Month: May 2023

By AMANDA BARROSO of NerdWallet Summer is often a time of having fun, going on vacation and being carefree. But with inflation, layoffs and a looming recession, you may be questioning the financial impact of your summer plans or they suddenly have become out of reach. But it’s still possible to have fun this summer,

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations says the Taliban’s intimidation, threats and attacks on Afghan journalists are unacceptable. Many journalists lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, with media outlets closing over a lack of funds or because their staff left the country. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Wednesday the Taliban

By ALEX NISHIMOTO Edmunds Electric luxury SUVs are great, but they’re not for everyone. For some, a good old-fashioned luxury sedan is preferred, and two of the latest entries are the Genesis G80 Electrified and BMW i4 M50. Both are comfortable, relatively quick and can be equipped with impressive tech and convenience features. As you

BERLIN (AP) — Exposure to a suspected irritant gas has affected at least 70 people at a school in southwestern Germany, according to a media report. German news agency dpa said both students and teachers were among those who experienced slight health effects at the school in the town of Singen on Wednesday. The school

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Senior South Korean and Japanese officials have discussed strengthening relations and coordinating responses to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats in a meeting ahead of a summit between their leaders. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will host on Sunday Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of travelers have been stranded after no-frills Indian air carrier Go First filed for bankruptcy and suspended its flights for three days, starting Wednesday. A statement on the carrier’s website said the cancellations were due to “operational reasons.” The Press Trust of India news agency said airline chief Kaushik Khona

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian court has convicted a dissident journalist who was arrested after being pulled off a commercial flight that was diverted to the country. The court sentenced Raman Pratasevich to eight years in prison on Wednesday. Pratasevich’s dramatic arrest in May 2021 elicited outrage in the West. Some leaders said the

By DAVID RISING Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia claimed it foiled an overnight attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin and promising retaliation for what it termed a “terrorist” act. The Ukrainian president denied it, saying: “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow.” Kremlin

BEIJING (AP) — At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the nine workers killed in the explosion Monday in an industrial zone in the northern province of Shandong. One

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the second such capture by Tehran in recent days. That’s according to the U.S. Navy. The Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel taken as the Niovi. It said Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard

HELSINKI (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, for a one-day Nordic summit. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with four Nordic prime ministers who are gathering at the residency of the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. The Nordic countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland — have largely rallied around

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Holy See’s No. 2 official has confirmed the existence of a Vatican peace “mission” to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s confirmation comes days after Pope Francis raised eyebrows with an off-hand revelation of a secret operation that was already under

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s security minister says the coronation of King Charles III involves one of the most important security operations in U.K. history. Tom Tugendhat spoke Wednesday after police arrested a man and blew up a suspicious bag outside Buckingham Palace. The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested a man

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A popular candidate for prime minister of Thailand said Wednesday she’s eager to get back on the campaign trail, just two days after giving birth. Speaking at a news conference at the hospital in Bangkok where she gave birth, Paetongtarn Shinawatra said her new baby boy wouldn’t

ROME (AP) — A report says more than a quarter-billion people in 58 countries faced acute food insecurity last year. The Global Report on Food Crises published Wednesday also said that people in seven countries were on the brink of starvation because of conflicts, climate change, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war

PARIS (AP) — France’s top constitutional body is to rule on a last-ditch effort by opposition lawmakers to thwart President Emmanuel Macron’s move to raise the retirement age to 64, through a possible referendum or new bill restoring the pension age to 62. The move has been prompted by opposition lawmakers who seek to launch

By JOVANA GEC and DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A teenager who opened fire Wednesday at a school in Serbia’s capital drew sketches of classrooms and wrote a list of people he intended to target in a meticulously planned attack, police said. He killed eight fellow students and a school guard before

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom’s royal family turns the page on a new chapter with the coronation of King Charles III. Charles ascended the throne when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year. But the coronation Saturday is a religious ceremony that provides a more formal confirmation of

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Preparations in France for the 2024 Olympic Games had been going largely smoothly. That is starting to change. Olympic contestation is picking up online and starting to spill onto streets, because protesters are linking the Paris Games to unpopular pension reforms pushed through by French President Emmanuel

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer In an about-face, Twitter says it has restored free access to a key tool for verified government and “publicly owned” services so they can tweet weather, transit and other alerts. The move comes after New York City’s transit agency said earlier this week it would no longer use the

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — King Charles III will be crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey in an event full of all the pageantry Britain can muster. Clergymen will hand over the medieval symbols of power — the rod, the scepter and the orb — and brass bands and soldiers in bearskin hats

By ABBY SEWELL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press QAB ELIAS, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials have launched a crackdown on the country’s Syrian refugees against the backdrop of a worsening economic crisis and political stalemate. In recent weeks, the army has raided refugee camps and set up checkpoints to check the documentation of non-Lebanese citizens,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark lending rate again to cool inflation and said it wasn’t sure what may come next. Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced while Seoul and Sydney declined. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Wall

By NICK EL HAJJ Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Economies across the Middle East and Central Asia will likely slow this year as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates bite into their post-pandemic gains, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook blamed in part rising energy costs,

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military council says it is releasing more than 2,100 political prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. Thousands more remain imprisoned on charges generally involving nonviolent protests or criticism of military rule, which began when the army seized power in 2021. State-run MRTV television reported that the

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Brock Purdy impact was in full effect in this year’s NFL draft. A year after the San Francisco 49ers found their starting quarterback with the final pick of the draft, teams were far more aggressive when it came to drafting quarterbacks in the later rounds. Three quarterbacks

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer. LOS ANGELES (AP) — It looks likely to be a long grind for Hollywood writers who have gone on strike to preserve pay and hang on to job security. Members of the Writers Guild of America picketed in Los Angeles and New York on Tuesday, a day after their

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back to work after they rejected a bill setting out a new statewide drug policy — a development that has put the state on the brink of decriminalizing possession of fentanyl and other drugs while also depriving it of much-needed

By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on new immigration policies meant to deter illegal border crossings while also opening up other pathways ahead of an expected increase in migrants following the end of pandemic restrictions next week. Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall spent Tuesday meeting with Mexico

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY AP Education Writer Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding of either subject. The scores were released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The same assessment reported

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is scheduled to execute a man for breaking into a woman’s home and stabbing her to death in 1986. Darryl B. Barwick is set to be executed Wednesday at Florida State Prison. The 56-year-old Barwick confessed to killing 24-year-old Rebecca Wendt in her Panama City apartment complex on March 31,

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signaled that it may now pause its streak of 10 rate hikes, which have made borrowing for

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne visited the World Series champion Houston Astros Tuesday night before their game against the San Francisco Giants. The Louisiana-born rapper was in town for a show later Tuesday, but stopped by the ballpark to hang with the Astros before taking the