Month: April 2023

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Federal Reserve official said Friday that there has been little progress on inflation for more than a year and that more interest rate hikes are needed to get prices under control. Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s governing board, did not specify how

MOSCOW (AP) — Belarusian air force crews have completed their training in the use of tactical nuclear weapons as part of Russia’s plan to deploy the weapons to its ally Belarus amid the fighting in neighboring Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday released a video in which a Belarusian pilot said that the training

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — An evacuation order for people living near an extraordinary plastics fire in Indiana stretched into a fourth night Friday as officials acknowledged “our community is exhausted,” longing to return home and anxious about possible adverse health effects. Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said the fire was declared under control Thursday night.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s government has approved a controversial plan to open the country’s first casino in the city of Osaka as it seeks to lure more foreign tourists. The casino resort is to include conference facilities, an exhibition hall, a hotel and a theater and is expected to open

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer A European spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a decadelong quest to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons that could have buried oceans. The journey began with a perfect morning liftoff by Europe’s Ariane rocket from French Guiana on the coast of South America. But there were some

By CIARÁN GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A Spanish mountain climber has emerged from a cave 70 meters (230 feet) underground where she spent some 500 days isolated from the outside world. Beatriz Flamini left the cave in southern Spain shortly after 9 a.m. Friday after being told by supporters that she had completed

BAGHDAD (AP) — Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr says he will suspend the movement he leads for one year, citing “corruption” among some of his followers. He made the announcement on Friday. A group within the Sadrists, dubbing itself the “Owners of the Cause,” believes that al-Sadr is Imam Mahdi, a

By FREIDA FRISARO and TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Workers at one of Fort Lauderdale’s landmark restaurants spent Friday tearing out carpeting and original hardwood floors, both ruined when 8 inches (0.25 meters) of water poured inside two days earlier. Old Heidelberg was among numerous businesses and residences affected by historic

By DEEPA BHARATH The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Rev. Edward Siebert’s journey with “The Pope’s Exorcist,” a film about arguably the most famous exorcist in the Catholic Church, began with an adventuresome visit to Milan about six years ago. The Jesuit priest recalls sitting at a restaurant sipping wine and mulling the

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Tens of thousands of Iranians have demonstrated in support of Palestians, marking the annual anti-Israel “Jerusalem Day,” or al-Quds Day after the city’s Arabic name. In the capital of Tehran, thousands of demonstrators chanted, “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Iranian state TV aired footage of similar rallies in other

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s prime minister is seeking to bring down the temperature on spiraling tensions between his government and the United States after Washington sanctioned a Hungary-based Russian bank. Viktor Orban said on Friday that the U.S. was Hungary’s “friend” and that his government wouldn’t dispute Washington’s right

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — A fugitive Moldovan oligarch and opposition party leader was sentenced in absentia Thursday to 15 years in jail for his role in a one-billion-dollar bank theft case. Ilan Shor, who leads the populist Russia-friendly Shor Party, was convicted of fraud and money laundering in the case of $1 billion that went

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Not since Jamal Murray was dropping 50 points on the Utah Jazz back in the NBA’s bubble in 2020 have the Denver Nuggets entered the playoffs as healthy as they are now. Murray missed the team’s last two trips to the postseason after tearing up his

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer OTARU, Japan (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the Group of Seven wealthy nations can lead by example in cutting carbon emissions, though faster action is needed to stem global warming. Granholm spoke with The Associated Press while touring the world’s first and only liquefied hydrogen carrier,

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian Authority has blocked the registration of a legal advocacy group representing critics and opponents detained in Palestinian jails, a move condemned as the authority’s latest effort to stifle civil society in the occupied West Bank. Without proper registration, the group, Lawyers for Justice, said Friday it could lose access to

BEIJING (AP) — China’s defense minister will visit Moscow for meetings with his Russian counterpart and other military officials. The Defense Ministry said Friday that Gen. Li Shangfu would also visit Russia’s military academy during his April 16-19 visit. Li’s trip underscores China’s strengthening engagement with Russia, with which it has largely aligned its foreign

By AHMED AL-HAJ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An exchange of more than 800 prisoners by Yemen’s warring parties has begun. That’s according to an announcement on Friday by the International Committee for the Red Cross, which is overseeing the exchange. The three-day operations will see flights transport prisoners between Saudi

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press LINGEN, Germany (AP) — Germany is shutting down its last three nuclear power plants on Saturday as part of an energy transition agreed to by successive governments. In many countries, the transition is away from fossil fuels, but Germany is set to close down carbon-free nuclear power as well over

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer Fort Lauderdale’s 25 inches of rain is a case of a strong thunderstorm not knowing when to say when. Normally storms fizzle out after 20 minutes or they move on. But Wednesday’s supercell didn’t. It poured for six to eight hours and was continuously fed by the nearby Gulf

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are slipping Friday as a swirl of competing forces spins Wall Street, from strong profits for financial giants to worries about interest rates and the economy’s strength. The S&P 500 was 0.6% lower in afternoon trading after giving up an early morning gain. The