Month: January 2024

By KEN SWEET and CORA LEWIS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The cost to overdraw a bank account could drop to as little as $3 under a proposal announced by the White House, the latest effort by the Biden administration to combat fees it says pose an unnecessary burden on American consumers, particularly those

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has quelled a Conservative Party rebellion and got his stalled plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda through the House of Commons. Lawmakers voted by 320 to 276 Wednesday to back a bill that aims to overcome a U.K. Supreme

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian authorities say two people have died and 77 others have been injured in a massive blast that rocked more than a dozen buildings in one of the country’s largest cities. The governor of Oyo state said Wednesday that preliminary investigations showed the blast Tuesday night

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Inflation across the United Kingdom increased unexpectedly last month as a result of a hike in tobacco and alcohol prices. The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday that inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, was 4% in the year to December, up from 3.9%

BERLIN (AP) — Heavy snow and freezing rain have hit parts of northern and central Europe, bringing transport to a halt in some Scandinavian regions and causing major disruption at airports in Frankfurt and Oslo. At Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, freezing rain forced a temporary halt to takeoffs. Hundreds of flights already had been canceled.

By JANIE HAR Associated Press RIO VISTA, Calif. (AP) — After years of secretly snapping up property for plans to build a new California city, a company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires is taking the pitch to voters. The California Forever company submitted paperwork Wednesday to ask voters on the November ballot to allow them

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFERY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A shipment of medicine for dozens of hostages held by Hamas arrived in Gaza on Wednesday, part of a France- and Qatar- mediated deal that marked the first agreement between Israel and the militant group since a weeklong cease-fire in

By MUNIR AHMED and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan recalled its ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday, a day after Iran conducted airstrikes inside Pakistan that it claimed targeted bases for a militant Sunni separatist group. Islamabad denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace and said it killed two children.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China’s ambassador sought to reassure Australia that China’s increased involvement in the Pacific, particularly in policing efforts, should not be a cause of alarm. Xiao Qian, speaking in Canberra on Wednesday, said China and Australia can contribute together rather than asking Pacific nations to chose between them. He also said China’s

By CLAIRE RUSH and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest. Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China published youth unemployment data Wednesday for the first time since the jobless rate hit a record high in June last year, using a new method that showed an apparent improvement. China announced a 14.9% jobless rate for people between 16 and 24 in December,

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed Thursday as pessimism spread among investors about any imminent interest rate cut in the United States. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei added 0.5% in morning trading to 35,637.01. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.5% to 7,357.40. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.6% to 2,450.00. Hong Kong’s

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA Associated Press BARI, Italy (AP) — The year has gotten off to a slow start for a rescue ship that typically plies the Mediterranean Sea looking for migrants and refugees in distress. The Ocean Viking has been impounded, its crew accused of having deviated from a designated course, as Italy targets charity

By SHEIKH SAALIQ and BISWAJEET BANERJEE Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Frenzied preparations were underway Wednesday in India’s northern holy city of Ayodhya to mark the opening of a grand temple for Lord Ram, Hinduism’s most revered deity. The Ram Mandir’s opening Monday would fulfill a decadeslong Hindu nationalist pledge that is expected to

By ANNA FURMAN Associated Press Watermelons have emblazoned banners, T-shirts, balloons and social media over the past three months in global protests against the Israel-Hamas war. The colors of sliced watermelon — with its red pulp, green-white rind and black seeds — are the same as those in the Palestinian flag. So from New York

By DAVID McHUGH and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s hard-won economic stability is under threat again as the government faces a large budget hole and its two biggest allies and sponsors — the United States and the European Union — have so far failed to decide on extending more aid. Without

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel cannot achieve “genuine security” without a pathway to a Palestinian state, insisting such a move could help unify the Middle East and isolate Israel’s top rival: Iran. Speaking at World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski