Month: February 2023

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The release of footage showing Memphis, Tennessee, police officers violently beating Tyre Nichols has renewed calls for Congress to pass police reform legislation. The pressure to act comes nearly two years after negotiations broke down along partisan lines, pushing the issue of police brutality to the back

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has sentenced a Russian journalist in absentia to eight years in prison on charges of disparaging the military. It was the latest move in the authorities’ relentless crackdown on dissent. Television journalist and former lawmaker Alexander Nevzorov was convicted on charges of spreading false information about the military

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple and Google say they disagree with a Commerce Department report accusing them of operating mobile app stores that stifle competition. President Joe Biden is convening his competition council for an update on efforts to promote competition and lower prices. Wednesday’s Commerce Department report says the current

Associated Press BENGALURU, India (AP) — Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several new clean energy initiatives in her annual federal budget speech on Wednesday, saying “green growth” is a top priority for the country. More than $8 billion dollars were announced for projects like mangrove restoration which help suck carbon dioxide out of the

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish ruling party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, has made a donation to the Ukrainian army to settle a defamation case with a political rival. Kaczyński was ordered by a court in December to pay Radek Sikorski more than 700,000 zlotys ($162,000) to cover the costs of publishing an apology for calling

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government plans to ramp up capital spending by 33% in a $550 billion annual budget designed to spur economic growth and create jobs ahead of a general election next year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says private investment has been rising after

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Nearly four years ago, Austria’s populist far-right Freedom Party was ousted from the national coalition government over a major corruption scandal, and voters punished it at the ballot box. But the party’s nearly double-digit gains in Sunday’s regional election in the province of Lower Austria confirmed that

BERLIN (AP) — Official figures show that German beer sales rose in 2022 after COVID-19 restrictions weighed on brewers in the previous two years. But the long-term trend remains downward and the World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar didn’t get the taps flowing. The Federal Statistical Office said Wednesday that German-based breweries and distributors sold

DETROIT (AP) — Police say three aspiring rappers who met in prison have been missing for 10 days after a Detroit gig suddenly was canceled because of an equipment problem. Commander Michael McGinnis says their disappearance is “very alarming.” The men, who live in Michigan, were identified as Armani Kelly, Montoya Givens and Dante Wicker.

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has ruled that a 14th century Korean Buddhist statue should be sent back to a Japanese temple from where it was stolen in 2012.  The statue’s return has been put on hold for years after a South Korean temple claimed ownership

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Visitors used to browse through Bakhmut’s late 19th century buildings, enjoy walks in its rose-lined lakeside park and revel in the sparkling wines produced in historic underground caves. That was when the city in eastern Ukraine was a popular tourist destination. No more. The longest battle

By NICOLE WINFIELD, CHRISTINA MALKIA and JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Congo’s people to forgive those who committed “inhuman violence” against them, celebrating a Mass for 1 million people and then hearing firsthand of the atrocities some of them have endured: a teenage girl “raped like an

Hard rock legend Ozzy Osbourne announced the cancellation of his 2023 tour dates in the U.K. and continental Europe. Osbourne issued a statement early Wednesday saying damage to his spine suffered in an accident four years ago will prevent him from touring. “I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your

By VADIM GHIRDA and STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian court on Wednesday upheld a second 30-day arrest of the divisive influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate, who is detained on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking, an official said. Tate lost his appeal against a judge’s Jan. 20

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Western Australia on Wednesday recovered a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) Outback highway last month in what an official said was like finding the needle in the haystack. Officials said the capsule the size of a pea

By SALAR SALIM Associated Press IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Officials from northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region say that several rockets targeted a Turkish military base in northern Iraq. An Iranian-backed militia promptly claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday. A Turkish defense ministry official said there was no damage or injury at the base but