Month: January 2022

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Democrats have taken their first step toward creating a universal health care system. A legislative committee in the state Assembly advanced a bill on Tuesday that would replace California’s private insurance market with a plan paid for by the government. But the proposal is still

ROME (AP) — The Catholic Church in Rome is strongly condemning a funeral procession outside a local church in which the casket was draped in a Nazi flag and mourners gave the fascist salute. Photos and video of the scene outside St. Lucia church following the Monday funeral service were published by the Italian online

By SAM COWIE and DAVID BILLER Associated Press BOA VISTA, Brazil (AP) — The scorching Amazon sun beats down as agents inspect the body of a black helicopter. Nearby, in the backyard of the federal police headquarters in the city of Boa Vista, sit more than twenty aircraft — all seized. Some bear signs of

LONDON (AP) — One of Britain’s largest energy suppliers has apologized for advising customers to cuddle with pets or challenge children to hula hoop competitions to keep warm without turning up the heat as gas and electricity bills soar this winter. The Financial Times reported that the suggestions from Ovo Energy were in a list

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A man accused of setting a fire that destroyed parts of South Africa’s historic Parliament complex is facing an additional charge of terrorism. Prosecutors added the terrorism charge Tuesday when the man appeared for a bail hearing. They accuse Zandile Mafe of intending to

By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Who will take your pet when you die? The question often doesn’t have an easy answer. That’s especially true for ill or older people headed to residential nursing care or assisted living. Specialized rescue, advocacy and adoption services run by volunteers are trying to fill the

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America is slashing the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks. It’s the latest move by the nation’s biggest banks to roll back the fees they

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it pulled 176 Haitians from an overloaded wooden sailing vessel as it approached the Florida Keys. The rescue effort unfolded on Monday after a Customs and Border Protection crew spotted the 60-foot sailboat near the Bahamas with a crowd on board. The Cutter Paul Clark

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities on Tuesday brought criminal charges against an author critical of the government whose ongoing detention has sparked concern at home and abroad. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who has been detained since Dec. 28, was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” for his alleged efforts on

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The leader of the Portuguese Communist Party is temporarily dropping out of campaigning for his country’s Jan. 30 general election for an urgent heart procedure. The party said in a statement Tuesday that the 74-year-old Jerónimo de Sousa requires a coronary angioplasty and stent insertion that can’t be postponed until after

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish court has revealed that the man who has headed both of Denmark’s intelligence agencies at different times has been detained for over a month on suspicion of “disclosing highly classified information from the intelligence services.” There is speculation that Lars Findsen was considered

By SARA RATHNER of NerdWallet The holidays are a popular time to get engaged, and that means many couples are diving into 2022 by touring wedding venues, researching vendors and carefully crafting guest lists. Planning a wedding can be a time that’s filled with emotions, expectations and the pressure to create a perfect event —

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The Albanian government says it will hire a U.S. company to bolster its cybersecurity. Prime Minister Edi Rama said Tuesday that the country signed a memorandum of understanding with the Virginia-based Jones Group International. The infrastructure minister says Jones Group will make a “full scanning of our systems to check how

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s new climate minister said Tuesday that the country faces a “gigantic” task if it wants to achieve its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring sufficient energy for its energy-hungry industry. Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin that Germany is currently on track to halve

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s only electricity distribution company says it is restoring power to parts of the country after a widespread blackout in East Africa’s economic hub after towers collapsed on a major transmission line. Kenya Power in a statement on Tuesday said the collapse occurred on the Kiambere-Embakasi power line. The statement did

BERLIN (AP) — Police in western Germany have raided offices and homes in connection with floods last summer in which more than 180 people died and hundreds more were injured. The Cologne public prosecutor’s office coordinated Tuesday’s searches which were executed by 140 police officers. German news agency dpa reported investigations were allegedly focusing on

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s health authorities say the country’s top leaders are self-isolating after being in contact with the parliamentary speaker who tested positive for the coronavirus. Officials said Tuesday that Speaker Nikola Minchev felt unwell and later tested positive for COVID-19. Minchev was present at a six-hour meeting of the country’s National Security

By DASHA LITVINOVA and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow and Washington both have taken uncompromising stands ahead of more talks amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine. The U.S. has rebuffed a demand to halt NATO expansion and the Kremlin says it will see if it’s worthwhile to even keep negotiating. At

CAIRO (AP) — Authorities in Egypt say at least two people died and eight are still missing after a small truck they were riding in slid off a rickety ferry and plunged into the Nile River, just outside the capital of Cairo. The accident happened on Monday in Giza province. A local government statement says

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has announced $308 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan. The new aid comes as Afghanistan edges toward a humanitarian crisis since the Taliban takeover nearly five months ago. White House spokesperson Emily Horne says in a statement issued Tuesday the new aid from

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations has launched its biggest ever appeal — for over $5 billion to help 22 million Afghans whose country is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse as well as 5.7 million Afghan refugees in five neighboring countries. The U.N.

MADRID (AP) — A spat over factory farming is causing tension in Spain’s left-of-center coalition government. The farm minister on Tuesday described the consumer minister’s criticism of the country’s livestock industry as “very unfortunate.” Consumer Minister Alberto Garzón told British newspaper The Guardian in an interview last month that intensive cattle production is “unsustainable,” damages

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Local authorities say an Ethiopian drone strike has killed 17 civilians in the country’s Tigray region on the day that President Joe Biden during a call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed concern about such attacks in the ongoing war. A report by the zonal administration

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a wave of public and political outrage over allegations that he and his staff flouted coronavirus lockdown rules by holding a garden party in 2020 while Britons were barred by law from meeting up with more than one person outside

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — A report based on U.S. trade data shows American companies are still importing teak from Myanmar despite sanctions imposed after the military seized power. Teak is one of the most valuable hardwoods, used in yachts, home flooring and in expensive furniture. U.S. importers were still receiving

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Serbian Orthodox Church says the Patriarch, Porfirije, has tested positive for COVID-19. The church said on Tuesday that Porfirije has developed “very mild symptoms of the virus infection” and remains in home isolation. He is in contact “through electronic communications” with his associates and performs administrative duties entirely without problems,

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Yemeni officials say forces of the internationally recognized government have reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The seizure of Shabwa is a blow to the rebels after government forces earlier this month made significant advances in the south. Taking Shabwa would enable

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The World Economic Forum says cyberthreats and the growing space race are emerging risks to the global economy, on top of existing challenges posed by climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. The Global Risks Report released Tuesday usually comes out ahead of the annual elite winter

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has become the latest European nation to reach the milestone of 100,000 deaths related to coronavirus. Nearly a quarter of those deaths — some 24,000 — have occurred in the most recent wave of infection that began in October, a period in which vaccines were

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The president of Kazakhstan has announced that a Russia-led security alliance will start pulling out its troops from the Central Asian country in two days after completing its mission. The mostly Russian troops were deployed to Kazakhstan last week by the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ Geological Survey Department says a 6.1-magnitude earthquake has rattled the small island nation and has been felt throughout the east Mediterranean region. No damage or injuries have so far been reported. The powerful tremor occurred in the early hours of Tuesday and its epicenter was 50 kilometers (31 miles) off