Year: 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Ananda Krishnan, one of Malaysia’s richest tycoons with a vast business empire including telecommunications, media, petroleum and real estate, has died. He was 86. His investment holding company says he passed away peacefully on Thursday and that his family requested privacy. It didn’t specify the cause of death. Ananda was

Associated Press BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution have inched closer to an agreement, with more countries saying they want to address the total plastic on Earth. The most contentious issue of the talks is whether there will be a limit on the

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — After more than five years of frenetic, but sometimes interrupted, reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral showed itself anew to the world Friday, with rebuilt soaring ceilings and creamy good-as-new stonework erasing somber memories of its devastating fire in 2019. Images broadcast live of a site visit by French President Emmanuel

Associated Press TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators protesting the Georgian government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union rallied outside the parliament and clashed with police for a second straight night on Friday. The night before, police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who took to

Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Chad’s government says it is ending a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, to redefine the nation’s sovereignty. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the decision is a turning point after the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago and that it will allow

Associated Press DUBLIN (AP) — An exit poll in Ireland’s general election suggests the three biggest parties have won roughly equal shares and the country is headed for another coalition government. A poll released as voting ended said center-right party Fine Gael was the first choice of 21% of voters, with its center-right coalition partner

Associated Press On a bright winter day, workers at a Ukrainian thermal power plant repair its heavily damaged equipment as drops of water from melted snow leak through gaping holes in its battered roof. Several weeks earlier, the facility was targeted by a Russian air attack that left scorch marks, shrapnel scars on the walls,

LONDON (AP) — British Transport Minister Louise Haigh resigned on Friday over a decade-old fraud conviction for claiming her cellphone had been stolen. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Haigh said, “I remain totally committed to our political project, but I now believe it will be best served by my supporting you from

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who survived as leader after a major election loss by his governing coalition, is promising to work closely with the long-ignored opposition that is now the only way his minority government can stay in power. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their cooperation over Russia’s war in Ukraine. In announcing the visit, Russia’s Defense Ministry didn’t say whom Belousov would meet or the purpose of

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will stop over in Hawaii and Guam during his trip to the South Pacific, drawing criticism from China. Lai is to leave Taiwan on Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. Lai’s office

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia is preparing for its worst floods in a decade after heavier-than-expected monsoon rains caused severe flooding that killed three people and displaced more than 90,000. The northeastern states of Kelantan, bordering Thailand, and neighboring Terengganu were the worst hit. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says floods this year

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Paraguay’s foreign minister says his country is committed to its relationship with Taiwan and has no plans to break off their diplomatic relationship in favor of China as he visited the increasingly isolated island. Paraguay is the only country in South America and one of 12 worldwide that recognizes

Associated Press GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Sergio Mena’s life dissolved in hours. After years resisting President Daniel Ortega, the rural activist fled Nicaragua in 2018, joining thousands of protesters fleeing a yearslong crackdown on dissent. Mena returned from exile in neighboring Costa Rica in 2021 to continue protesting, only to be thrown in a prison

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia, which could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks. Facing every imaginable shortage, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft,

Associated Press NYANGAMBE, Zimbabwe (AP) — It was an alarming, even sickening, suggestion: Farmers in Zimbabwe hit hard by drought should farm maggots to feed their animals and boost their household incomes. But the smelly solution has been embraced after some convincing in a country where people have traditionally associated flies with diseases such as

Associated Press MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — One of the Middle East and North Africa’s largest film festivals is openiong in Morocco, drawing actors and directors from throughout the world to present 70 features from 32 countries. The Marrakech International Film Festival, now in its 21st year, will showcase Oscar contenders and screen films for members

AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers used giveaways and big discounts to reward U.S. shoppers who ventured out for Black Friday even as earlier offers, the prospect of better bargains in the days ahead and the ease of e-commerce drained much of the excitement from the holiday shopping season’s much-hyped kickoff. Frequent deals