Month: December 2022

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Court of Justice says online retail giant Amazon may be in breach of luxury shoemaker Christian Louboutin’s trademark rights over the sale of counterfeit red-soled high-heeled shoes on its platform. Third-party sellers on Amazon regularly advertise red-soled shoes, and Louboutin brought cases against Amazon in Belgium and Luxembourg arguing that

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. economy contracted by more than earlier estimates between July and September, according to revised figures from the Office for National Statistics. Gross domestic product fell by a revised 0.3% in the third quarter of 2022 against the estimated 0.2% decline, while growth figures for the first half of 2022 were

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has praised the Hong Kong government’s efforts in revitalizing the economy as it rolls back COVID-19 restrictions, in a meeting with the territory’s leader in Beijing. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee was on his first trip to the capital on Thursday

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India has begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19 after an increase in cases in neighboring China. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced the new rule Thursday and urged state governments to increase surveillance for any new coronavirus variants and send samples of

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Last year, Lucila Gomez and her husband started their holiday shopping around Thanksgiving and wrapped it up a week before Christmas, spending $750 on tablets and clothing for their three children and relatives. This year? Gomez is waiting until she gets her annual bonus on

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency says North Korean hackers have stolen an estimated 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets in the past five years, more than half of it this year alone. North Korea is believed to have turned to illegal

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The head of the Faeroe Islands’ social democrats says his party will form a majority coalition government after a parliamentary election was held in the semi-independent Danish territory in the North Atlantic. The head of the Equality Party, Aksel V. Johannesen, said he will team up with the left-leaning Republic Party

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer Superintendent Torie Gibson felt she had no choice but to make the unpopular decision. When learning Amador High’s football team had a group chat titled, “Kill the Blacks,” filled with derogatory language and racial slurs, she ended the Northern California school’s varsity season. That meant the 100-year anniversary game

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan has overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination to succeed the late A. Donald McEachin in Congress. McClellan won the nomination with 85% of the vote in Tuesday’s firehouse primary over Sen. Joe Morrissey and two other candidates. She’ll be the overwhelming

By SABINA NIKSIC Associated Press ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — More than nine years after Croatia became the European Union’s newest member, the country is on a roll to make the most of its status as the EU member in the Balkans. Croatia is adopting the EU’s common currency, the euro, and joining the Schengen Area,

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The minister of higher education in the Taliban government on Thursday defended his decision to ban women from universities — a decree that had triggered a global backlash. Discussing the matter for the first time in public, Nida Mohammad Nadim said the ban issued earlier this week was necessary to prevent

By CIARÁN GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spain has kicked off the festive period with one of its most iconic events: the huge Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” or The Fat One. The most sought-after prize shells out 400,000 euros ($425,000), or some 325,000 euros after tax, to winning holders of 20-euro tickets,

BERLIN (AP) — The German government says it has nationalized energy company Uniper after the European Union gave its blessing for it to rescue the gas supplier. The government announced its plan to nationalize Uniper in September, expanding state intervention in the energy sector to prevent a shortage resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The

BEIRUT (AP) — Iraqi state news says two soldiers have been killed and three have been injured in an explosion in northern Iraq. The agency reported Thursday that the soldiers were traveling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the

By SABINA NIKSIC Associated Press SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — In homes and schools around Bosnia, youngsters have been preparing gift boxes they hope will put a smile on the faces of their peers living through war in Ukraine. For parents and educators helping the kids select what to send, the experience has awakened a rare

By LORI HINNANT, VASILISA STEPANENKO, SARAH EL DEEB and ELIZAVETA TILNA Associated Press Throughout Mariupol, Russian workers are tearing down bombed-out buildings at a rate of at least one a day, hauling away shattered bodies with the debris. Russian military convoys are rumbling down the broad avenues of what is swiftly becoming a garrison city,

By LORI HINNANT, VASILISA STEPANENKO, SARAH EL DEEB and ELIZAVETA TILNA Associated Press Throughout Mariupol, Russian workers are tearing down bombed-out buildings at a rate of at least one a day, hauling away shattered bodies with the debris. Russian military convoys rumble down the broad avenues, and Russian soldiers, builders, administrators and doctors are replacing

By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press The Associated Press estimated at least 10,300 new graves in and around Mariupol — most in the Staryi Krym cemetery — by analyzing satellite imagery from early March through December, noting sections where the earth had been disturbed. AP measured each grid section where the cemetery had been expanded and

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities say vandals have destroyed rock art believed to be some 30,000 years old. Kyam Maher, the attorney-general of South Australia state, said the vandals appeared to have removed parts of a barbed wire fence at Koonalda Cave and got underneath, before using their fingers to draw over the top

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. deputy secretary-general is urging every country “with capacity” to urgently consider the Haitian government’s request for an international armed force to help restore security and alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean nation. Amina Mohammed told the U.N. Security Council that Haiti is

By SAMYA KULLAB and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — There are three “Starbucks” cafes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, all serving authentic Starbucks coffee in authentic Starbucks cups. But they’re unlicensed by the international chain. Iraq has emerged as a hub for trademark violations and piracy that cuts across sectors. The Iraqi government

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan has adopted a plan to extend the lifespan of nuclear reactors, replace the old and even build new ones. That’s a major shift in a country scarred by the Fukushima disaster that once planned to phase out atomic power. In the face of global fuel shortages,

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street pointed slightly higher in premarket trading Friday as investors await the government’s final inflation-related report of the year. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% and futures for the Dow Jones Industrials were up 0.3%. On tap Friday is the Commerce Department’s consumer spending

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fijian police on Thursday said they were calling in the military to help maintain security following a close election last week that is now being disputed. It was an alarming development in a Pacific nation where democracy remains fragile and there have been four military

By SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The idea of a daring wartime trip by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington had percolated for some time before the surprise visit was revealed just hours ahead of the Ukrainian president’s arrival. During an October summit in Zagreb, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed with her counterpart in

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An IRS policy governing the audits of tax returns filed by U.S. presidents is under new scrutiny after a report published by a congressional panel found the agency failed to perform the mandatory inspection of Donald Trump’s returns until Congress pressed for information about the process. The