Month: October 2021

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — COVID-19 travel restrictions will cut the representatives of Pacific island nations attending U.N. climate talks that begin this weekend in Scotland. Their absence means the conference known as COP26 may not hear much from countries most threatened by climate change despite contributing only a fraction

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge has denied a defense request to dismiss the most serious charge against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright. Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter will stand trial in

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Hampered by COVID-19 cases and supply shortages, the U.S. economy slowed sharply to a 2% annual growth rate in the July-September period, the weakest quarterly expansion since the recovery from the pandemic recession began last year. The government estimate fell below expectations and would have been

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A lawyer defending WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has argued that promises offered by the U.S. government that he would not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if he is extradited to face American justice are not enough to address concerns about his fragile mental health and high

NEW DELHI (AP) — Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s son has been granted bail in a high-profile drug case that led to the actor finding himself at the center of a boycott campaign. The Bombay High Court says it will release a detailed order on Aryan Khan’s bail on Friday, which means he is expected to

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a pandemic low last week, another sign that the job market and economy continue to recover from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 281,000, lowest since mid-March 2020, the Labor Department said

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief executive is calling for climate leadership ahead of two major international meetings focused on curbing global warming. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Thursday that the world is facing “a moment of truth.” World leaders are gathering in Rome for a weekend summit of the Group

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — African health officials and the United Nations are warning of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world as the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses rises, and routine vaccinations could be affected, too. The U.N. children’s

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An Ethiopian government spokesman says a new airstrike has hit the capital of the country’s Tigray region following several days of such strikes last week, and a Tigray spokesman asserts that six people have been killed, as the year-long war intensifies. The government spokesman tells The Associated Press that Thursday’s airstrike

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — How did Gordon Ramsay spend his pandemic lockdown? Getting frenetic in a kitchen, of course. The chef with a dizzying number of books, restaurants and TV shows was home in Cornwall, England, with mouths to feed last year when he did a series of lives

By ANNA LIZ NICHOLS Associated Press/Report for America LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In order to combat the struggles low-income and first-generation college students can face, former New York Mets owner and real estate developer Fred Wilpon alongside his wife Judy created the Kessler Scholars Program in 2008. The program helps scholarship recipients combat various collegiate

BEIJING (AP) — China has defended a new border law following criticism by India that it might disrupt the resolution of a 17-month-old standoff over disputed territory that has led to violent clashes. The law says Beijing will combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries. That prompted an appeal by India not

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — The businessman who organized the flight that resulted in the death of Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala has been found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft. Sala died after the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft in which he was traveling crashed in the English Channel in January 2019. Sala was

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently lost about 20 kilograms (44 pounds), but remains healthy and is trying to boost public loyalty to him amid worsening economic problems. Two lawmakers say the

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian officials have praised the “steel friendship” with China during talks with China’s foreign minister. The talks come amid fears in the West that Beijing, by heavily investing in the Balkan state, is trying to exert its political influence in that part of Europe. Serbia, a

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish appeals court has increased a sentence to two brothers by a year, giving them 15 years in prison each for the murder of a biracial man on a Danish island in June 2020. The slaying had sparked a nationwide debate about racism. The Eastern High Court in Copenhagen ruled

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press The move to phase out gifted education in New York City comes as districts across the country confront accusations that the programs are a form of racial segregation. The issue is that Black and Latino students historically have been underrepresented. Experts say that the teachers who often refer students to

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Public school programs for the gifted and talented are getting increased scrutiny as critics denounce them as modern-day segregation and push for broader access or outright elimination. Black, Latino and Native American parents have charged that exclusive programs underscore inequities in an educational system that

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, says the social media giant does not prioritize engagement and user growth over safety. That contradicts Senate testimony by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who claims Facebook knows its systems harm vulnerable people and hasn’t made meaningful changes to prevent it. Bickert spoke

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s president says the ballot box is the best way of breaking a political stalemate after the country’s parliament threw out the government’s proposed state budget for next year. But the head of state’s plan to hold a snap election could backfire by producing an even

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The U.N.‘s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden’s envoy to this year’s climate summit called Thursday for countries to step up the fight against global warming. Both issued dire warnings about the costs of failure, saying it is a matter of survival for the

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say an American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. Flight 976 was heading Wednesday evening from Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — European gas prices have dropped after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the country’s major natural gas company to pump more gas into EU storages. During a call with officials late Wednesday, Putin told the head of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom, to start pumping gas into the company’s

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Fighter jets have flown over the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki in an aerial display as troops marched in the city’s center to mark Greece’s national holiday commemorating the country’s entry into World War II. But some student parades traditionally held in municipalities on were cancelled, especially in parts of northern

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A Hungarian official announced Thursday that the government will allow employers to require that their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for work. Additional new measures will include the required wearing of masks on public transportation and a ban on visits to public health

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors have brought charges against a former defense minister over a massive blast at a munitions disposal factory in 2008 that killed 26 people. A state body in charge of probing high officials said it had charged Fatmir Mediu, a defense minister in 2005-2008, with abuse of his position. The

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African cricket player Quinton de Kock has apologized for refusing to play in a T20 World Cup game but says he felt his rights were “taken away” when he and his teammates were told they must take a knee in support of

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow city authorities have ordered most people to stay off work for at least 11 days, to stem coronavirus infections as new daily cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Russia surged to all-time highs. The government’s coronavirus task force on Thursday reported 1,159 deaths in 24 hours.

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia has reported third-quarter profit above analyst expectations on increasing sales of 5G technology and trimmed costs. But the company warned on Thursday that the global shortage of semiconductors clouded the market outlook and could hamper growth. The Finland-based company reported net

HONG KONG (AP) — The president of Hong Kong’s legislature says it has become more efficient with no opposition members, after all pro-democracy lawmakers resigned late last year to protest the ouster of four colleagues for not demonstrating sufficient loyalty to Beijing. Hong Kong authorities have cracked down on political dissent in the past year,

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s National Statistics Institute says consumer prices increased this month by the country’s highest rate in 29 years as a result of soaring electricity costs. Preliminary data from the institute released on Thursday said consumer prices rose 5.5% in October compared to the same month in 2020. Regulatory measures so far haven’t