Month: March 2023

By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020. Lisbeth Imer, a runologist with the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represented the first solid evidence

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine official says the country’s coast guard has launched a strategy of publicizing aggressive actions by China in the disputed South China Sea, which has countered Chinese propaganda and sparked international condemnations that have put Beijing under the spotlight. Manila’s coast guard has intensified patrols

By JAMES BROOKS and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark pushed the button Wednesday on an ambitious project that aims to bury vast amounts of planet-heating carbon dioxide gas beneath the North Sea floor in the hope that it can help the Nordic nation and others meet climate targets. An international consortium

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. defense secretary says America’s defense partnership with Egypt is an “essential pillar” of Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. Lloyd Austin made the remarks on Twitter after touching down in Cairo on Wednesday, on the latest leg of his Mideast tour. After landing, Austin held talks with Egyptian President Abdel

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense minister voiced caution Wednesday over media reports that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year. German daily newspaper Die Zeit and public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported Tuesday that investigators were able to

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Pau Gasol joined the Los Angeles Lakers just over 15 years ago, the Spanish 7-footer banished his ego, redoubled his work ethic and immediately turned this team into contenders who eventually became champions. Gasol and Kobe Bryant did it all together, and their numbers

BEIRUT (AP) — Reports say that an explosion in eastern Syria killed at least three people. A war monitoring group said the blast on Wednesday was likely caused by a drone strike that targeted Iran-backed militiamen. No group claimed responsibility for an attack in the area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people

By CIARÁN GILES and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press MADRID (AP) — From demands for constitutional rights in Islamabad to calls for economic parity in Manila, Paris and Madrid, International Women’s Day demonstrations are highlighting the unfinished work of providing equity for half of the planet’s population. While activists in some places celebrated political and legal

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Adidas’ breakup with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West and the inability to sell his popular Yeezy line of shoes helped batter earnings at the end of last year, leading to a net loss of 513 million euros ($540 million). The fourth-quarter loss, also attributed to higher supply costs and

By MATT O’BRIEN and HALELUYA HADERO AP Technology Writers Even if you haven’t tried artificial intelligence tools that can write essays and poems or conjure new images on command, chances are the companies that make your household products are already starting to do so. Mattel has put the AI image generator DALL-E to work by

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Is the United States out to sabotage China? Chinese leaders think so. President Xi Jinping accused Washington this week of trying to isolate his country and hold back its development. That reflects the ruling Communist Party’s growing frustration that its pursuit of prosperity and global influence is

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and THEODORA TONGAS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tens of thousands of people are marching in Athens and Greek cities to protest the deaths of 57 people and the serious safety deficiencies the country’s worst train disaster exposed. Clashes broke out in Athens and two other cities. Labor unions and student

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor has claimed that his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut. But it remained unclear how long the grinding fight that has exacted heavy losses might continue. The battle for the city the Ukrainians

By INDRAJIT SINGH Associated Press PATNA, India (AP) — A government official says three people were killed when an Indian army mortar shell fired during a training session fell short of its target and hit a village house in the country’s east. Official Pankaj Kumar said a young couple was visiting Gulvared, a village in

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The sight of a red bloodstain on Kenyan Senator Gloria Orwoba’s white pantsuit was so startling that a female security guard rushed over to hide it. It was an accident, Orwoba said. Just before walking into parliament, she looked down to discover that she had been

By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Peterson Zah, a monumental Navajo Nation leader who guided the tribe through a politically tumultuous era and worked tirelessly to correct wrongdoings against Native Americans, has died. Zah died late Tuesday at a hospital in Fort Defiance, Arizona, after a lengthy illness, his family and the

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations says that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls. The U.N. mission to Kabul said in a statement released Wednesday that Afghanistan’s new rulers have shown an almost singular focus on

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after Wall Street steadied following a plunge on worries about more U.S. interest rate hikes. Shanghai and Seoul declined. Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices edged lower. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index recovered some of the previous day’s

By ANDREW SELSKY and DAMIAN DOVARGANES Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Buttery, smooth, oaky. These are characteristics of the best bourbons, and a growing cult of aficionados is willing to pay an astonishing amount of money for these increasingly scarce premium American spirits — and even bend or break laws. Premium spirits have always

By ERIC TUCKER and DEL QUENTIN WILBER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Three days after federal agents searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida home for classified documents, FBI Director Christopher Wray emailed his workforce urging them to tune out criticism from those who “don’t know what we know and don’t see what we see.” The

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s support of a Republican resolution to block new District of Columbia crime laws has split members of his own party amid rising concerns about crime in the nation’s capital and other cities. The GOP-led disapproval resolution is expected to easily pass the Senate

By ASTRID SUAREZ Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — For the first time in 25 years, Colombia has opened military service to women. The first cohort of 1,296 female recruits enlisted in February and is now undergoing training. Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24. The army relies heavily

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — On the eve of International Women’s Day, leading women’s rights campaigners at the United Nations and the African Union and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate criticized male-dominated governments Tuesday for excluding women from peace negotiations. They complained that governments are ignoring a U.N. resolution adopted

NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Author and illustrator Ian Woodward Falconer, known for his “Olivia” book series for children, has died. Falconer’s lawyer and agent Conrad M. Rippy said Falconer died Tuesday of natural causes while with family in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was 63. Falconer’s “Olivia” books featured a clever piglet with a great imagination named

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai man has been sentenced to two years in prison for selling calendars featuring satirical cartoons of yellow ducks that a court said mocked the country’s monarch. The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights says Bangkok’s Criminal Court ruled that the calendar for 2021 contained pictures of yellow ducks

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A powerful paramilitary commander has slammed Sudan’s ruling generals, saying they oppose stepping down to allow for a democratic transition under a civilian administration. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, said Tuesday his conflict with other military leaders centers on the issue of

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislators in New Mexico are advancing legislation to rein in paramilitary patrols that have popped up in recent years to halt migrants near the international border with Mexico and at a protest over a statue of a Spanish conquistador. The bill places New Mexico among

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in the United States following a trip to India this week, amid speculation the leaders will make an announcement on Australia’s plans to build nuclear-power submarines. Albanese gave few details of the U.S. trip, saying there would

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mayor London Breed’s incarcerated brother could get a reduction in his 44-year manslaughter sentence after a judge ruled he can be resentenced according to new sentencing laws. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the judge’s ruling Monday, citing changes to the definition of murder in California. Napoleon Brown, Breed’s older brother, has

By BRUCE SCHREINER and DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Four of the candidates running in Kentucky’s Republican gubernatorial primary have faced off in a televised debate in which they took turns advocating conservative themes. Participants in the Tuesday night debate were Daniel Cameron, Ryan Quarles, Alan Keck and Mike Harmon. The four

By BEATRICE DUPUY Associated Press Houston podcaster Nathan Reeves caught video of the startling moment that an SUV crashed into the cafe where he was recording. Reeves was interviewing Houston photographer Alexsey Reyes on Saturday when the Chevrolet Tahoe slammed into the Tout Suite cafe in Houston. The two had been discussing their creative process

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — At the prosecutors’ office in Japan, everyone makes their own tea and copies — tasks often relegated to women in a society criticized for its lack of gender equality. Twenty years ago, only about 8% of Japanese prosecutors were women. This year, it’s reached 50%. The country

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Next month’s scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate, whose attorneys say gouged out both of his eyes — each a separate incident — because of severe mental illness, was delayed by a judge on Tuesday. Andre Thomas had been set to be executed on