Month: April 2024

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Congo’s government is questioning Apple about the tech company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” from a conflict zone in the African country that could be smuggled into supply chains. It’s demanding answers within three weeks. A group of international lawyers representing Congo said Thursday it

By LEA SKENE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago. A bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag passed through the new 35-foot channel Thursday morning, headed for

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Ariel Henry has resigned as prime minister of Haiti, paving the way for a new government to take power. Henry presented his resignation in a letter signed in Los Angeles, dated April 24, and released on Thursday by his office on the same day that a council tasked with choosing a

By ANDY WONG and SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) — China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the

NEW CARLISLE, Ind. (AP) — Amazon’s cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services plans to invest $11 billion to build a data center in northern Indiana that will create at least 1,000 new jobs. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb announced the planned project Thursday, calling the data center planned near the town of New Carlisle, about 15

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s prime minister says flooding caused by weeks of heavy rain has killed 155 people and affected more than 200,000 others. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told parliament on Thursday that the El Niño climate pattern has worsened the ongoing rainy season, causing the flooding and destroying

By MICHAEL SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case. “We conclude that

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The first six of 12 Rafale multipurpose fighter jets purchased by Croatia from France have landed at an air force base near Zagreb  with a welcome ceremony attended by top officials. The deal, signed in 2021 with French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, was said to be worth over a billion euros.

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continues to hold up despite higher interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve in its bid to curb inflation. The Labor Department reported Thursday that unemployment claims for the week ending April 20 fell by 5,000 to

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The head of the top security agency in Belarus has claimed that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania that targeted the capital, Minsk, and surrounding areas. Lithuania’s military and National Crisis Management Center strongly denied the claim by Ivan Tertel, head of the Belarusian Committee for State Security.

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian official says more than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison near the capital city of Abuja after heavy rains overnight destroyed parts of the facility, including the perimeter fence. He said that 10 of the inmates who escaped from the medium-security prison in

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A rapper in Iran who came to fame over his lyrics about the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and criticizing the Islamic Republic has been reportedly sentenced to death. That’s according to his lawyer and rights activists Thursday. Confusion surrounds the death sentence purportedly issued against 33-year-old

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist prime minister has called for right-wing forces to take power in upcoming European and U.S. elections, and expressed support for former President Donald Trump in his ongoing criminal trial. Viktor Orbán, a right-wing populist and the European Union’s longest-serving leader, told supporters at the CPAC Hungary conference on Thursday

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court has imposed a 50,000-ruble ($560) fine on a TV presenter and actress who gained notoriety for hosting an “almost naked” party, saying her social media posts calling for peace discredited the military. Anastasia Ivleeva sparked an explosion of public indignation in the increasingly

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The German parliament has voted to introduce an annual national “veterans’ day” to honor people who have served in the military, which often has struggled to gain recognition in the country. The proposal was drawn up by the parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition together

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Scottish National Party has ended its three-year power-sharing agreement with the much smaller Greens after tensions grew between the two pro-independence parties over climate change policies. Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, informed the Greens on Thursday he was terminating the agreement with immediate effect. It means

By JILL LAWLESS and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is scrambling to get much-needed new supplies of weapons and ammunition from a huge U.S. aid package to its eastern front line. Russia is pressing forward with efforts to take ground for Kyiv’s outnumbered and outgunned troops. Ukraine is also seeking to

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish police say that a routine traffic stop on a highway south of the capital turned into an unusual standoff as a 26-year-old woman locked her car and refused to speak to the police officer who had pulled her over. The Central and West Zealand Police said in its daily report

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A top European Union top military officer says a frigate that’s part of an EU mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping has destroyed a drone launched from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels. Austrian Gen. Robert Brieger is the chair of the EU’s military Committee. He

PARIS (AP) — Air passengers traveling to and from Paris have experienced significant disruptions Thursday, despite a decision by air traffic controllers to cancel a strike after last-minute negotiations. Flight operations were substantially reduced because of adjustments made to schedules ahead of the proposed industrial action. French civil aviation authorities had preemptively requested airlines to

By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for an American believed to be held by the Taliban for nearly two years are asking a United Nations human rights investigator to intervene, citing what they call cruel and inhumane treatment. Ryan Corbett was abducted in August 2022 after returning to Afghanistan, where he and

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was expected to return to court Thursday morning as witness testimony in his hush money trial enters a third day. The trial resumes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during

LONDON (AP) — Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday. The animals were among a group of four horses that broke free during routine exercises

By INDRAJIT SINGH Associated Press PATNA, India (AP) — A major fire that engulfed a restaurant and hotel in eastern India killed at least six people and injured 20. The fire began when a cooking gas cylinder exploded while diners were eating in the restaurant, and it soon spread into an adjacent hotel in Patna,

By ANDREW WILKS ISTANBUL (AP) — A court in Turkey sentenced nine rail officials to more than 108 years’ imprisonment over a crash six years ago that killed 25 people, local media reported on Thursday. A passenger train operated by Turkish State Railways derailed in July 2018 as it passed through Corlu district some 110

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Baseball Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond. His baseball memories are still fresh. Called up by the New York Yankees to take Mickey Mantle’s roster spot, Schallock roomed with Yogi

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Ever since college, Brad Jobling struggled with his weight, fluctuating between a low of 155 pounds when he was in his 30s to as high as 220. He spent a decade tracking calories on WeightWatchers, but the pounds he dropped always crept back onto his

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy is marking its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule amid a fresh media controversy over the legacy of Italian fascist complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes. Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president-elect has appointed new foreign and defense ministers to join his incoming administration as the island faces continuing military threats and diplomatic isolation from China. Lai Ching-te, who assumes the presidency on May 20, announced Thursday that current Presidential Secretary General Lin Chia-lung will take over as foreign minister. He

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. The new limits unveiled Thursday on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-powered electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet

By AAMER MADHANI and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has a great economic story to tell voters a decade from now — less so in 2024. On Thursday, the Democratic president will head to upstate New York to celebrate Micron Technology’s plans to build a campus of computer chip factories

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. births fell last year. It was the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden has come under attack, the latest assault likely carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack comes after the U.S. military said early Thursday an allied warship shot down

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline his vision for Europe to become a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine and other security and economic challenges in a speech on Thursday, ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections in June. Macron is expected to focus on strategic

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A technical problem caused aviation authorities in Norway to temporarily close the airspace over the south of the country, leading to significant delays at Oslo airport. The state-owned airport operator said the airspace was gradually reopened after more than three hours, but delays would continue throughout the day. In a statement,

The Associated Press Moscow’s court service says a third man has been detained in a major bribery case involving a Russian deputy defense minister. It says businessman Alexander Fomin is suspected of paying bribes to Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov as well as Ivanov’s associate, Sergei Borodin. Ivanov is an ally of Defense Minister Sergei

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press PUTUCUAL, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government has repeatedly broken its promise to provide vaccines against HPV for free, and many public-school teachers ignore the requirement to teach sex ed. President Nicolás Maduro’s administration claims the well-being of youth and women is a priority. But parents are the ones who

By The Associated Press Palestinian hospital officials say Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip have killed at least five people. Among those killed in the strikes overnight and into Thursday were two children, identified in hospital records as Sham Najjar, 6, and Jamal Nabahan, 8. More than half of

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Global automakers and EV startups are unveiling new models and concept cars at China’s largest auto show, with a focus on the nation’s transformation into a major market and production base for digitally connected, new-energy vehicles. Toyota and Nissan both announced tie-ups with major Chinese technology companies

By JIM VERTUNO, ACACIA CORONADO and NICK PERRY Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With graduations looming, student protesters continue to doubled down on their discontent of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the country as universities, including ones in California and Texas, have become quick to call in the police to end the demonstrations

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British Parliament has finally passed legislation to send some migrants to Rwanda under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial plan aimed at deterring risky English Channel crossings by people desperate to reach the U.K. The latest version of the plan beset by court challenges and legislative battles

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly declined Thursday as investors awaited a flood of global earnings reports, including updates from U.S. tech companies known as the “Magnificent Seven.” Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 2.1% to 37,670.50. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.4% to 2,637.18. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained nearly

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A new report says nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza hosting the largest number of people facing famine. The Global Report on Food Crises released Wednesday said the increase of 24 million people experiencing an