Month: December 2024

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A Serbian court has convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison a man who gunned down nine people and wounded 12 in a shooting last year that was one of two mass killings which shook the Balkan nation. Uros Blazic, 21, took up an automatic rifle early on May 4,

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British military veterans who were discharged or suffered other forms of discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity will receive up to 70,000 pounds, or $89,300, under a government compensation program announced Thursday. Prior to 2000, service personnel who were discovered to be lesbian, gay or trans were

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s top military commander says fighting around a key eastern Ukraine city is “extremely intense” after a monthslong Russian push. Analysts estimate Russian forces are now within just a few kilometers, or miles, of Pokrovsk. Ukraine’s General Staff said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops repelled nearly 40 Russian attempts

Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand officials say they have “no doubt” that two Vietnamese officials visiting the country sexually attacked two young female servers at a restaurant, but are unable to charge the men because they have already returned to Vietnam. New Zealand does not have an extradition treaty with Vietnam.

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The commutations announced Thursday are for

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday voted to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree this month, a shocking stunt that paralyzed the country’s politics, halted foreign policy and spooked financial markets. His suspension from power comes almost eight years after the impeachment of

Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong judge on Thursday convicted seven people, including a pro-democracy former lawmaker, of rioting during mob violence at a subway station at the height of the city’s anti-government protests in July 2019. Prosecutors accused former legislator Lam Cheuk-ting and the six other defendants of provoking members of

Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union ministers has agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone known as the Schengen area by lifting land border controls next year. Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area in March after years of negotiations, providing free access for travelers arriving in

AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — After a sprawling hacking campaign exposed the communications of an unknown number of Americans, U.S. cybersecurity officials are advising people to use encryption in their communications. To safeguard against the risks highlighted by the campaign, which originated in China, federal cybersecurity authorities released an extensive list of security recommendations

Associated Press BAYELSA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria is the latest African country to give a new malaria vaccine to young childen. The country began its vaccination campaign last week. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and it accounts for about a quarter of the malaria cases worldwide. Its health minister called the new

AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank is cutting interest rates by a quarter percentage point amid signs of weakening growth and concern about the impact of political chaos in France and the possibility of new U.S. import tariffs.  The bank’s rate-setting committee made the decision Thursday at its skyscraper headquarters