Health experts are worried Americans might have vaccination fatigue, but they still want you to get your flu shot. Masking and other precautions against the coronavirus had an added bonus last winter as flu cases dropped to historically low levels. But with schools and businesses reopened, international travel resuming and far less masking this fall, flu could make a comeback. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone starting at age 6 months. And people eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster can get a flu shot at the same time. The post It’s flu vaccine time, even if you ..read more

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Murder charges have been dismissed against a man who spent 15 years in prison for the fire-related deaths of five children in suburban Detroit. It’s the climax of an investigation that found misconduct by police and prosecutors. Fifty-year-old Juwan Deering will not face a second trial. A judge on Thursday granted the request of Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald, who took a fresh look at Deering’s case. He walked into court shackled at the waist but walked out as a free man with no restraints. Deering has insisted that he was innocent. An investigation found that f ..read more

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A European Union mediator says Serbia and Kosovo have reached an agreement to deescalate tensions on their mutual border that have been triggered by a dispute over vehicle license plates. EU mediator Miroslav Lajcak tweeted Thursday that “We have a deal!” He said it came after two days of “intense negotiations.” Kosovo’s government deployed special police forces to the border crossings last week to impose a new rule of removing Serb license plates from cars coming into the country. Kosovo had said that a 10-year-old deal had expired. Pristina said they were replicating ..read more

TOKYO (AP) — The two women in the Japanese governing party’s four-way leadership race was a step forward for gender equality. But their defeat was no surprise. The winner in Wednesday’s race, as expected, was former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, a veteran considered part of the ruling establishment. Women are a tiny minority in Japanese politics, especially within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Only about 10% of Japan’s parliament is female, and many tend to try to advance by showing party loyalty rather than pursuing equality. The candidates themselves seem polar opposites. The ultra ..read more

A survey of Americans on President Joe Biden’s plan to require most workers to get either vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 finds a deep and familiar divide: Democrats are overwhelmingly for it, while most Republicans are against it. With the highly contagious delta variant driving deaths up to around 2,000 per day, the poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that overall, 51% say they approve of the Biden requirement, 34% disapprove and 14% hold neither opinion. The post Biden vaccine mandate splits US on party lines: AP-NORC pol ..read more

LONDON (AP) — A serving London police officer has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a woman he tricked into his car using his police identification and COVID-19 laws. Wayne Couzens was accused of falsely arresting 33-year-old Sarah Everard for violating lockdown restrictions as she walked home from visiting a friend in south London on March 3. Prosecutors said he handcuffed Everard, drove her far outside the city, and then raped and strangled her with his police belt. Couzens had pleaded guilty. The sentencing judge on Thu ..read more

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek prime minister’s pet dog Peanut has briefly interrupted a news conference attended by the visiting prime minister of Slovakia. The former stray was adopted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in April and has already met several other European leaders. The dog barked Thursday while Mitsotakis expressed support for efforts by several Balkan countries to join the European Union.    The post Top dog: Greek leader’s pet interrupts news conference appeared first on WREX ..read more

GENEVA (AP) — High-level Russian and U.S. diplomats are meeting in Geneva as part of strategic talks revived by presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin at a June summit, with contentious issues like nuclear weapons and cyberspace on the table. The second-ranked U.S diplomat, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, held several hours of talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Ryabkov, at the Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva. It was the second round following up on an earlier one at the U.S. mission in Geneva in July, where little progress was made. The post High-level US, Russian envoys ..read more

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s prime minister says he is “unapologetic” in defending Greece’s borders in the face of uncontrolled migration attempts, but insists his country is doing so in a manner that respects human rights. Greece has come under strong criticism from rights groups, migrants and some European officials over allegations that its coast guard carries out so-called pushbacks — the summary deportation of people arriving on Greek territory without allowing them to apply for asylum. Greek officials have repeatedly denied the allegations, despite considerable indications such practic ..read more

Health experts are worried Americans might have vaccination fatigue, but they still want you to get your flu shot. Masking and other precautions against the coronavirus had an added bonus last winter as flu cases dropped to historically low levels. But with schools and businesses reopened, international travel resuming and far less masking this fall, flu could make a comeback. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone starting at age 6 months. And people eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster can get a flu shot at the same time. The post It’s flu vaccine time, even if you’v ..read more