Year: 2024

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai-based port operator DP World has reported its half-year profits fell by nearly 60%, in part over the ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the Israel-Hamas war that have affected shipping through the Red Sea. DP World reported profits of $265 million this year, down from

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s elections commission has accepted applications from a record 39 candidates to run in next month’s presidential election, which will decide the course of the country’s financial reforms to survive an unprecedented economic crisis. The commission said Thursday it received 39 applications and all were accepted. More

BERLIN (AP) — Climate activists have staged protests at several German airports, forcing a temporary halt to flights at some of them in the latest of a string of similar demonstrations. The Last Generation group said that a total of eight activists were involved in the protests Wednesday at Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg and Stuttgart airports,

Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Katy Perry pretends in her new music video to be one of the thousands of tourists having the time of their lives on on Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. But local authorities are opening an investigation over the parts of “Lifetimes” filmed in a protected natural park without permission.

Associated Press DOHA, Qatar (AP) — International mediators have held a new round of talks aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and securing the release of scores of hostages. A potential deal is seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict. The U.S., Qatar and Egypt met on Thursday with

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to step up his country’s effort to defend a rules-based international order in a solemn ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. During his speech Thursday, Kishida noted that more than three million Japanese were killed in the

Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — On a darkened road beside the Caspian Sea, Iranian police officers opened fire last month on a 31-year-old woman who had tried to speed away likely knowing they wanted to seize her vehicle. Police had been ordered to impound her car, activists say, because of an earlier

Associated Press ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — With its reindeer sledding, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all. Like most countries, its tourism industry was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia”

Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosts Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for talks that focus on the war in Gaza. Abbas arrived in Ankara late Wednesday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Concerns are high that the Israel-Hamas war could fuel a larger regional conflict, especially if Iran retaliates

SYDNEY (AP) — Australian breaker Rachael Gunn said the backlash to her much-ridiculed Olympic performance has been “devastating,” adding Thursday that she took the competition seriously and gave her best effort. The 36-year-old b-girl known as Raygun said in a video posted to social media that she wasn’t prepared for the level of negative attention

Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — As climate change fuels the intensity and frequency of wildfires, it’s also driving up the health risks for farmworkers who often have no choice but to continue working amid dangerous levels of smoke. New research published in the journal GeoHealth found that farmworkers in California’s famed wine country of

Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a United Nations agency said Thursday. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans female secondary and higher education. The Taliban, who took power in 2021, barred education for girls above sixth grade because

Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there. He addressed his nation on Thursday from New Delhi’s 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort on its 78th Independence Day and

BEIJING (AP) — A continued property crisis and weak consumption dragged on China’s economic recovery in July, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. Unemployment rose for the first time since February, clocking in at 5.2%, compared to 5% in June. Industrial production rose more slowly than the previous month, showing a