Month: February 2023

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s struggling banks have decided to suspend their strike for one week, following a request by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The Association of Banks in Lebanon did not give further details about Friday’s decision to suspend the strike, which had been ongoing since Feb. 7. The

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Three members of the Scottish parliament will battle to become leader of the governing Scottish National Party. The party said Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and lawmaker Ash Regan all passed the threshold of at least 100 nominations from 20 or more local party

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press The prosecutor took disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh step-by-step Friday through a timeline of the night his wife and son were killed, frequently challenging inconsistencies in his memory while testifying at his double murder trial. A day after revealing for the first time that he was at the kennels

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch parliamentary inquiry has released a damning report into the government’s handling of lucrative natural gas extraction that caused a string of earthquakes in the northern province of Groningen. The report says profits were put before people in the region. The conclusions in the

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is declaring its solidarity with Ukraine by piling sweeping new sanctions on Moscow and approving a fresh $2 billion weapons package for Kyiv. The U.S. action aims to fortify Ukraine a year after Russia’s invasion. New sanctions introduced by the

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A group of European parliamentarians says the Philippines’ chances of retaining special trading incentives, including zero tariffs for a wide array of products, will be boosted if it decides to release a long-detained opposition leader and rejoin the International Criminal Court. When asked in a news

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose last month at its fastest pace since June, an alarming sign that price pressures remain entrenched in the U.S. economy and could lead the Fed to keep raising interest rates well into this year. Friday’s report from the Commerce

By WANJOHI KABUKURU Associated Press MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — A damaging tropical cyclone dumped “dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels” over Mozambique Friday as the long-lasting weather system continued to wreak havoc across southern Africa. The United Nations weather agency said Cyclone Freddy made landfall in the coastal town of Vilanculos with wind speeds of 113

By ALFIAN KARTONO and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police say 10 people have been killed and more than 20 others wounded in a riot in Papua province. The riots began Thursday afternoon in Wamena town in the Jayawijaya district of Papua, the country’s easternmost province, amid rumors of a child

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Cosori is recalling more than 2 million air fryers sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico because their wire connections can overheat and cause a fire risk. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Thursday. The agency said consumers should stop using the air fryers immediately. The

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Russian anti-doping agency has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the case of Kamila Valieva. The court says the agency asked for the teenage figure skater to be punished with as little as a reprimand for a failed doping test and keep a team gold medal from

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Officials in Nigeria are making final preparations on the eve of elections amid concerns about vote buying and violence. Police said Friday that one lawmaker was arrested in southern Nigeria at 2 a.m. with nearly $500,000 in cash and a distribution list. That’s fueling fears that

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s troubled state-owned power utility Eskom has appointed an interim chief executive after a fallout with its outgoing head over a media interview he gave alleging ongoing corruption at the company linked to the ruling party. Africa’s most developed economy is experiencing its worst rolling power

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A “people’s court” without legal powers has confirmed an indictment against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the crime of aggression in Ukraine and called for his arrest. The symbolic decision Friday came on the anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of its neighbor that triggered Europe’s

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia will raise development spending and plans new taxes for the wealthy in a smaller budget plan this year, as the new government seeks to balance between spurring economic growth and reining in the budget deficit. Three months after his election victory, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled a 386.1 billion

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Fashion Writer MILAN (AP) — Sexiness is in the air at Milan Fashion Week, where brands are encouraging people to show some skin next fall and winter. Whether designers have global warming in mind, warm outerwear or are just thinking skimpy dressing for crowded, overheated parties — because, yes, we are

By JOHN O’CONNOR AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois’ governor is planning to outline an expansive attack on what experts say is a mental health crisis among children. Gov. J.B. Pritzker will unveil a plan Friday that coordinates six separate state agencies in streamlining and easing access to necessary treatment. The report on

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Central and South Asia next week for international talks that will put him in the same room as his Chinese and Russian counterparts. Blinken is fresh from a meeting with China’s top diplomat and a U.N. Security Council

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is announcing a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine. It’s marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight. The