Month: August 2023

BY CIARÁN GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — The mother of the Spanish soccer federation president under fire for kissing a Women’s World Cup champion on the lips started a hunger strike Monday in defense of her son as calls grew for his resignation and prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation. The leaders of the regional

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s rail workers will not go on open-ended strikes after less than 50% of union members voted for all-out strike action. A vote of 75% in favor would have been necessary. The ballot was preceded by months of so-called “warning strikes,” lasting for hours or days, a common tactic in German wage

LONDON (AP) — Members of a Canadian First Nation have held a spiritual ceremony at a Scottish museum to begin the homeward journey of a totem pole stolen almost a century ago. The 11-meter (36-foot) pole is being restored by the National Museum of Scotland to the Nisga’a Nation in northern British Columbia. It is

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO members Poland and the Baltic states say they will seal off their borders with Russia’s ally Belarus if there are any military incidents or a massive migrant push by Minsk. The countries’ interior ministers said Monday they were seeing growing tensions on NATO’s and the

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says France’s ambassador is staying at his post in Niger despite being asked to leave by the ruling junta. Macron spoke out firmly against the coup leaders while insisting Monday that France is not Niger’s enemy. The junta has been exploiting grievances among the population toward former colonial

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A senior United Nations official says the U.N. chief is paying very close attention to the situation on war-divided Cyprus and will use all means at his disposal to help reach an agreement to heal the Mediterranean island nation’s ethnic split. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča

By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer CHICAGO (AP) — A judge on Monday refused to dismiss the case against a father who helped his son obtain a gun license three years before authorities say the younger man fatally shot seven people at a 2022 Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago. Illinois prosecutors charged

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time. Francis’ comments were an acknowledgment of the divisions in the U.S. Catholic Church, which has been split between

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The nightmare repeats itself every year: A towering wall of flames devours forests, farmland and homes, forcing animals and people to flee for their lives. With their hot, dry summers, Greece and its southern European neighbors experience hundreds of devastating wildfires each year. Last week alone,

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The mutinous soldiers who overthrew democratically elected Niger President Mohamed Bazoum have announced a raft of measures over the weekend that analysts say are aimed at strengthening their grip on power while preparing to defend against any military attempt by regional leaders to reinstate Bazoum. The

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword of 2023 ever since ChatGPT made its public debut earlier this year, with businesses, schools, universities and even non-profits looking for ways to integrate AI in their operations. John Kim, chief product officer for PayPal, spoke with The Associated

By AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has summoned a Swiss diplomat over the apparent U.S. seizure of Iranian crude oil from a ship that sat for months off Texas, an official said Monday, as the oil now appeared to be moored in Houston. The remarks by Iranian Foreign

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trans-Siberian Orchestra will return this winter with a holiday tour called “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.” The hybrid of heavy metal, classical music, theater production, pyrotechnics and laser lightshow will hit 62 cities and deliver 104 performances in both matinee and evening sets. It kicks

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Thousands of airline passengers faced delays on Monday after Britain’s air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings across the U.K. on one of the busiest travel days of the year. More than three hours after it reported the “technical issue,”

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A defense lawyer says a court in southwest Pakistan has quashed a sedition case against imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Monday’s ruling by a court in the southwestern city of Quetta was a sign of some relief for the former cricket hero-turned-politician who has been embroiled in over 150 cases

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists say clashes have broken out between two U.S.-backed groups in eastern Syria, leaving three gunmen dead. Monday’s clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Deir el-Zour Military Council raise tensions in a region where hundreds of American troops are deployed. The clashes