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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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,
Continue ReadingPALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Basheer Jihad scored 20 points, Joson Sanon added 19 and Arizona State blew a 13-point point lead before the Sun Devils beat New Mexico 85-82 Thursday night at the Acrisure Classic. BJ Freeman scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half for Arizona State (6-1). Alston Mason made
Continue ReadingLONDON (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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingBy Helen Regan, CNN (CNN) — Australia has warned travelers against drinking spirits made by a Laos distiller, following the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning in the Southeast Asian country. The updated travel advice published Friday cited “serious safety concerns” over Laos’ Tiger-branded vodka and whisky in the wake of a
Continue ReadingTAIPEI, 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
Continue ReadingKUALA 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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingBy Rob Picheta, CNN London (CNN) — British lawmakers are set to decide Friday whether to legalize assisted dying, a contentious proposal that would make the United Kingdom one of a small handful of nations to allow terminally ill people to end their lives. A passionate debate Friday in Westminster is underway and expected to
Continue ReadingBy Eric Cheung, CNN Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will visit Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during an upcoming trip to the Pacific, prompting condemnations from China, which could respond by staging a fresh round of military drills near the island democracy. Lai will begin his visit on Saturday to
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos says impeaching the vice president, who is facing a legal storm after publicly threatening to have him killed, would be a waste of time for Congress. It is unclear whether Marcos’ remark on Friday would stop plans by several groups to file impeachment complaints against
Continue ReadingAssociated 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,
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingAssociated 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
Continue ReadingAP 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
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOSTON (AP) — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans,” which phase out the use of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOSTON (AP) — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans,” which phase out the use of
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