Month: February 2024

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech farmers are driving their tractors and other vehicles to to several border crossings to join forces with their colleagues from neighboring countries in their protests against European Union agriculture policies, bureaucracy and overall conditions for their business. Farmers complain that the 27-nation EU’s policies on the environment, such as the Green

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — An avalanche that hit a popular Himalayan ski resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir has killed a Russian skier while five others were rescued. The officials said that at least six Russian skiers and their local guide were hit by the avalanche and buried in snow high in the mountains of the tourist

By COLLEEN BARRY and LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Albania has agreed to host two migrant processing centers on its territory that will be run by Italy under a deal that worries human rights activists. The European Union, however, sees it as a possible template for the future. Italy has long complained about

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Dubai-based budget carrier FlyDubai has seen record earnings of $572 million in 2023, boosted by carrying the most passengers ever across its network. That’s according to a company announcement on Thursday. The state-owned carrier, based in the business and tourism hub of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,

By The Associated Press The mother of Russia’s late opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Thursday that she has seen her son’s body and that she is resisting strong pressure by authorities to agree to a secret burial outside the public eye. Lyudmila Navalnaya said investigators allowed her to see her son’s body in the city

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A whale as long as a train car that died after straying into a Japanese bay is set to be buried until it naturally becomes a skeletal specimen for a local museum. It’s the third year in a row that whales have become stranded in Osaka Bay,

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Parliament on Thursday approved a deal for the country to hold thousands of migrants rescued in international waters by Italy while their asylum applications are processed, despite protests from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups. The Parliament, dominated by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s left-wing Socialist Party, voted 77 to

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have carried out a double public execution at a stadium in the southeast of the country. Relatives of the victims of stabbings fired guns at the two convicted men while thousands of people watched. The Taliban’s Supreme Court had ruled that the two men were responsible for the

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French defense officials say Russian forces threatened to shoot down a French surveillance aircraft patrolling in international airspace over the Black Sea. Speaking Thursday to broadcaster RTL, the French defense minister said Russia has adopted a “particularly aggressive” posture as its struggles to make headway with its

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An animated fetus that develops over the course of a three-minute video has become a new front in state-level abortion politics. Bills have been proposed in the Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia legislatures to require public school students to watch a video like Baby

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Candidates for Iran’s parliament have started campaigning in the country’s first election since the 2022 crackdown on nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was detained for allegedly violating the strict headscarf law. A total of 15,200 candidates will compete for a term

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer SINGAPORE (AP) — As the aviation sector seeks ways to make air travel less polluting and more sustainable, aerospace company Embraer and South Korean automaker Hyundai are among the companies betting on a new form of air travel -– air taxis. Hyundai’s Supernal and Embraer-backed Eve Air Mobility are

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index has surged past the record it set in 1989 before its financial bubble burst, ushering in an era of faltering growth. The index closed Thursday at 39,098.68, up 2.2%. It had been hovering for weeks near 34-year highs. The Nikkei 225’s previous record was

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission has rejected a proposed settlement between the city and former CBS executive Les Moonves. The commission says a tougher penalty is warranted than the $11,250 he agreed to pay. Moonves is accused of interfering with a police investigation into sexual assault allegations against him. He

By KEVIN FREKING and SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A group of United States Congress members are praising Taiwan’s democracy during a visit to the island. The show of support is certain to draw scrutiny from China, which sees such displays as a challenge to its claim of sovereignty over the self-governing

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched attacks Thursday on both Israel and a ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze and again demonstrating their ability to launch assaults despite facing U.S.-led airstrikes targeting their forces. The rebels’ supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi,

By EMMA BURROWS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Yulia Navalnaya used to avoid the cameras, staying in the background while her husband rose to become Russia’s most prominent opposition figure and President Vladimir Putin’s greatest foe. But following the death in prison last week of Alexei Navalny, she stepped onto a stage normally reserved for

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Parliament has approved a deal for the country to hold thousands of asylum seekers for Italy despite protests from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups. Under the five-year deal, Albania would shelter up to 3,000 migrants rescued from international waters at any one time. With asylum requests expected

By SAMYA KULLAB and SUSIE BLANN Associated Press LYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — When the Russian army mounted a full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to recruitment centers across the country to enlist, ready to die in defense of their nation. Today, with Russia in control of roughly one-quarter of Ukraine and the

By SAMYA KULLAB and SUSIE BLANN Associated Press LYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — When the Russian army mounted a full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to recruitment centers across the country to enlist, ready to die in defense of their nation. Today, with Russia in control of roughly one-quarter of Ukraine and the

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press ANAHUAC, Texas (AP) — A Black high school student’s monthslong punishment by his Texas school district for refusing to change his hairstyle does not violate a new state law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, a judge ruled on Thursday. Darryl George, 18, has not been in his regular Houston-area

By ASTRID SÚAREZ Associated Press MEDELLIN, Colombia (AP) — The lush valley enveloping Medellin was once the heart of a brutal war involving the Colombian government, drug cartels and a smattering of other armed groups. But a sharp dip in violence in the country’s second-biggest city has attracted a flood of tourists to its vivid

By MEAD GRUVER Associated Press A Colorado man who died after getting bitten by a Gila monster was hardly alone in having the gnarly looking lizard for a pet. They’re legal to own in most states, easily found through breeders and at reptile shows, and widely regarded for their striking color patterns and typically easygoing

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kendra Sawyer spoke with her dad from the Deschutes County jail and told him she loved him. Six hours later, in the throes of opioid withdrawal, the 22-year-old took her own life. A year later, Sawyer’s father, Kent, is left wondering whether his daughter, troubled as