Month: January 2024

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s Defense Ministry says Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 195 prisoners of war each. The Russian Defense Ministry said the swap was conducted on Wednesday. The announcement came a week after Russia alleged that Ukrainian forces shot down a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors have demanded life sentences for three suspects in the killing of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries at their trial in Amsterdam. Prosecutors also sought sentences ranging from three to 21 years for six other suspects. The life sentences were requested Wednesday for

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders at a summit on Thursday will focus on the one member state blocking a 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) war support package for Ukraine: Hungary, the country in the bloc with the closest ties to Russia. Almost two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Universal Music Group, which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok now that a licensing deal between the two parties has expired. UMG said that it had not agreed to terms of a

LONDON (AP) — H&M’s top executive has unexpectedly stepped down and the company’s stock plunged as the fashion giant reported a drop in sales over the holiday shopping season. Helena Helmersson resigned Wednesday after four years as CEO and 26 years at the company. She says she’s proud of the work done over the past

By SARA RATHNER of NerdWallet To catch up with your credit-savvy friends, you may be considering a credit card that earns cash-back or travel rewards. If you have one already, perhaps you want to add a second card to the mix to earn even more. But it can be tough to figure out where to

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Israel’s men’s soccer team is returning to Hungary for its “home” game in the qualifying playoffs for this year’s men’s European Championship. The March 21 game against Iceland must be played in a neutral country for security reasons during Israel’s war with Hamas. UEFA said the

HELSINKI (AP) — Labour unions in Finland went on strike Wednesday, starting a three-days labor action that will affect up to 300,000 workers and severely disrupt daily life. Trade unions are protesting revisions to labor market legislation and social security cuts proposed by the center-right government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. It will shut down

By JUTARAT SKULPICHETRAT Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the progressive Move Forward party must cease advocating amending the law on royal defamation. The decision Wednesday leaves the party vulnerable to being dissolved. The Move Forward party came in first in the 2023 general election. It campaigned heavily on making

By ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time ever, the race for the Democratic presidential nomination officially kicks off this Saturday in South Carolina. That’s the state that resurrected then-candidate Joe Biden’s foundering presidential campaign in 2020 and put him on a footing to win both the Democratic nomination and eventually

ROME (AP) — Italy has ramped up its protests over the treatment of an Italian antifascist being held in a Hungarian jail. The protests have become more vocal after images of her appearing chained and shackled at a Budapest court hearing this week sparked outrage in Italy. Ilaria Salis was arrested in Budapest last year

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s central Atlantic coast battened down on Wednesday as authorities warned that the country could see its most powerful storm in three decades and urged people to stay indoors. Hurricane-force winds are expected to hit the region, as air traffic companies and ferry lines predicted disruptions. Police warned that gusts of

BERLIN (AP) — A Jewish survivor of the Auschwitz death camp has told Germany’s parliament that she is appalled by the rising strength of the far right in the country and increasing antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. Eva Szepesi was born in

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he plans an EU naval mission in the Red Sea to be launched by Feb. 17. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have waged a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the Israel-Hamas war started in October. It has hampered trade

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Myanmar was a rising star in Southeast Asia before its military seized power three years ago in a takeover that has brought civil strife and a tightening vise of international sanctions, undoing years of progress and leaving the economy 10% smaller than it was in

MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russia’s parliament has approved a bill that would allow the confiscation of money, valuables and other assets from those convicted on charges of spreading “deliberately false information” about the country’s military. It’s expected to quickly sail through the upper house and be signed by President Vladimir Putin. Duma

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and its surrounding in northeastern Spain’s Catalonia region are preparing for tighter water restrictions amid a historic drought that has shrunk reservoirs to record lows. Catalan authorities are expected to declare a drought emergency Thursday for an area that is home to 6 million people after water reserves fell below

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s aging king, Harald V, is on sick leave until Feb. 2 because of a respiratory infection. The Norwegian palace made the announcement Wednesday. The 86-year-old monarch, who has repeatedly said he has no plans to abdicate unlike his second cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has been hospitalized several times

By MARK LEWIS Associated Press STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — The doors close Wednesday on nominations for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, with peace activists connected to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine among the known entries. The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps the nominations secret, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks public. The

By DIDI TANG and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is preparing to tell House lawmakers that Chinese government hackers are busily targeting water treatment plants, the electrical grid, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure inside the United States. Wray is appearing Wednesday before a House Select Committee focused on

PARIS (AP) — French Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday that some 300,000 spectators will be able to attend the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games, about half the size of what was originally planned. The giant show on the River Seine on July 26 will mark the first time that an opening ceremony

By YURI KAGEYAMA and STEPHEN WADE Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee member has appeared in a court and asserted he’s not guilty of taking bribes connected to the Tokyo Games. A former executive with the powerful Japanese advertising company Dentsu, Haruyuki Takahashi is charged with accepting around 198 million

HALLE, Belgium (AP) — Farmers have blocked ever more traffic arteries across Belgium as they seek to disrupt trade at major ports with a fourth day of protests in a continued push for concessions to get better prices for their produce and less bureaucracy to do their work. Wednesday’s rallies are part of farming protests

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court is ruling in a case in which Ukraine accuses Russia of bankrolling rebels in 2014 and discriminating against Crimea’s multiethnic community since its annexation of the region. The decision is the first of two by the International Court of Justice

JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea shot down an anti-ship cruise missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the latest attack targeting American forces patrolling the key maritime route, officials said Wednesday. The attack late Tuesday night targeted the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the U.S. military’s Central

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean opposition leader who was stabbed in an attack earlier this month and underwent surgery has accused the country’s conservative president of promoting divisive politics and worsening an already toxic discourse in the nation. Lee Jae-myung spoke to reporters on Wednesday at his

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets awaited a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve, while China reported manufacturing contracted in January for a fourth straight month. U.S. futures and oil prices declined. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.6% to 36,286.71. South Korea’s Kospi shed

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A local official and a civil society group say militants killed at least 12 villagers in a spate of attacks in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province. The killings, which took place on Tuesday, came as Congo’s president ruled out dialogue with neighboring Rwanda over a related

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese warships sail in waters around Taiwan and warplanes fly toward the island almost every day before turning back. What if they suddenly attacked? Taiwan’s military is holding drills at sea and in the air on Wednesday to practice defending against such a surprise attack. Journalists

By EMMA BURROWS Associated Press U.K. lawmakers have expressed frustration that funds from the sale of the Chelsea soccer club have not yet gone to support Ukrainian war victims as was promised nearly two years ago by the former owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Abramovich sold Chelsea in 2022 after being sanctioned by the British

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife to 14 years in prison for corruption, prison officials said, a day after another special court convicted Khan for leaking state secrets and gave him a 10-year prison sentence. Khan and his wife are accused of retaining and

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — On the first day of Missouri’s new legislative session, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden tried to cajole colleagues into congeniality with a rhetorical question: “Will we focus on principled progress or political pandemonium?” Progress was intended. But pandemonium ensued. Within days, a newly

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court has convicted a prominent political activist of defaming the country’s monarchy and sentenced her to a two-year suspended jail term under a controversial law that criminalizes any perceived criticism of the royal institution. Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon, better known by her nickname “Mind,” had pleaded not guilty to an offense under

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer SINGAPORE (AP) — A survey of factory managers in China shows manufacturing contracted in January for a fourth straight month, reflecting weak demand and a faltering recovery in the world’s second-largest economy. The official purchasing managers index, or PMI, rose slightly to 49.2 in January from 49.0 the month

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press KUTZTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The spotlight returns to Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania this week, when handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will announce his verdict — six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Thousands are expected to attend the annual event that exploded in popularity after

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BEREHOVE, Ukraine (AP) — Under the watchful eye of their teacher, a group of students in western Ukraine used a scalpel and forceps to dissect a pig’s heart during a weekend biology class. The lesson was taking place in Hungarian: the students, members of a sizable ethnic Hungarian minority, have

By JAMES POLLARD and BEN FINLEY Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A grainy sonar image recorded by a private pilot has reinvigorated interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries: What happened to Amelia Earhart when her plane vanished during her flight around the world in 1937? Numerous expeditions have turned up

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 66th annual Grammy Awards are on Sunday, airing live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on CBS and Paramount+. So, what can viewers expect? Some new, some old. Executive producers Raj Kapoor, Ben Winston, and Jesse Collins are returning for their fourth year — evolving

By JILL COLVIN and TOM KRISHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is meeting with members of the Teamsters Union in Washington as he looks past the GOP primary and towards a general election rematch against President Joe Biden. The former president will participate in a roundtable Wednesday afternoon with the group’s

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) — Before launching his ill-fated campaign for the White House, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was a star. Again and again, Republican voters said they saw him as the future of the party. But after a bitter scorched-earth primary in which Trump pounded DeSantis viciously for the

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve will likely move closer Wednesday to cutting its key interest rate after nearly two years of hikes that were intended to fight the worst inflation in decades. Yet it may not provide much of a hint about when it will do so. Though

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Assassination plots, arrest warrants, numerous detentions all sorts of verbal attacks against adversaries and other government actions have marked the start of 2024 for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his allies. Add international condemnation and economic sanctions, and the reality of a presidential election year

KEIRAN SMITH Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Australia has reported inflation slowed in the last quarter to its lowest rate in three years, raising hopes of a ‘soft landing’ for the nation’s economy. The Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the latest consumers price index (CPI) data had slowed to 4.1%, down from 5.4% at the

By EILEEN NG Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The billionaire sultan who rules Malaysia’s Johor state has been sworn in as the nation’s new king under a unique rotating monarchy system. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar took his oath of office Wednesday in a palace ceremony. His business empire ranges from real estate to power