Month: January 2024

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer Google says it has laid off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures. The company said the moves were made as Google aims at “responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead.”  Google earlier said

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Friday after Wall Street drifted to a mixed close. Tokyo’s benchmark extended its New Year’s rally, trading well above 35,000 and at its highest level since 1990. U.S. futures were nearly unchanged and oil prices surged. On Thursday, a U.S.

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — An industry association reports that China’s auto exports surged 63.7% in 2023 while sales at home rose 4.2%. The surge in exports appears likely to propel China past Japan as the world’s number one car exporter. Chinese automakers have aggressively expanded exports in search of growth missing

PARIS (AP) — A former France basketball player serving as an ambassador for the Paris 2024 Olympics has been forced to quit her role because of a controversy linked to a social media post related to the situation in Gaza. Following an urgent meeting of the Paris 2024’s board and general assembly, Emilie Gomis submitted

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once was at the center of a major crisis between Tehran and Washington, a seizure that further escalates tensions in the Mideast waterways. The vessel was once known as the Suez

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks Wednesday, saying the company’s claim that its coffee is ethically sourced is false and misleading. The National Consumers League cited media reports of abuses on farms that supply coffee and tea to Starbucks. Starbucks said Wednesday it was aware of

By SIBI ARASU Associated Press BENGALURU, India (AP) — The amount of renewable energy installed around the world last year grew at its fastest rate in the past 25 years. The International Energy Agency said Thursday that clean energy jumped by 510 gigawatts, with China playing the biggest part. That’s enough to power nearly 51

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — The Papua New Guinea government is working to restore order after at least 15 people were reportedly killed during rioting and looting that left the country’s two biggest cities in flames. The unrest began in the capital of Port Moresby on Wednesday when hundreds of police officers, soldiers,

PHOENIX (AP) — Sentencing was postponed Thursday for former Arizona prisons chief Charles Ryan on his no-contest plea to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a 2022 armed standoff at his Tempe home. The postponement occurred because Ryan’s lawyer requested a separate hearing to present evidence favorable to his client. It’s unclear whether Ryan will

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — There will be at least $100 million left in the estate of the so-called last Hawaiian princess to support Native Hawaiian culture. Abigail Kawānanakoa died last year at age 96. She was a descendant of the royal family that once ruled the islands — as well

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press The rapper G Herbo was sentenced to three years’ probation Thursday after pleading guilty to his role in a scheme that used stolen credit card information to pay for an opulent lifestyle including private jets and designer puppies. Under a deal with prosecutors reached last year, the 28-year-old Chicago rapper,

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Beijing’s threat to use force to claim the self-governed island of Taiwan isn’t just about missiles and warships. Hard economic realities will be at play as voters head to the polls Saturday. But the relationship is complicated. The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong account for about

By STEFANIE DAZIO and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign. Hunter Biden has been accused of nine felony

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The secrecy surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalizations due to prostate cancer surgery set off a political firestorm, launched multiple reviews and triggered calls for his ouster. To some, the uproar may be puzzling or even offensive. An individual’s right to privacy, particularly about medical issues,

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — While GOP presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley met in a sharp CNN debate that brought out clear differences, Donald Trump provided clear counterprogramming. He appeared Wednesday on a Fox News town hall at the same time as his rivals debated, where he was

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s long-held support for the Palestinian people can be traced back to the time of Nelson Mandela and Yasser Arafat. The two leaders believed that the struggle for freedom by Blacks in apartheid South Africa and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As Speaker Mike Johnson gathered House Republicans behind closed doors Wednesday to sell the spending deal he reached with Democrats, one thing quickly became clear: many GOP lawmakers weren’t buying it. Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio left early, saying he’d had enough. “I’m not going to sit

By MIKE CORDER and RAF CASERT Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a case that strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity, South Africa formally accused the country of committing genocide against Palestinians and pleaded Thursday with the United Nations’ top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump wrested an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the

By HOLLY RAMER, NICK PERRY and DAVID SHARP Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist’s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did

By GABRIELA MOLINA Associated Press QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — José Adolfo Macías Villamar, leader of one of Ecuador’s most dangerous gangs, was discovered missing from his cell in a prison where he was serving a sentence for drug trafficking. Since his disappearance Sunday, the government says at least 30 attacks have taken place around the

By HOLLY RAMER, NICK PERRY and DAVID SHARP Associated Press LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist’s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did

By ANDREW DeMILLO and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. As legislatures begin their work for the

By SIMINA MISTREANU and JOHNSON LAI Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A nonconformist candidate is resonating with Taiwan’s youth ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, with young and first-time voters apparently more concerned with the dearth of good jobs and affordable housing than the looming threat from China. Ko Wen-je, an outspoken surgeon-turned-politician, has emerged

By SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — One of Taiwan’s leading opposition party candidates in Saturday’s presidential election has promised to boost the island’s defense capabilities while restarting dialogue with Beijing. Taiwan has never been governed by the People’s Republic of China. But the mainland’s ruling Communist Party insists on unification with Taiwan,