Month: February 2024

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers are expected to vote on a government plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, which would decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy it for recreational purposes. Friday’s vote in the parliament’s lower house, or Bundestag, comes months after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet gave its

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — As French cinema basks in Academy Awards attention, actors who allege they were teenage victims of sexual and physical abuse by directors decades older than them are shining the light on the repulsive underside of the country’s industry. The latest step in the #MeToo movement could come

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian markets were mostly higher on Friday after Nvidia delivered stunning results, setting off a rally in other technology companies that carried Wall Street to another record high. Tokyo’s markets were closed for a holiday, a day after they surged to an all-time high. U.S. futures

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 HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States have mobilized advanced stealth fighters as their militaries staged a joint drill over the Korean Peninsula. Friday’s training comes after rival North Korea conducted a spate of missile tests this year. South Korea’s air force says the drill involved

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is heading to Ukraine to reassure President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials that Congress will deliver U.S. aid, even as a package that would provide $60 billion to the war-torn country is stalled in the U.S. House. Schumer’s surprise trip comes

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito made his first speech to the nation since a deadly earthquake hit the north-central region of Koto, with a message marking his 64th birthday on Friday. The ceremonial ruler expressed grief for people affected by the Jan. 1 earthquake, praying for their recovery and

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — As French cinema basks in Oscars Academy Awards attention, actresses who allege they were teenage victims of sexual and physical abuse by directors decades older than them are shining the light on the repulsive underside of the country’s industry. The latest step in the #MeToo movement could