Month: January 2022

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw orchestra has played second fiddle to a pair of hairdressers. Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits have been briefly upstaged by a nail salon and barber as civil disobedience to protest the Dutch coronavirus lockdown spread to the cultural sector. The Netherlands has been in a tough

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says the European Union should quickly draw up a new security plan containing proposals to help ease tensions with Russia. Macron raised the idea on Wednesday as concerns mounted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning an invasion of Ukraine. Macron told EU lawmakers that the bloc

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — A spattering of Paris Fashion Week menswear shows began in earnest this week for the fall-winter season as French government restrictions have seen many relegated to an online-only presence. Those brands which chose to maintain physical shows like AMI on Wednesday may not end up regretting

BRUSSELS (AP) — A local court has convicted 18 people who were involved from Belgium in the 2019 deaths of 39 people from Vietnam whose bodies were found in the back of a container truck in southeastern England. The Bruges correctional court on Wednesday found what it called a Vietnamese ringleader in Belgium guilty and

By ALEX ROSENBERG of NerdWallet As of Jan. 1, most surprise medical bills are now banned as a result of the No Surprises Act. Surprise medical bills commonly arise when you can’t choose your provider, such as in an emergency or when you’re assigned an anesthesiologist or radiologist. Under the new rules, your insurer has

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A snowstorm in the Middle East has left many Lebanese and Syrians scrambling to find ways to survive. Some are burning old clothes, plastic and other hazardous materials to keep warm as temperatures plummet and poverty soars. The storm began Tuesday night and is expected to peak

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds The chip and supply chain shortages of 2021 have been difficult for automakers and consumers alike. But something positive has emerged from the chaos for 2022: more new car introductions. Among other things, the shortage forced many brands to delay the release of all-new and redesigned vehicles that were originally scheduled

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defied calls to resign in a feisty performance in Parliament. But it may be too little to prevent his Conservative Party’s lawmakers trying to oust him over a string of lockdown-flouting government parties. Pressure on the prime minister grew as a

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDPAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The leader of Hungary’s political opposition has announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 amid a surge in cases fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Peter Marki-Zay is an independent conservative who will represent a six-party opposition coalition in the parliamentary election in April. He

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press TANAGRA, Greece (AP) — French-built fighter jets roared over the Acropolis as Greece races to modernize its military and flaunts new security alliances aimed at checking neighboring Turkey. Six advanced Rafale jets, purchased from the French air force, flew in low formation over Athens on Wednesday before their official handover

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has limited access to what the government considers the most risky events and public gatherings as the country gets ready for the highly infectious omicron coronavirus variant.  People need to receive a booster shot or be vaccinated by two shots and additionally get tested or recovered from COVID-19 to attend

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will

By LAETITIA BEZAIN Associated Press ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Officials in Madagascar say that heavy rains have flooded parts of the capital city, Antananarivo, killing 10 people and making more than 12,000 homeless. With the rains continuing and a possible cyclone approaching the Indian Ocean island, officials warned of possible landslides in the capital city,

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An Islamic militant who eluded capture for 18 years has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after an Indonesian court found him guilty of hiding information about the 2002 Bali bombings from authorities and harboring other suspects. Prosecutors previously demanded a life sentence for Aris

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer The French Senate has voted in favor of banning the wearing of headscarves in sports competitions after arguing that neutrality is a requirement on the field of play. The French upper legislative house voted in favor of amending a proposed law on stipulating that the wearing “of conspicuous religious

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United Kingdom have risen at the fastest pace in almost 30 years as higher costs for energy, transportation, food and furniture squeezed household incomes. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that inflation measured by the consumer price index accelerated to 5.4% in

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Council President Charles Michel has become the second top-level European Union official who has had to pull out of the bloc’s parliament session because he had a high-risk COVID-19 contact. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen already canceled her attedance on Monday.  Michel was to brief legislators on the EU

BEIJING (AP) — China is condemning plans by Slovenia to upgrade relations with self-governing Taiwan, a move likely to spark diplomatic and economic retaliation against the tiny Central European country. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said China was “shocked by this and strongly opposed to it,” but gave no immediate details on how Beijing

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli Cabinet minister has dismissed claims that police used controversial spyware to surveil protesters, a day after a newspaper investigation prompted outraged lawmakers to seek a formal inquiry. The Wednesday comments came a day after a Hebrew-language business paper published allegations that Israeli Police used

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish central bank says it and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to a currency swap deal equivalent to $4.74 billion to boost Turkey’s depleted foreign exchange reserves. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Turkey and the UAE agreed to swap 65 billion Turkish lira and 18 billion UAE dirham for

BEIJING (AP) — With just over two weeks before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, residents of the Chinese capital are disappointed at not being able to attend events because of coronavirus restrictions. Organizers have announced no tickets will be sold to the general public and only selected spectators will be allowed. Access to

BERLIN (AP) — German news agency dpa has reported that police are investigating thousands of cases of suspected forgery of coronavirus vaccine certificates. The dpa report on Wednesday cited figures obtained from the country’s 16 states showing more than 12,000 police investigations have been opened nationwide. Dpa reported that the number of probes surged in

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s government and central bank have taken unconventional steps in recent weeks to prop up a beleaguered economy crippled by skyrocketing consumer prices, instead of ending a much-criticized plan to cut interest rates. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s insistence on cutting rates is the opposite of what

By CALEB M. LARSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany has begun hearing a case against a Syrian doctor accused of crimes against humanity for torturing and killing inmates at a government-run prison and two military hospitals in his home country. Federal prosecutors say the doctor worked at a military intelligence prison

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities say six residents of a nursing home near Valencia have died in a fire. Spain’s Civil Guard police force says that a power strip was the source of the fire. A regional official said Wednesday that another 17 residents were hospitalized. A total of 70 residents were evacuated from the

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A pipeline that carries oil from Iraq to world markets has resumed operating several hours after an explosion in southeastern Turkey forced it to shut down. No one was hurt in the explosion late Tuesday in Kahramanmaras province. A statement from Turkey’s pipeline company said the oil flow resumed on Wednesday

By MOUSSA MOUSSA and DAVID RISING Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Three of Tonga’s smaller islands have suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross say, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation. Communications have been

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are higher after China cut interest rates to shore up flagging economic growth and Japan reported a double-digit rise in exports. Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1% as investors tried to figure