Month: December 2023

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An early official vote count of Serbia’s weekend election on Monday confirmed victory for the ruling populist party in a parliamentary vote in the Balkan country, but political tensions rose over reported irregularities in the capital, Belgrade. An opposition group said it was robbed of victory

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is paying a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement with the government over a meltdown last holiday season. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday the settlement shows his department will hold airlines accountable if they fail to treat customers properly.

BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin Zoo has sent the first giant pandas born in Germany to China, dispatching the 4-year-olds on a journey that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pit and Paule, who also are known by the Chinese names Meng Xiang und Meng Yuan, departed from Berlin on Saturday aboard an Air China

Par RENATA BRITO et FELIPE DANA Associated Press FASS BOYE, Senegal (AP) — Le voyage de Fass Boye, petit village de pêche sénégalaise, jusqu’aux îles Canaries en Espagne, porte d’entrée de l’Union européenne, était censé durer une semaine. Mais plus d’un mois plus tard, le bateau en bois transportant 101 hommes et garçons s’éloignait de

By RENATA BRITO and FELIPE DANA Associated Press FASS BOYE, Senegal (AP) — The voyage from the struggling Senegalese fishing town of Fass Boye to Spain’s Canary Islands, a gateway to the European Union where they hoped to find work, was supposed to take a week. But the wooden boat carrying 101 men and boys

By RENATA BRITO and FELIPE DANA Associated Press FASS BOYE, Senegal (AP) — A month had passed when the first four men decided to jump. Countless cargo ships had navigated past them, yet no one had come to their rescue. Their fuel was finished. The hunger and thirst were overwhelming. Dozens had already died, including

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says nearly 70% of the nation’s gas pumps are out of service after possible sabotage — a reference to cyberattacks. The report said a “software problem” caused the irregularity. It urged people not to rush to the operational filling stations. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mostly lower on Monday, while U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.3% to 16,699.58 and in Paris, the CAC40 fell 0.5% to 4,066.69. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 7,592.11. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow

BERLIN (AP) — German farmers are gathering in Berlin to protest against planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture, part of a deal reached by the government to plug a hole in the country’s budget. Leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition last week agreed on measures to fill a 17 billion-euro

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan says two Chinese balloons flew north of the self-ruled island over the weekend as China increases pressure on Taipei ahead of a presidential election in January. The Defense Ministry says the balloons crossed the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from China and were detected about 110 nautical miles northwest

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The promise of self-checkout was alluring: Customers could avoid long lines by scanning and bagging their own items, workers could be freed of doing those monotonous tasks themselves and retailers could save on labor costs. All that has happened since the rollout of self-checkout but

By MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian