Month: December 2022

BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government says a Greek national is under investigationfor allegedly spying for Russia for years. The Interior Ministry said Monday that the 39-year-old, who is not currently in detention, has Russian roots and is the son of a former Russian intelligence employee who was once stationed as a diplomat in Austria

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized Monday on behalf of his government for the Netherlands’ role in slavery and the slave trade, in a speech welcomed by activists as historic but lacking in concrete plans for repair and reparations. “Today I apologize,” Rutte said in

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press Greyson Parisien’s time on earth was short. But the boy with dark-rimmed eyeglasses who was enchanted by the music in “Frozen,” the sound of ripping paper and his dad playing the guitar is having an outsized impact on his tribal community in the far reaches of North Dakota. His journey

By LOUISE DIXON Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Looking to create a bit of winter luxury when tending bar at home this holiday season? London’s top cocktail-makers have some tips. “Christmas is a special time when you want to join with friends and family. And sometimes, the centerpiece of any happiness is to have a

BERLIN (AP) — Defense officials said Monday that Germany is readying decades-old armored personnel carriers for a key NATO unit after the modern vehicles that should have been deployed suffered a mass breakdown. Germany is scheduled to take the rotating lead of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, or VJTF, on Jan. 1. The

By BEN FINLEY and AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Tiffany Reyes had just gotten back to her seat from the bathroom and was about to buckle her safety belt when Hawaiian Airlines Flight 35 dipped. In an instant, Reyes found herself on the aisle floor, staring up at caved-in ceiling panels and a

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A former Japanese soldier who came forward with her sexual misconduct case says harassment was as rampant in her army unit as if “part of daily communication.” Rina Gonoi filed the case with the Defense Ministry last year, saying she had suffered multiple assaults by a number

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Delayed flights. Missing deliveries. Broken products. At any given time, you likely have a handful of reasons to reach out to a company and lodge a complaint. But if you really want your voice — and your requests for how you want the problem remedied — to be heard, you

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban government spokesman says the death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in a tunnel north of the Afghan capital has climbed to 31. He said on Monday that more bodies were pulled out from the site and rescuers continued to search for survivors. The cause of the blast on Saturday

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Monday accused Facebook parent Meta of breaching antitrust rules by distorting competition in the online classified ads business, the bloc’s latest maneuver to curb the power of Big Tech companies. In its complaint following an investigation launched last year, the EU’s executive

By COSTAS KANTOURIS Associated Press THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A Greek court has ordered a police officer accused of fatally injuring a Roma teenager during a car chase over an allegedly unpaid gas station bill to be released on bail pending trial. The Dec. 5 shooting of 16-year-old Kostas Frangoulis triggered days of protests which

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Since the pandemic, Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to relieve stress. She and her co-workers chip in to buy Legos at Target and play at their desks. She also started playing with Silly Putty again, noting she felt comforted by the

BERLIN (AP) — Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a longtime opera fan, is offering her thoughts on Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle. It is the latest in a series of sporadic and sometimes idiosyncratic appearances since Merkel left office a year ago. Merkel joined a former federal court judge to reflect on “greed,” “revenge” and “vanity”

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — When it comes to soccer, money can buy the world. It can pay for the World Cup. And the world’s best players. And it can bundle them all up into a perfect package and present it to a global audience of millions. The power of

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has cruised through a vote of confidence, cementing his leadership after a general election last month produced no clear winner. Anwar, whose coalition led the Nov. 19 election with 82 seats, subsequently formed a unity government with several smaller rival parties. But former Prime Minister

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday expressed alarm about growing antisemitism in the United States and around the globe and vowed to fight back against the scourge. Speaking to guests gathered for a Hanukkah reception at the White House, Biden said “silence is complicity,” and added that it’s imperative that hate, violence and

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian police say they have pulled 10 migrants from freezing waters by the border with Bosnia. Police were alerted Sunday evening that a group of people were stuck in a flooded area around the Sava River after their small boat ruptured. The migrants previously had crossed the river from Bosnia but

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has won reelection as leader of the ruling African National Congress party. The results announced Monday showed an unexpectedly close race between Ramaphosa and former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. The voting for the party leadership took much longer than scheduled, stretching out

By JANIE HAR and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is making a new push to reduce homelessness. The initiative comes as a federal survey confirms something that’s obvious to people in many cities: The problem is not waning. The nationwide Point in Time count found that about 582,000

BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey shows that German business confidence has improved more than expected in December. Managers in Europe’s biggest economy are taking a brighter view of both their current situation and the outlook for the next six months. The Ifo institute said Monday that its monthly confidence index rose to 88.6

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s 83-year-old King Harald V has been admitted to a hospital due to an infection and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics. The Norwegian palace said in a brief statement Monday that the king will remain in the hospital in Oslo for a few days. Harald has been hospitalized several times

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordanian police say a shootout that erupted in the country’s south during an arrest raid in the case of the recent slaying of a police commander left three officers and the suspect dead. Police said that eight other suspects in the killing of a senior policeman last week were arrested. Monday’s

BERLIN (AP) — Black ice and freezing rain are causing disruption in parts of Germany as a lengthy freeze gives way to milder and wetter weather, with trains traveling at reduced speed, cancellations at the country’s busiest airport and a spate of traffic accidents. The German Weather Service warned of widespread black ice on Monday

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union ministers have finalized a long-awaited deal to implement a natural gas price cap that they hope helps households and businesses better weather price surges. EU member countries had failed to overcome their differences at previous emergency meetings, but several EU leaders said last week that

By RIAZ KHAN and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani officials say several Pakistani Taliban detainees overpowered their guards at a counter-terrorism center in the country’s northwest, snatching police weapons, taking hostages and seizing control of the facility. Officials confirmed on Monday that one officer was killed during the takeover at the

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s defense minister has made a stirring argument for his country’s new gender-neutral parental leave system when he announced he would be stepping aside in few weeks to take care of his 6-month-old son. He also reassured the nation that it would be in good hands amid

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police say the number of people charged over a violent pitch invasion at a Melbourne A-League match has increased to 13. An additional 18 people have also been identified following public appeals with more charges expected to be filed in coming days. Two men have already received lifetime bans from Football

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Judges at Britain’s High Court say the U.K. government’s controversial plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is legal. But two judges also ruled Monday that the government failed to consider the circumstances of the individuals it tried to deport. The ruling is a

WAVERLY, Ohio (AP) — A man convicted in the killings of eight members of an Ohio family has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. George Wagner IV was sentenced Monday after an emotional hearing at which the victims’ family members spoke of their devastation and grief. Lawyers for the 31-year-old

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Baghdad-mediated diplomatic talks between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have come to a halt, largely because of Tehran claims the Sunni kingdom has played a role in alleged foreign incitement of the mass anti-government protests underway in Iran, multiple Iraqi officials said. The talks had been

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writers BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets extended their losses Tuesday amid gloom about weaker global economic growth as central banks raise interest rates to cool inflation. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Tokyo advanced. Oil prices rose almost $1 per barrel. Markets are sliding after the U.S. Federal Reserve

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, ERIC TUCKER and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president and “a time of reflection and reckoning.” After one of

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — A 73-year-old man who had a long-running dispute with his condo board in a suburb near Toronto killed five people, including three board members, after he claimed on social media that the building’s electrical room was making him sick. Police said Francesco Villi fatally shot three men

By HANNA ARHIROVA and VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare trip Monday to Moscow’s ally Belarus as his forces pursued their campaign to bombard Ukraine from the air amid a broad battlefield stalemate almost 10 months into the war. Putin’s visit to Minsk came hours after

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she will meet with her counterpart, Wang Yi ,in Beijing this week as Australia and China mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. The trip signals a continued thaw in relations between the nations since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won an election victory in May,

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese health authorities have reported the nation’s first COVID-19 deaths in more than two weeks. The two deaths in Beijing come as the illness is surging after China eased the strict “zero-COVID” approach it credits with keeping its toll low. Although the official statistics are changing very little, families and funeral workers