Month: December 2022

By JIM MUSTIAN and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — José Irizarry accepts that he’s known as the most corrupt agent in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration history, admitting he “became another man” in conspiring with Colombian cartels to build a lavish lifestyle of expensive sports cars, Tiffany jewels and paramours around

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia is keeping its bee buzz on a roll. After clinching United Nations support for its proposal to establish a World Bee Day in 2018, the small European nation’s tradition in beekeeping is now being added to the U.N.’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers have approved a free-trade deal between the European Union and Canada, moving the accord a step closer to taking effect fully. The pact formally known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, was signed in late 2016. Most of it has been provisionally in force since 2017, but

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Scream Queen” Jamie Lee Curtis will be this year’s recipient of AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards career achievement honor. Curtis will receive the honor at the AARP’s annual Best Movies and TV for Grownups ceremony, the group announced Thursday. Alan Cumming returns to host the ceremony, which will be

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida tax collector whose arrest led to a federal probe into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and other crimes. Joel Greenberg of Seminole County had pleaded guilty to six federal crimes,

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities say two people were killed after a mini-bus collided with a truck in southern Egypt. The authorities said one of the deceased was Chinese and the other Italian. It said five others were seriously injured in the crash and have been taken to hospital. No further details were given. Traffic

By LLAZAR SEMINI ASSOCIATED PRESS TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The German president has hailed Albania’s pro-European stand and urged its authorities to continue reforms toward membership in the European Union. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is visiting Albania Thursday to talk with top officials on EU membership negotiations and the situation in the Western Balkan region. Steinmeier urged

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — It’s time to raise a glass for sljivovica – Serbia’s traditional plum brandy that authorities said Thursday is being added to the U.N.’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity. UNESCO experts gathering in Morocco this week decided that “social practices and knowledge related

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Google is challenging a record European Union antitrust fine that took aim at the Android operating system’s role in restricting mobile competition and consumer choice. The company said Thursday that it filed the appeal against the $4.3 billion penalty “because there are areas that require legal

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has rescheduled his delayed trip to Congo and South Sudan for Jan. 31-Feb. 5. The Vatican published the new itinerary Thursday. It roughly matches the original with one exception: It cuts out a stop in Congo’s conflict-ravaged eastern city of Goma. The trip had

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s top public health body says the continent is set to receive its first batch of mpox vaccines as a donation from South Korea. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday the 50,000 doses will be used first for health workers and people

By JEFFREY SCHAEFFER and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press BRUNOY, France (AP) — The pistol the elderly French woman inherited from her grandfather had once belonged to a German soldier, killed in a war fought on France’s soil in the last century. Now the woman has turned the heirloom over to police for fear that her

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press LODZ, Poland (AP) — Europe’s largest security organization has opened a meeting in Poland strongly denouncing Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was founded decades ago to maintain peace and stability on the continent. It has been a rare international forum where Russia and

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister has accused the West of becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine by supplying the country with weapons and training its soldiers. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said on Thursday that Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other infrastructure were intended to weaken Ukraine’s military and derail

BERLIN (AP) — The United Nationsis asking member states for a record $51.5 billion in aid funding for next year, as disasters and the ongoing war in Ukraine drive up humanitarian needs worldwide. The global body’s humanitarian office said Thursday the funds would be needed to help 339 million people in 69 countries, an increase

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Prayer. Bombs. Walls. Over the decades, people have tried all of them to stanch the flow of lava from Hawaii’s volcanoes as it lumbered toward roads, homes and infrastructure. Now Mauna Loa — the world’s largest active volcano — is erupting again, and lava is slowly approaching

BERLIN (AP) — Swiss authorities say they have been notified of 46.1 billion francs ($48.5 billion) in assets held by Russian nationals and entities in the Alpine country since sanctions were introduced earlier this year. Switzerland, which isn’t a European Union member but has close relations with the 27-member bloc, applied EU sanctions against Russia

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Renewed allegations of racism at Buckingham Palace threatened to overshadow Prince William’s trip to the United States after campaigners said the palace needed to acknowledge a wider problem that goes beyond one member of staff. The controversy erupted Wednesday when a Black advocate for survivors of domestic

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a major political conference before the end of the year to talk about key state affairs at which he is expected to address his increasingly tense relations with Washington and Seoul over the expansion of his

By CIARÁN GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Police in Spain detonated a suspicious envelope discovered at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spanish officials said Thursday, a day after a similar package sent to the Ukrainian Embassy ignited upon opening and injured an employee. “We can confirm a suspicious package was received at the U.S.

Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran’s national soccer team has received a subdued welcome home with a few dozen fans greeting them at the capital Tehran’s airport and waving flags following their World Cup defeat by the U.S. team. The players returned to Iran Wednesday evening to a country still reeling from unrest from monthslong

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish police say they have seized around 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of narcotics in Stockholm, with a total street value of about 80 million kronor ($7.6 million). Three men have been arrested on suspicion of serious drug offences in connection with Saturday’s raid in Tyreso, south of the Swedish capital. Police said

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — More Chinese cities eased anti-virus restrictions and police patrolled their streets Thursday as the government tried to defuse public anger over some of the world’s most stringent COVID measures and head off more protests. Following weekend demonstrations at which some crowds made the politically explosive demand that

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian economist who spent almost two years imprisoned in Myanmar has received a hero’s welcome at Australia’s Parliament House. Lawmakers rose in a standing ovation and the prime minister praised Sean Turnell’s courage, optimism and resilience. Turnell was among American, Japanese and British citizens released

BEIJING (AP) — China says leader Xi Jinping has urged negotiations on a political solution to the Ukraine conflict in talks with visiting European Council President Charles Michel in Beijing. State broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying that “solving the Ukrainian crisis through political means is in the best interest of Europe and the common

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Sleep plunges the soldier back into the horrors of Ukraine’s battlefields. He can hear bombs falling again and picture explosions. He imagines himself frantically running, trying to save himself and others. The nightmares are so vivid and frightening that he pleads with his doctor for help.

By JUWON PARK Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Award-winning “Squid Game” actor Oh Young-soo will stand trial on charges of indecent assault after a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her in 2017, a South Korean court said. The district court in Seongnam city said Thursday that prosecutors indicted the 78-year-old Emmy nominee