lockdown.

In this May 11, 2020 photo, 80-year-old Dominga Aduviri is handed a cup of soda from her adopted grandson Wilmer Gutierrez, in La Paz, Bolivia. So, I looked for a neighbor to help me and I did the same in my condominium and adopted another grandfather, Royuela said. Adopt a Grandparent urges volunteers to help senior citizens if they need safe support. So far, about 20 young people have volunteered to help, said Royuela, who serves as the campaign coordinator. They include Dominga Aduviri, a La Paz resident who needs an identity document to collect the package.

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020, file, photo beachgoers walk and exercise on the beach in Malibu, Calif. Phil Murphy issued guidance Thursday to officials in shore towns on reopening beaches, directing them to set occupancy limits and spacing requirements. Free public beaches opened a few weeks ago. Public health officials were concerned large gatherings could allow the virus to spread. Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine, said it was sensible to start reopening beaches and see how it goes.

Bicyclists ride on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, N.J. on May 15, 2020, the on the first day it opened during the coronavirus outbreak. It and another popular Jersey Shore beach, Point Pleasant Beach, were among those allowing people back onto the sand with some restrictions to try to slow the spread of the virus. On Friday, local governments gave the signal and beachgoers returned to the sand at some of New Jersey's most popular beaches, including Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach. Yet despite the teen migration, things were decidedly under control at Seaside Heights, a place with a reputation for not always being so. Phil Murphy gave guidance to shore towns on how to reopen their beaches safely amid the virus pandemic.

"We all have negative thoughts sometimes and tell ourselves unkind things," members of the group said in a video on its Twitter page. "But how we speak to ourselves affects who we believe we are ... Be kind to yourself with #5YearOldSelfie you deserve it!" The group began the movement with a simple tweet, and it began taking the internet by storm in all the best ways. Don't let fear of embarrassment hold you back. Dont let being bullied define you2.

Whether its a dog or a bird, when you have a pet, its typically something you love deeply. Were all different, and because of that, we have different preferences in what we choose as a pet. In this highly scientific quiz (), were betting weve got a fair shot at guessing what kind of animal you have as a pet. Were we spot-on or way off? Wed love to hear what kind of pet you do have if we got it wrong.

Your wife has to handle the nursing, if you opt to go that route, and thats a huge job for her. So you can start doing everything ELSE -- diaper changes, spit-up duty, baths, bottles if those are in your rotation, etc. Not only could her milk supply take a hit, but shes going to be seriously hangry, if thats the case. Moms often feel a great responsibility to do EVERYTHING, even months or years after the baby is born. When you chip in and carry your load, dont call it babysitting, or act like youre doing your partner a favor.