Month: May 2024

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai police say they have broken up a large network that illegally helped foreigners, mostly Russians, to stay in Thailand long-term through the use of company nominees or shell companies. Police said Friday that a Russian woman who came to Thailand in 2012 operated the scheme with a Thai woman who was

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has visited the site of a massive landslide that is estimated to have buried hundreds of villagers in the South Pacific island nation’s mountainous interior a week ago. James Marape told hundreds who gathered near the devastated Yambali village on Friday

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is pushing back against some NATO proposals that would allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike targets within Russia. Orbán said in a radio interview on Friday that such proposals have Europe “inching closer to destruction.” The nationalist leader has

By The Associated Press The French interior minister says French authorities in New Caledonia have regained full control of their Pacific territory’s capital after two weeks of unrest that left seven people dead. Gerald Darmanin said Friday in a post on X that “a major police operation has taken place successfully” in the last area

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation ticked up to an annual 2.6% in Europe in May. The new figure released on Friday is more than expected as a painful spike in consumer prices takes its time to fade away. Yet that’s unlikely to stop the European Central Bank from making

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has been released from hospital where he was treated after an assassination attempt. Miriam Lapunikova, the director of the clinic in central city of Banska Bystrica said on Friday that Fico was transported to his home, where he continues to recover from the attack. Lapunikova

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is heading closer to the reality of a national coalition government for the first time as partial election results put the ruling African Nation Congress well short of a majority. With more than half of votes counted across the country’s nine provinces on Friday, the ANC has received just under

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russian ballistic missiles have slammed into an apartment block in Kharkiv and killed at least four people in a nighttime attack. The bombardment comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden gave Kyiv a green light to strike back with American weapons at

By JON GAMBRELL and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Joint British-U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 others. That’s according to the rebels’ comments Friday. The attack marked the highest publicly acknowledged death toll by the rebels from strikes carried out over

By MATTHEW LEE and KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — NATO foreign ministers are meeting in the Czech capital to prepare for this summer’s leaders’ summit as the alliance boosts support for Ukraine and countries one-by-one remove restrictions on how Kyiv can use western-supplied weaponry to combat Russia’s invasion. A day after U.S. President

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says it will sell a second sliver of stock in its state oil giant Aramco worth billions of dollars, its first tranche since its initial public offering back in 2019. Saudi Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., acknowledged the stock sale in a corporate

By FRANCIS KOKUTSE Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — A toddler in the West African country of Ghana has set the record as the world’s youngest male artist. Meet Ace-Liam Ankrah, who will be 2 years old in July. His mother, Chantelle Kukua Eghan, an artist herself, says it all started by accident when her

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA, GIADA ZAMPANO, ANNIE RISEMBERG and BOUBACAR DIALLO Associated Press ROME (AP) — The suicide of a young man from Guinea inside one of Italy’s migrant detention centers has shined a spotlight on the squalid, chaotic conditions. Lawyers and activists have described the centers as “black holes for human rights.” The Italian government

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA, GIADA ZAMPANO, ANNIE RISEMBERG and BOUBACAR DIALLO Associated Press ROME (AP) — It was still dark and quiet outside when Ousmane Sylla performed his last prayer in the courtyard of an Italian migrant jail. “I miss my Africa very much and my mother too,” read a scribble in French on the wall

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN refugee chief says the number of people fleeing their homes because of war, violence and persecution has reached 114 million and is climbing because nations have failed to tackle the causes and combatants refusing to comply with international law. In a hard-hitting speech

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Asian shares were higher on Friday as investors shrugged off yet another decline on Wall Street, while an official survey showed a weakening in Chinese factory activity. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 1.2% to 38,119.96 as reports circulated of plans for major investments by government-backed pension funds and other big

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Voters in Serbia will go to the polls this weekend in a municipal election in dozens of cities and towns, including a rerun vote in the capital of Belgrade where ruling populists were accused of a fraud at a previous vote in December. The right-wing Serbian

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A former speaker of Iran’s parliament has registered as a possible candidate in the Islamic Republic’s June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this month with seven others. Ali Larijani is the first high-profile candidate to register for

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Marie Scott experienced British forces landing on the Normandy coast through her earphones. Stationed in an underground tunnel below the south coast of England, Scott was safe from the carnage. But she heard it all. As a 17-year-old radio operator in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, she

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — As a young Women’s Royal Naval Service officer in World War II, Christian Lamb tried to make sure British troops were in exactly the right place when they scrambled onto Normandy’s beaches under enemy fire. Referring to huge maps of the Normandy coast on the wall in

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Pat Owtram didn’t need to go to war. It came to her. As the Nazis took control of Germany and Austria, her father hired Jewish refugees to cook and clean at the family home in Lancashire, where the Owtram family raised pedigreed shorthorn cows and Pat rode

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Family and friends of Jennifer Dulos are expected to offer emotional testimony as her late husband’s former girlfriend is sentenced in Connecticut after being convicted of helping to plan and cover up her killing. Michelle Troconis faces up to 50 years in prison when she is sentenced Friday. She was

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Dorothea Barron got a sneak preview of the Normandy landings from a watchtower on the coast of Scotland. During the spring and summer of 1943, she and her colleagues kept watch over the troops who tested the prototypes for two prefabricated harbors that would be constructed in

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing criticism for his proposal to eliminate an optional Medicaid benefit for some disabled immigrants. California’s Medicaid program includes a benefit that pays for caregivers to come to the homes of disabled people and care for them. Newsom is proposing to

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — What did you do in the war, Granny? For British women who came of age during World War II, the answer to that question is often: quite a lot. The history of D-Day is often told through the stories of the men who fought and died when

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A California judge is considering whether to recall the death sentence of a man convicted in the 1993 kidnapping and killing of 12-year-old Polly Klaas in a case that shocked the nation. Jurors in 1996 found Richard Allen Davis guilty of first-degree murder and

By TERESA DE MIGUEL, MEGAN JANETSKY AND RODRIGO ABD Associated Press AKTUN TUYUL CAVE SYSTEM, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing leader has rapidly built a train system looping around the country’s southern Yucatan Peninsula. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised the more than $30 billion Maya Train project would connect tourist hubs like Cancún and

By TERESA DE MIGUEL, MEGAN JANETSKY AND RODRIGO ABD Associated Press Aktun Tuyul Cave System, MEXICO (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing leader has rapidly built a train system looping around the country’s southern Yucatan Peninsula. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised the more than $30 billion Maya Train project would connect tourist hubs like Cancún and

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press COLSTRIP, Mont. (AP) — Actions by President Joe Biden’s administration that could hasten closures of heavily polluting coal power plants and the mines that supply them are reviving Republican rhetoric about a so-called “war on coal” ahead of the November election. The front line in the political battle over the

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A new federal regulation protecting the rights of transgender students has prompted lawsuits from Republican states that say it would require them to allow transgender athletes to compete on school teams. But advocates say the lawsuits are premature since the rules unveiled last month for

By KRUTIKA PATHI and SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press SAMASTIPUR, India (AP) — Narendra Modi swept to power a decade ago on promises to transform India’s economy, and as he seeks a third term as prime minister, it would be hard to argue he hasn’t made strides. India’s economic growth is the envy of the world,

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims police officers in a Tennessee city were paid off to obstruct any efforts to investigate sexual assault allegations against a man that included multiple victims over several years. The Johnson City Police Department has denied the accusation. The claim comes from one

By FERNANDA FIGUEROA Associated Press Earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Riverside was surreal for Angelina Chavez, the culmination of overcoming her imposter syndrome and embracing the efforts of her mothers, who walked the stage with her during the Latinx ceremony. “They were both wearing one of my sashes,” said Chavez,

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — An unpopular government with a reputation for constant infighting. An economy stuck in a rut. A strong far-right party that has been embarrassed by its leading candidate and alienated its European allies. And a mainstream opposition still working on its recovery. German politics are in a disgruntled

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer An official survey shows that factory activity in China slowed more than expected in May, suggesting further pressure on an economy already burdened by a prolonged crisis in the property industry. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 49.5 from 50.4 in April on a scale up to

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luka Doncic had a 20-point first quarter on his way to 36 points for his high this postseason, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 on Thursday night to breeze through the Western Conference finals in five games. Kyrie Irving also scored 36 points

By DAVID RISING Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Top defense officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world are gathering in Singapore for Asia’s premier security forum this weekend, which comes at a time of increasing tension between the United States and China, as both look to win new influence and allies as they

By STEPHEN McGRATH and NICOLAE DUMITRACHE Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Andrew Tate, the divisive social media influencer awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape, lost an appeal Thursday to have the court relax geographical restrictions preventing him from traveling outside the eastern European country. The Bucharest Court of Appeal

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says that leader Kim Jong Un has supervised firing drills involving the country’s nuclear-capable “super-large” multiple rocket launchers to show the country’s capabilities to carry out preemptive attacks on rival South Korea. The North’s Korean Central News Agency suggested Friday the North’s latest

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has granted Mark Zuckerberg’s request to be dropped from a lawsuit that alleges his company has failed to protect young users from exposure to child sexual abuse material. The case is one of dozens filed by states across the U.S. against

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, MICHELLE PRICE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press Writers NEW YORK (AP) — History happened just as everyone was about to leave for the day. Judge Juan M. Merchan had already summoned Donald Trump, his legal team and prosecutors into the courtroom where the former president has been on trial

BY FARAI MUTSAKA Associated Press NKANDLA, South Africa (AP) — Some young South Africans in a poor, rural area of rolling hills were determined to vote in Wednesday’s national election. Turning peer pressure on its head, they encouraged each other to register as voters, before flocking to polling stations on election day. They say they

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two Minneapolis police officers and four civilians were injured Thursday in what officials are calling an active-shooter situation, law enforcement said. Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to “an active shooting situation” and are “there to help expedite the firearms investigation piece of it,” said Ashlee

By STEVE PEOPLES AP National Political Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Having been convicted of 34 felonies, Donald Trump cannot own a gun, hold public office or even vote in many states. But in 158 days, voters across America will decide whether he will return to the White House to serve another four years as

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The divided U.N. Security Council has voted to extend an arms embargo on South Sudan despite appeals from the world’s newest nation, the African Union and half a dozen countries including Russia and China to lift or at least ease the restrictive measure. The U.S.-sponsored

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut state trooper has been killed after getting hit by a car while making a traffic stop on an interstate highway. Connecticut State Police say Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was fatally struck by a passing vehicle while outside his cruiser on I-84 in Southington around 2:36 p.m. Thursday. He

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers are reacting with fury to the felony conviction of former President Donald Trump. A jury on Thursday in New York on Thursday convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. Republicans rushed to Trump’s defense, questioning the legitimacy

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Labor wants a federal judge to prevent Hyundai and two other Alabama companies from what the government contends is the illegal employment of children. The complaint filed Thursday follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. It said it found a 13-year-old working on an

MIAMI (AP) — Two Citgo oil executives detained for nearly five years in Venezuela have sued their former employer for more than $400 million. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Houston alleges the company conspired to lure brothers Alirio and Jose Luis Zambrano to the South American country under a false pretext and then abandoned them

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis teenager has been sentenced to more than 30 years for a fatal shooting that shut down the Mall of America during the holiday shopping rush in 2022. Nineteen-year-old Taeshawn Adams-Wright pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March in the killing of 19-year-old Johntae Hudson, of Minneapolis. The shooting happened the

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are set to be featured on “Hard Knocks” for the first time. HBO and the NFL announced Thursday the founding NFL franchise was chosen for the 19th edition of the Emmy-winning series that first aired in 2001. Chairman George McCaskey had long resisted

By BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Bruhat Soma is undefeated in his last three spelling bees. The 12-year-old won the Words of Wisdom bee hosted by Scott Remer, a former speller, coach and study guide author. He won the SpellPundit bee organized by that study guide company. And he won the