Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A former ethnic Greek mayor of an Albanian town whose imprisonment on vote-buying charges has strained Albanian-Greek ties has been released on probation. His lawyer said Monday Fredis Beleris was freed after a court in Fier, where he was serving a two-year sentence, accepted his request for early release.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AP) — Turmoil over China’s influence in the affairs of South Pacific island nations has flared as it emerged that a Pacific leader at the region’s most important diplomatic summit apparently pledged to erase an affirmation of Taiwan’s involvement in the meeting from its closing statement. The statement of the Pacific
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AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is. Alorica, a company in Irvine, California, that runs customer-service centers around the world, has introduced an artificial intelligence translation tool that lets its representatives talk with customers who speak 200 different languages and 75 dialects. So
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BERLIN (AP) — Nicki Kämpf watched her daughter toddle across the sand in a Berlin playground and wondered whether she and her wife should move their 1 1/2-year-old west, after Alternative for Germany became the first far-right party to win a state election in post-World War II Germany. Kämpf, 29, and her wife
Continue ReadingNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Authorities say a Kenyan man wanted in Massachusetts to face murder charges has been extradited nearly a year after he fled the United States. Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe is wanted for allegedly killing his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu. Her body was found in a car at Logan International Airport in Boston on
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch prosecutors have demanded a 14-year sentence for a Pakistani Muslim leader accused of inciting the murder of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders. Muhammad Ashraf Asif Jalali did not appear for trial at a closely guarded courtroom near Amsterdam on Monday as prosecutors accused him of abusing his position as
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Oil activities on the shores of Uganda’s Lake Albert have triggered widespread suffering among locals facing forced displacement and other violent abuses, a U.S. climate watchdog said Monday. The report by Climate Rights International says banks and insurers should withhold further funding for an oil development project run by
Continue ReadingAP Baseball Writer At the All-Star break, the one award race that seemed like it might be over was for National League Rookie of the Year. Not so fast. A terrific month of August has helped San Diego’s Jackson Merrill emerge as the new favorite for the honor, displacing Pittsburgh right-hander Paul Skenes. The flip
Continue ReadingBy Christian Edwards, Claudio Otto, Matties Otto and Nadine Schmidt, CNN Berlin (CNN) — The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since the Nazi era, dealing a crushing blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government with only a year to go before the next federal
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in Congo say two inmates were killed when detainees tried to break out of the main prison in capital Kinshasa. The government spokesman confirmed there was an “an attempted escape” on Monday. Local media reported security forces killed some of those who tried to flee. By Monday morning,
Continue ReadingBy Alaa Elassar and Sara Smart, CNN (CNN) — It was a Saturday afternoon when Stephanie and Carlos Flores heard the ping of a notification on their phones that changed their lives forever. The notification came from Life360, a location-sharing app they used with their daughter, 18-year-old Olivia Flores, alerting them a crash had been
Continue ReadingBy Arlette Saenz and Betsy Klein, CNN Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden reemerges on the campaign trail this week, entering a new political phase as he closes out his time in the White House and works to ensure Vice President Kamala Harris succeeds him. Biden and Harris will kick off the final sprint to the election together on Labor Day, using the holiday to woo working-class voters with
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russian emergency officials say they have recovered the bodies of all 22 people from a helicopter that crashed in Russia’s Far East leaving no survivors. The crash occurred in Kamchatka — a pristine peninsula with numerous volcanoes, known for its rugged beauty and rich wildlife. A Mi-8 helicopter with 19 tourists and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Keir Starmer hasn’t had much of a summer honeymoon. Britain’s new prime minister was elected in a landslide less than two months ago. He had to cancel a planned vacation after anti-immigrant unrest erupted across the country. He has spent his first weeks in office dealing with the aftermath. Since
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has held a state burial of the remains of more than 700 victims of Nazi Germany’s World War II mass executions that were recently uncovered in the so-called Valley of Death in the country’s north. The observances Monday in the town of Chojnice began with a funeral Mass
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol has boycotted the formal opening of South Korea’s National Assembly as squabbles with the opposition deepen over allegations of wrongdoing by top officials and his wife. It’s a tradition for South Korean presidents to deliver a speech at opening ceremonies for assembly sessions, and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany party’s success in two state elections has piled new pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fractious government. AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in post-World War II Germany in Thuringia on Sunday. In neighboring Saxony, it finished only just behind the
Continue ReadingAP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is. Alorica, a company in Irvine, California, that runs customer-service centers around the world, has introduced an artificial intelligence translation tool that lets its representatives talk with customers who speak 200 different languages and 75 dialects. So
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months
Continue ReadingBy Helen Regan, Irene Nasser, Tamar Michaelis, Dana Karni, Andrew Raine and Rob Picheta, CNN (CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to Israel’s streets in fresh fury on Monday over the government’s failure to secure a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas. Demonstrations could be seen in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Caesarea and other sites across
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