Month: July 2023

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government stepped up its alarm over Chinese assertiveness, warning in a report issued Friday that the country faces its worst security threats since World War II as it plans to implement a new strategy that calls for a major military buildup. The 2023 defense white

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s government is calling on the United States to invite its city leader to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, following reports that Washington will bar the top official from the major economic summit. Chief Executive John Lee is one of the Hong Kong officials sanctioned

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer MILAN (AP) — French luxury conglomerate Kering has reached a cash deal to purchase a 30% stake in Italian fashion house Valentino for 1.7 billion euros from a Qatari investment firm. With the purchase, Kering is seeking to shore up its revenue stream as it struggles to turn around

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Amna al-Nour narrowly escaped death twice. The first was when militias torched her family’s home in Sudan’s Darfur region. The second was two months later when paramilitary fighters stopped her and others trying to escape as they tried to reach the border with neighboring Chad. “They massacred

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The head of a leading aid group says an impasse at the United Nations over a border crossing with Syria’s last rebel-held enclave is endangering 4.1 million Syrians living there. The comments by David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee came more than two weeks after the

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian state media, citing the interior ministry, say six people have been killed and dozens wounded when a motorcycle planted with explosives detonated in a Damascus suburb near a Shiite Muslim shrine one day before the solemn holy day of Ashoura. The reports say Syrian Health Minister

By YUCHENG TANG Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A growing number of young Chinese are moving overseas to escape their homeland’s ultra-competitive work culture, limited opportunities and family pressures. Southeast Asia has become a popular destination given its proximity, relatively inexpensive cost of living and tropical scenery. There is no exact data on the number

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — A U.S. judge is considering whether to temporarily stop Hawaii from enforcing a new state law that prohibits carrying a gun on beaches and other locations deemed sensitive. Three Maui residents are suing to block the measure. They argue Hawaii is going too far with a

By ED WHITE Associated Press PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors are making their case that a Michigan teenager should be sentenced to life in prison for killing four students at his high school in 2021. The hearing resumes Friday. Prosecutors introduced dark journal entries written by Ethan Crumbley, plus chilling video and testimony from a

By The Associated Press Lottery players will have another shot at a huge Mega Millions jackpot Friday night and a chance to break a stretch of more than three months without a big winner of the game. The estimated $910 million prize has been building since someone last matched all six numbers and won the

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville International Airport has quietly faced an identity crisis for weeks under a new state law, with no clear agreement about who is in charge. The dispute will be the focus of a court hearing Friday. GOP state lawmakers approved plans earlier this year for the

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press OSKALOOSA Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump and rival Ron DeSantis will appear for the first time at the same campaign event in early voting Iowa on Friday at a pivotal moment for the Republican presidential candidates. Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, is

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shared center stage with senior delegates from Russia and China as he rolled out his most powerful nuclear-capable missiles in a military parade. The event Thursday evening marked a major war anniversary with a show of defiance against the United States

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida woman who drained an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor’s life savings by posing as a love interest and then lived lavishly off the $2.8 million she got was sentenced Thursday to over four years in prison. Peaches Stergo, 36, of Champions Gate, Florida, was described by

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after the Bank of Japan adjusted its bond purchase policy but kept its negative benchmark interest rate unchanged. Tokyo and Sydney slipped while Hong Kong and Shanghai advanced. U.S. futures were lower and oil prices fell. Japan’s central bank opted

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Japan are exploring collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors and resilient supply chains, as part of a target $35.9 billion Japanese investment in the country by 2027. Foreign Ministers of India and Japan met in New Delhi and also discussed ways to deepen defense equipment and technology cooperation. Russia’s