Month: October 2021

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press VATHY, Samos (AP) — Greece’s prime minister has flown to the eastern Aegean island of Samos to view a new camp for asylum seekers that has replaced the old, squalid facility on the island. He said his government’s policy on migration has “crushed” migrant smuggling networks. Speaking in the remnants

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and DAVID McHUGH AP Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation has reached new highs in the United States and Europe, as rising energy prices and supply bottlenecks have restrained the economic recoveries from the pandemic in both economies. In the U.S., a Commerce Department report Friday showed that prices rose 4.3% in August

A group of more than 20 current and former employees are accusing Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight company of being a toxic work environment and not following proper safety protocols. The workers claim in an essay that there’s sexism at the company. The employees, led by former head of Blue Origin employee communications Alexandra Abrams,

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A Turkish company supplying electricity to Lebanon from two power barges off the coast of Beirut says it’s halted supplies after its contract with the Lebanese state electricity company expired. Lebanon is grappling with an economic meltdown that includes fuel and power shortages. Blackouts last up to

LEAGUE CITY, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas have arrested a man who was accused of stabbing a restaurant manager with a pocketknife after being told he needed to wear a mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. The stabbing happened in March at a Jack in the Box restaurant in League City,

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal has so far this year recorded its lowest number of wildfires since 2011. Also, wildfires have claimed no lives since more than 100 people died in 2017. Authorities said Friday that more than 80% of the 7,253 wildfires reported through Sept. 30 were put out before they grew to more

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Police in Britain’s capital are desperately trying to regain the trust of women after revelations about how a serving officer used his position to abduct, rape and murder a young woman, taking the unprecedented step of advising women and girls how to protect themselves during interactions with

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he was “shocked” when Mali’s prime minister described France’s plans to reduce its troop commitment in the African country as an “abandonment.” In his first reaction to Prime Minister Choguel Maiga’s remarks at the U.N. General Assembly last week, Macron on Thursday night called them “unacceptable” and

By JOSH BOAK and EMILY SWANSON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s popularity has slumped — with half of Americans now approving and half disapproving of his leadership. That’s according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Support for the president who pledged to bring the country

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Belarus human rights group said Friday that some 100 people have been detained in the wake of a shootout that left an opposition supporter and a KGB officer dead. The Viasna center said the detentions appeared to be connected to comments made on social media

LONDON (AP) — Police in Northern Ireland have arrested two more men Friday over the death of a young journalist who was shot and killed while covering a 2019 riot. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the men, ages 44 and 53, were arrested in the Londonderry area under the Terrorism Act on Friday.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has sent 25 fighter jets toward self-ruled Taiwan in a large display on China’s National Day. The People’s Liberation Army flew 18 J-16 fighter jets as well as two H-6 bombers on Friday, among other planes. Taiwan says it deployed air patrol forces in response and tracked the Chinese aircraft

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As North Korea goes back to its pattern of pressuring South Korea to get what it wants from the United States, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un has emerged as the face of its campaign of mixing weapons demonstrations and

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief prosecutor is accusing Slovenia of interfering in the EU’s justice system and fears the 27-nation bloc’s budget may not be protected from fraud or corruption. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office began work in June with the aim of independently investigating crimes against the

BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds of Iraqis are marching in the center of Baghdad to mark two years since mass anti-government protests erupted in the Iraqi capital and southern provinces. Around 1,000 protesters took part in the event, many of them carrying photos of loved ones who were killed by security forces during the protests. The

By DANIEL ROCA and BARRY HATTON Associated Press LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — An erupting volcano on a Spanish island off northwest Africa has blown open two more fissures on its cone, as authorities report “intense” activity in the area. The new fissures, about 15 meters (50 feet) apart, sent streaks of

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says he has directed that the ban on Twitter’s use in Africa’s most populous country be lifted but only if the social network meets some conditions, including Twitter’s registration and positive use in Nigeria. The ban which took effect on April 5

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Merck says its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus. That is potentially a leap forward in the global fight against the pandemic. The company said Friday it will soon ask health officials in the U.S.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s government says a defense pact between Greece and France aimed at bolstering Athens’ capabilities amid tensions with Ankara, threatens to harm NATO. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic on Friday described the deal as a bilateral alliance formed against fellow NATO member Turkey “in a way that harms the NATO alliance.”

GENEVA (AP) — The Swiss government has decided to set up a dedicated embassy to the Vatican. Switzerland’s ambassador to Slovenia is currently responsible for diplomatic relations with the Holy See. A government statement Friday said it determined that the current arrangement “no longer allows all the work entailed by Switzerland’s diplomatic relations with the

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has outlined plans to lift its pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November. But no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says travel restrictions that have trapped most Australians and permanent residents at home

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union’s statistics agency says sharply higher oil and gas prices have helped push annual inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro to its highest in more than a decade. Eurostat reported Friday that inflation came in at 3.4% for September, up

By JAMEY KEATEN and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Pakistan wants the European Union to revise its plan to step up human rights monitoring under the new Taliban leadership in Afghanistan in part by taking into account socio-economic concerns. The European bloc is leading an effort backed by over 40 countries at the

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso’s government has suspended the Norwegian Refugee Council aid group from operating in the West African country, the organization says. Earlier this week, the ministry of humanitarian action ordered the NRC to indefinitely suspend all operations, a decision linked to media coverage of a

BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors say they are investigating a Turkish man who was arrested in Dusseldorf on suspicion that he spied on supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen’s movement while acting on behalf of Turkish intelligence. The suspect was detained at a Duesseldorf hotel on Sept. 17 after an employee found a weapon on him.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia has opened the country’s first public oxygen plant as the Horn of Africa nation with one of the world’s weakest health systems combats COVID-19. The oxygen plant was installed Thursday at a hospital in the capital, Mogadishu. It is expected to produce 1,000 cylinders of oxygen a week. The scarcity

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Sam is a Category 4 storm that is not expected to strike Bermuda but is forecast bring tropical storm conditions to the territory and other islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Sam’s core will travel well east of Bermuda. It is located 435 miles south-southeast of Bermuda as of Friday

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has lifted a six-week national lockdown as COVID-19 cases and deaths decline but movement restrictions remain in place. The lockdown was imposed Aug 20 and then extended three times as Sri Lanka grappled with an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths since

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s national army has begun exercises near its border with Azerbaijan, putting on a display of military capabilities near a neighbor it is increasingly skeptical of for its ties to the West and Israel. State TV reported that artillery, drones and helicopters will participate in the drills, without elaborating on how

By STEPHEN MCGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Authorities say a fire at a hospital in Romania’s port city of Constanta has killed seven COVID-19 patients in the ICU. All patients have been evacuated following Friday’s blaze at Constanta’s Hospital for Infectious Diseases. The health ministry said that 113 patients were in the medical

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Mongolia-born Hakuho was famous for his diligent training that led him to be the sumo grand champion — or Yokozuna — with victories in a record 45 tournaments. He achieved 1,187 wins, an all-time record in sumo. But at 36 he has retired. Hakuho had a right-knee

By AMANDA LEE MYERS Associated Press BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Angelina Jolie, Rita Moreno and several other speakers at Variety’s Women of Power event in Los Angeles used their platform to call attention to women’s rights issues in the United States and abroad. The event Thursday evening was organized to celebrate the philanthropic efforts

BEIJING (AP) — China has appointed a new governor for Xinjiang where the ruling Communist Party is accused of carrying out mass detentions and other abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim. A former vice governor, Erkin Tuniyaz gained some notoriety for delivering a vociferous defense of Chinese policies in the region, particularly the use of

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A round of free trade talks between the European Union and Australia has been postponed by one following a dispute over the Australian government’s decision to cancel a multibillion-euro French submarine deal. The EU commission spokesperson in charge of trade said Friday that the delay doesn’t mean

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A manhunt is continuing Friday for the tenant in an apartment building that was rocked by an explosion and fire this week that injured 16 people, four of them seriously. The man is wanted on suspicion of public destruction. Authorities have not identified him, but Swedish media reported the suspect was a