Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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TOP STORIES
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UNITED NATIONS-US-RUSSIA-UKRAINE — The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States. All key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact. By Edith M. Lederer. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Omicron’s race across the globe has amped up concerns about long COVID, which some estimates suggest affects a third of COVID-19 survivors. Long COVID symptoms can include pain, fatigue and brain fog weeks or months after the initial infection. As coronavirus infections soar worldwide, scientists are racing to pinpoint the cause of the baffling condition and find new treatments before a potential explosion of cases. By AP Medical Writers By Laura Ungar and Lindsey Tanner. SENT: 1,440 words, photos.
BRITAIN-POLITICS — The British government says Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a report from an investigation into lockdown-breaching government parties. The scandal has caused public anger and led some Conservative lawmakers to call for Johnson’s resignation. Johnson’s office has promised the report will be published “swiftly,” and the prime minister will address Parliament about its findings later. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 700 words, photos.
KOREAS TENSIONS — North Korea has confirmed it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam in its most significant launch in almost five years. Sunday’s launch could be a prelude to bigger provocations by North Korea such as nuclear and long-range missile tests that pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland, as the North tries to further pressure the Biden administration. By Hyung-Jin Kim. SENT: 980 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — Testimony will resume for a second week as the federal trial continues for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights. Prosecutors are trying to prove that Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao deprived Floyd of his rights when they failed to give him medical aid as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck. Kueng and Thao are also charged for failing to intervene. The former head of training at the Minneapolis Police Department is expected to be back on the stand Monday. By Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski and Tammy Webber. SENT: 510 words, photos.
SCHOOLS-CYBER ATTACK — Cybersecurity experts say that ransomware attacks on K-12 schools have increased during the pandemic. Cyberattacks have crippled schools in recent weeks as teachers become more reliant on computers to take attendance and deliver lessons. Before the pandemic, cyber hacks of schools rarely led to canceled classes. Snow days are less frequent because children can learn from home when there’s bad weather. By Cedar Attanasio. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
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OLYMPICS
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OLY--CLIMATE CHANGE & WINTER SPORTS: Olympic athletes in Alpine skiing and other outdoor sports dependent on snow are worried as they see winters disappearing. Ski racers who will compete entirely on artificial snow during the Beijing Games in February know that global warming is threatening the future of their sport. The present is not terrific, either. By Pat Graham and Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,500 words, photos, video.
OLY--SKI-WEATHER OR NOT: Winter Olympians in outdoor sports such as Alpine skiing or snowboarding say the weather can be a key factor in success or failure. The wind, the light, the temperature and whether or not there is any precipitation can affect all sorts of things during competition, creating another source of stress at a one-day-every-four-years spectacle already filled with them. By Howard Fendrich and Pat Graham. SENT: 850 words, photos by 4 a.m. ET.
OLY-OLYMPIC-QUIZ: Which team did the U.S. beat to win gold in curling? What year was luge introduced at the Olympics? Which Soviet hockey players from 1980 are now in the Hall of Fame? As the Beijing Games draw closer, test your knowledge of the Winter Olympics with this 20-question quiz. Better study hard — and be ready to grade on a curve! By Noah Trister. SENT: 580 words, photo.
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TRENDING NEWS
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MUSIC-SPOTIFY — Spotify said Sunday that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the coronavirus. The move follows protests of the music streaming service that were kicked off by Neil Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. SENT: 570 words, photos.
HONG KONG — A top Hong Kong official has resigned after he attended a birthday party with 200 guests, at least one of whom later tested positive for the coronavirus. SENT: 210 words, photo.
AFGHANISTAN-NEW ZEALAND — A pregnant New Zealand reporter has chosen Afghanistan as a temporary base for her uphill fight to return home because of her country’s stringent COVID-19 entry rules. SENT: 940 words, photos.
PAKISTAN TV MOGUL ACQUITTED — A Pakistani court has acquitted the owner and editor-in-chief of the country’s largest independent group of newspapers and television stations in a lingering case related to allegations of tax evasion in a real estate purchase. SENT: 260 words.
ITALY-DOLCE&GABANA-FUR FREE — Dolce&Gabbana says it will drop the use of animal fur in all its collections starting this year, and transition to eco-friendly faux fur. SENT: 140 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-LUNAR NEW YEAR — People across Asia prepared Monday for muted Lunar New Year celebrations amid concerns over the coronavirus and virulent omicron variant, but were looking ahead with hope that the region’s high vaccination rates might bring life closer to normal in the coming year. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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YOUNGKIN-SHIFTING VIRGINIA -- Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has used his first two weeks in office to push Virginia firmly to the right, attempting a dramatic political shift in a state once considered reliably Democratic that’s being closely watched by others in the GOP. By Will Weissert and Sarah Rankin. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-QATAR -- President Joe Biden is hosting the ruling leader of Qatar at the White House on Monday as he looks for the gas-rich nation to step up once again to help the West as it faces the prospect of a European energy crunch if Russia further invades Ukraine. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 980 words, photos. Meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.
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NATIONAL
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CALIFORNIA-UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE — A bill that would create a government-funded universal health care system in California now faces a key deadline. Monday is the last chance for lawmakers in the Assembly to keep the bill alive this year. The bill would create a universal health care system and set its rules. SENT: 790 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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PERSIAN GULF-TENSIONS — The United Arab Emirates says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels as the Israeli president is visiting the country. The rebels have been launching their longest-range attacks yet as Emirati-backed forces press on the Houthis. The attack early on Monday was the third in recent weeks. The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency says the remnants of the missile fell outside populated areas and caused no losses. The attack amid President Isaac Herzog’s visit only fuels tensions affecting the wider Persian Gulf region. By Jon Grambell. Sent: 1,090 words, photos.
EUROPE-STORMS — Dutch emergency services say two ships have collided off the Dutch coast in the storm-hit North Sea after and one began taking on water. An evacuation is undeway. A freighter called the Julietta D with 18 crew members on board collided with with another boat about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the port of Ijmuiden. The other boat also was damaged but was able to continue its voyage. SENT: 200 words.
CYPRUS RAPE CASE — The Supreme Court in Cyprus has overturned a British woman’s conviction for making up claims she was gang-raped by a group of Israelis. The woman was 19 at the time of her trial. She had been sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence for making up claims that she was gang raped by as many as a dozen Israelis during a vacation in Cyprus in 2019. SENT: 200 words, photos.
BRAZIL STORM-DEATHS — Authorities in Brazil say landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains have killed at least 19 people in the country’s most populous state, Sao Paulo. Local officials also say flooding has forced some 500,000 families from their homes. SENT: 190 words, photos.
GERMANY POLICE SHOT — Police say two officers have been shot dead while on a routine patrol in western Germany. SENT: 200 words, photos.
SYRIA-ISRAEL — Syria’s official news agency says the country’s air defenses have confronted Israeli missiles targeting an area near the capital, Damascus, downing some of them. SENT: 240 words.
HONG KONG-NEW YEAR FEAST-PHOTO GALLERY — Tighter COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on dining in restaurants after 6 p.m., mean many Hong Kong families are eating their reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s eve at home this year. SENT: 390 words, photos.
MEXICO-VIOLENCE — A day after residents in a Mexican town dominated by a drug cartel claimed soldiers fired on a protest and wounded several people, the army says its troops were attacked. SENT: 400 words, photos.
FRANCE-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — Presidential contenders from the fractured left wing of French politics are insisting that they will maintain their candidacies, amid deepening divisions that are likely to prevent them from doing well in April’s national election. SENT: 270 words, photos.
ISRAEL OBIT-ESTHER POLLARD — The wife of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who championed a years-long campaign for his release from prison, has died from complications of COVID-19. Israeli media say Esther Pollard battled cancer in recent years and died on Monday after recently contracting the coronavirus. SENT: 180 words, photos.
ISRAEL-ARAB-CRIME — The highest-ranking Arab Muslim officer in Israel’s police force has resigned, a week after a video emerged showing him tripping over the body of a stabbing victim as he left the scene of a crime in 2020. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks have followed Wall Street higher at the start of a week when China, South Korea and Southeast Asian markets will close for the Lunar New Year holiday. SENT: 310 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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SUPERBOWL LOOKAHEAD — The Cincinnati Bengals were the NFL’s worst team two years ago. Now they’re headed to the Super Bowl to play the Los Angeles Rams in the Rams’ home stadium. Matching the biggest comeback in an AFC championship game, the Bengals rallied from an 18-point hole to stun Kansas City 27-24 in overtime Sunday for their first trip to the big game since the 1988 season. Rookie Evan McPherson made a 31-yard field goal to win it. Then the Rams overcame a 10-point second-half deficit and took the NFC crown with a 20-17 victory over San Francisco when Matt Gay made a 30-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining. SENT: 640 words, photos.
FBN--AFC CHAMPIONSHIP - The Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a spot in the Super Bowl at their home stadium next month with a thrilling 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. SENT: 1.030 words, photos.
FBN-NFC CHAMPIONSHIP - The Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a spot in the Super Bowl at their home stadium next month with a thrilling 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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OBIT-CHESLIE KRYST - Cheslie Kryst, the 2019 winner of the Miss USA pageant and a correspondent for the entertainment news program “Extra,” has died. Police said the 30-year-old Kryst jumped from a Manhattan apartment building. SENT: 320 words, photo.
FILM-BOX OFFICE - On a chillingly quiet weekend at movie theaters, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” again topped the box office in its seventh week of release. SENT: 580 words, photo.
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HOW TO REACH US
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