Month: October 2024

VIENNA (AP) — A lawmaker from the far-right Freedom Party has been elected as the new speaker of Austria’s parliament, weeks after the party won a national election for the first time. Walter Rosenkranz becomes the first member of the Freedom Party to be elected as speaker, one of the country’s highest-ranking positions in protocol

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told North Macedonia it needs to make progress on constitutional changes if it’s to advance its bid to join the European Union. Von der Leyen praised North Macedonia’s reform efforts but stressed the need for progress after a dispute with neighbor and

Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The partial collapse of a ferry dock that left seven people dead during an annual cultural festival has left a historic Black community in Georgia struggling with how to move forward. Gullah-Geechee residents of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island were already facing a number of stressors: gentrification, tax hikes

Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — At least one person was killed and four people injured when a train running along Norway’s northern coast derailed Thursday with 55 people on board, police said. The Arctic Circle Express was on its way from Trondheim to the remote northern town of Bodoe, above the Arctic Circle, when

AP Business Writer The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, but the total number of those collecting benefits rose to its highest level in almost three years. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims fell by by 15,000 to 227,000 for the week of Oct. 19. That’s less

LONDON (AP) — An appeals court in London has rejected British killer nurse Lucy Letby’s bid to challenge her conviction for the attempted murder of a baby girl in her care. Letby is serving multiple life sentences with no chance of release after being convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to murder seven others.

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France’s culture minister has proposed introducing an entrance fee to visit Notre Dame cathedral in Paris when it reopens in December, aiming to generate funds for the preservation of the country’s religious heritage. The iconic cathedral is set to reopen five years after it was ravaged by fire. Rachida Dati,

Since it started as a hashtag in 2012, GivingTuesday has become one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for nonprofits in the U.S. It happens every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and this year, it is on Dec. 3. The #GivingTuesday hashtag started as a project of the 92nd Street Y in

ROME (AP) — Venice will extend its day-tripper tax through next year, increasing the number of days and doubling the fee to 10 euros for last-minute visitors. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stressed Thursday that the tax aims to help the city and its citizens battle overtourism, avoiding huge influxes of visitors during crowded holidays and

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka police have arrested three persons in connection with a possible attack on Israel travellers in the Indian ocean island, a government minister said on Thursday, a day after the authorities stepped up the security across the country, with the United States warning of an attack targeting

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators have slapped LinkedIn with a 310 million euro fine for violations of the bloc’s stringent data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission reprimanded the Microsoft-owned professional social networking site on Thursday over concerns about the “lawfulness, fairness and transparency” of its personal data processing for advertising purposes. The Dublin-based

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has helped amplify and spread false and misleading internet claims about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government’s response, part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate America’s political discourse before the presidential election, new research shows. The content, spread by Russian state media

BRUSSELS (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia have won the European Union’s top human rights honor, the Sakharov Prize. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola lauded the two for their fight for democracy. Machado ran as the democratic opposition candidate in Venezuela’s contested 2024 presidential election, but she was disqualified

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government’s climate watchdog is warning that the Netherlands is “very unlikely” to achieve a European Union-mandated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 unless it takes urgent action. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency said in a report on Thursday that tougher legislation is needed to achieve

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — New rules from the White House on the use of artificial intelligence by U.S. national security and spy agencies aim to balance the technology’s promise with the need to protect against its risks. The framework signed by President Joe Biden and announced Thursday are designed to ensure that national security

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has issued the fourth encyclical of his papacy, denouncing a world that “is losing its heart” during times of global turmoil marked by “wars, socio-economic disparities and the uses of technology that threaten our humanity.” Thursday’s social encyclical titled “Dilexit Nos,” Latin for ”He Loves Us,” appeals to the

KAZAN, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has presided at the closing session of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, hailing its role as a counterbalance to the West. The three-day summit in the city of Kazan was attended by leaders or representatives of 36 countries, highlighting the failure of U.S.-led

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers have ratified a pact with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes even as the U.S. confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia. The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, voted quickly on Thursday to endorse the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is imposing strict new limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities. The move comes two weeks after it set a nationwide deadline for removal of lead pipes. A final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency limits lead dust on floors

TA KHMAU, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian investigative reporter who was charged with a criminal offense after exposing online scams and corruption has been released on bail. Mech Dara told reporters Thursday after his release that he had a small health problem. He looked tired and deathly pale as he spoke, saying “I thank you

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has raised the possibility of supplying Ukraine with weapons while stressing that his government “won’t sit idle” as North Korea allegedly sends troops to support Russia’s aggression toward its neighbor. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke to reporters after a meeting with Polish President

APIA, Samoa (AP) — Several Pacific island nations singled out Australia to do more to phase out fossil fuel exports during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which opened in Samoa on Thursday. Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Feleti Teo, alongside senior officials from Vanuatu and Fiji, backed a new report from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has struck suspected Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for a second day after a deadly attack on the premises of a key defense company. Drones belonging to the National Intelligence Organization on Thursday targeted numerous “strategic locations” used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party — the PKK

Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian patrol ships drove a Chinese coast guard vessel away from a survey vessel in a disputed area of the South China Sea for the second time in three days, Indonesian authorities said Thursday. Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency said the Chinese ship approached the MV Geo Coral on Wednesday,

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Museum of Modern Art was filled with expletives and laughter Wednesday evening as Samuel L. Jackson’s family and friends celebrated the actor and director’s storied career of box office hits, larger-than-life characters and explosive one-liners at the annual film benefit. Jackson, known for his infamous F-bombs, stuck to

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani authorities say security forces faced off with insurgents in three separate shootouts, killing 19 militants. Troops killed 9 militants in the first overnight raid in Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement Thursday, without providing further details. Meanwhile, police said an intense exchange of

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities have shut schools, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and canceled trains in parts of the country as a tropical storm strengthens in the Bay of Bengal. Tropical Storm Dana has sustained winds up to 68 mph and is expected to intensify before pushing toward the eastern coastline, where

Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing factory workers voted against the company’s latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines six weeks into a strike that has stopped production of the aerospace giant’s bestselling jetliners. Local union leaders in Seattle said 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who

Associated Press BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Five elephants in a Colorado zoo could someday sue for their freedom, if the state’s Supreme Court sides with an animal rights group and declares them “persons” under the law. But first, the justices had a few questions about cats and dogs. “How do I know when it stops?”

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state legislators have approved over $600 million more toward Hurricane Helene recovery and relief. The Republican-dominated General Assembly held a one-day session Thursday to consider additional funding and legislation. Four weeks ago, Helene tore across the Southeast and wreaked havoc in western North Carolina. Lawmakers had approved