Month: August 2022

GENEVA (AP) — The number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections. That is a possible sign the outbreak may be starting to decline in Europe, according to an report issued Thursday by the World Health Organization. In the past month, WHO said cases

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has signed a $2.25 billion contract with a Russian state-run nuclear energy company to provide components and construct turbine buildings for Egypt’s first nuclear power plant. The South Koreans hailed the deal as a triumph for their nuclear power industry, although it made

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s top court has dismissed appeals in the killing of a regional politician who had advocated helping refugees. The Federal Court of Justice confirmed the life sentence handed to a far-right extremist convicted of carrying out the execution-style slaying that shocked the country. Walter Luebcke, who led the regional administration in the

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Rick Duke says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will accelerate the world’s shift to renewable energy because of price shocks in oil and gas. Duke spoke Thursday at an Australian National University forum after meetings with Australian government officials on bilateral

BANGKOK (AP) — Independent Myanmar media say a former British ambassador to Myanmar who now heads a business ethics advisory group has been arrested. A report in Myanmar Now, an online news service, says Vicky Bowman, who served as the British envoy in 2002-2006, was detained Wednesday night and taken to Yangon’s Insein Prison. It

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major buildup of his country’s military forces Thursday in an apparent effort to replenish troops that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody warfare and prepare for a long, grinding fight ahead in Ukraine. The

By DAVID RISING and GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has entered a phase of political uncertainty, with its prime minister suspended and his deputy taking over in his stead pending a ruling from a top court on whether the premier has reached his constitutional term limit. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha came to

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A cost-of-living crisis in Britain is about to get worse. Millions of people will pay about 80% more a year on their household energy bills starting in October. The U.K. energy regulator on Friday announced the latest price cap, which is the maximum amount that gas suppliers

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The outgoing U.N. human rights chief has suggested her office won’t make good on her promise to release its long-awaited report on China’s Xinjiang region by the end of her term next week. Speaking to reporters, Michelle Bachelet said her office is “trying” to meet the deadline

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s interior ministry says two police officers were killed as they tried to stop a bus containing migrants who had entered the country illegally. The incident occurred at 5 a.m. in the Black Sea city of Burgas after the bus refused to stop at two consecutive border police checkpoints. The bus

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court has barred police from arresting the country’s former prime minister until Sept. 1. Imran Khan is accused of making verbal threats to police officers and a judge at a recent rally. His appearance before the court on Thursday came days after the government of

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Friday ahead of a speech by the Federal Reserve chair that investors hoped would shed light on plans for more interest rate hikes. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Shanghai was little-changed. Oil prices rose. Investors focused on

By RENATA BRITO Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — More than a year after the Taliban takeover that saw thousands of Afghans rushing to Kabul’s international airport amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, Afghans at risk who failed to get on evacuation flights say they are still struggling to find safe and legal ways out of

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The moving vans have already started arriving at Downing Street as Britain’s Conservative Party prepares to evict Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The debate over what mark he left on his party, his country and the world will linger long after he departs in September — if, indeed,

By FRANK JORDANS and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press NIKOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the middle of the fighting in Ukraine was temporarily knocked offline Thursday because of fire damage to a transmission line, causing a blackout across the region and heightening fears of a catastrophe in a country still haunted

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From Mustafa Moeen’s spot behind the counter, he sees the many faces of Dubai. They come — tired, hungry, stressed out — for a respite and a cup of karak. Laborers stop on the way to work. Cab drivers linger after long shifts. Emiratis

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Legendary Vietnam War photographer, writer and counter-culture documenter Tim Page has died Wednesday at his Australian home. He was 78. The British-born, self-taught photographer died of liver cancer with friends at his bedside at his rural home at Fernmount in New South Wales state. His friend

ROME (AP) — The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has reportedly canceled his planned attendance at an interfaith meeting in Kazakhstan next month where he was expected to meet with Pope Francis. Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of foreign relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, was quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency as saying

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s national police chief said Thursday he will resign to take responsibility over the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a campaign speech last month. National Police Agency Chief Itaru Nakamura’s announcement came as his agency released a report blaming flaws in police

By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees are marking the fifth anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s home minister has urged the international community to pressure Myanmar to ensure that the ethnic minority Rohingya can return home safely. The United Kingdom has announced a

CHONGQING, China (AP) — The city of Chongqing is known for both soaring temperatures and spicy cuisine, notably its hotpot: a peppery bubbling tabletop broth into which diners dunk bite-size pieces of food to cook and eat. The inland metropolis on the Yangtze River has the perfect escape to enjoy hotpot, even in what has

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania’s

By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden is calling on Democrats “to vote to literally save democracy once again” in the midterm elections — and comparing Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” — as he leads a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland. Biden addressed an overflow crowd

By EILEEN NG Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Jailed Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak has returned to court for a second corruption trial over the pilfering of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund. Najib was imprisoned Tuesday after the country’s top court rejected his final appeal in his first graft case linked to

By JULIET LINDERMAN and MARTHA MENDOZA Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — On a hot, humid East Coast day this summer, a massive container ship pulled into the Port of Baltimore loaded with sheets of plywood, aluminum rods and radioactive material — all sourced from the fields, forests and factories of Russia. President Joe Biden promised

By JULIET LINDERMAN and MARTHA MENDOZA Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — On a hot, humid East Coast day this summer, a massive container ship pulled into the Port of Baltimore loaded with sheets of plywood, aluminum rods and radioactive material – all sourced from the fields, forests and factories of Russia. President Joe Biden promised

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers are anxious to hear from Twitter’s former security chief, who has alarmed Washington with allegations that the influential social network misled regulators about its cyber defenses and efforts to control fake accounts. Leaders of several congressional panels are poring over the disclosures by respected

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — About 100 inmates in an overcrowded jail have climbed atop the roof of a prison building in the central Philippines and noisily protested with clenched fist and placards, saying they are not being fed well and demanding the removal of the jail warden. Jail officials said

MARÍA VERZA MEXICO CITY (AP) — A judge in Mexico has ruled that the former attorney general who oversaw the original investigation into the 2014 disappearances of 43 students from a radical teachers college will go to trial on charges of forced disappearance, not reporting torture and official misconduct. Former Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam