News

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — Vanderson Chaves has faced many challenges in more than a decade as a Paralympic fencer but none as fearsome as the massive floods in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state. The waters washed away his equipment, dozens of medals, his passport and might have even

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed responsibility for two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage. Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader again threatened that Tehran could build a nuclear weapon if it chose to pursue atomic

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mixed on Thursday after Wall Street’s lull stretched into a second day, with Chinese benchmarks rising after China reported better-than-expected trade figures for April. U.S. stocks are set to be down as the futures for the S&P 500 and that for the Dow

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Islamic State group says it is responsible for a bombing that killed officers involved in an anti-poppy crop campaign in Afghanistan’s northeast. A motorcycle was booby-trapped and exploded, targeting a Taliban patrol in Badakhshan province. The group says the bomb killed or wounded 12 members of the patrol and destroyed a

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — An anti-discrimination activist in Tunisia was arrested in a money laundering investigation this week as the dangerous and dire conditions facing migrants and their advocates worsen. Saadia Mosbah was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the funding for the Mnemty association she

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling for an end to “antisemitic abuse” at U.K. universities as protests against the war in Gaza expand and the government tries to head off the type of unrest seen on American campuses in recent weeks. The comments came as Sunak and his education secretary prepared

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Scores of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of music fans are gathering in the Swedish city of Malmo, where the Eurovision Song Contest is building towards Saturday’s exuberant, glitter-drenched final. Even Eurovision can’t escape the world’s divisions, however. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are also expected

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has dismissed calls for independent investigations into allegations involving his wife and top officials. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s move drew strong rebukes from his rivals Thurday. After suffering a heavy loss in the recent April 10 parliamentary elections, Yoon

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer Norfolk Southern shareholders will decide Thursday morning whether to back an activist investor’s bid to take over the railroad’s board and replace management. Ancora Holdings picked up significant support during the campaign from major investors like EdgePoint Investment Group, two major rail unions and some customers. But the rest

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for interfering in a criminal investigation while leading the government of his South Pacific island nation. The Fiji Times newspaper reported Bainimarama was sentenced Thursday and the suspended police commissioner received a

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen have killed seven barbers in a home in a volatile province in southwestern Pakistan. Police and a government official say the killings occurred early Thursday in Baluchistan province. The barbers were from Punjab province and lived and worked together. Police are investigating who was behind the attack. Separatists often target

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage, while also saying they targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean in a previously unreported assault. The claims by Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree come

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union marks its annual Europe Day on Thursday. But instead of the humdrum celebrations, all eyes are on the EU elections in a month’s time. They portend a steep rise of the extreme right and a possible move away from the bloc’s global trendsetting climate

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China reported Thursday that its exports and imports returned to growth in April, suggesting that demand is improving despite an uneven economic recovery. Customs data showed that exports grew 1.5% in April compared to a year earlier after falling 7.5% in March, the first contraction

BEIJING (AP) — A crash between a truck and a passenger van on a highway in northwestern China’s Ningxia region has killed nine people. State media said two others were injured in the crash early Thursday outside the city of Qingtongxia. They were in stable condition at a hospital. An official said the driver of

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is expected to maintain interest rates at a 16-year high of 5.25% Thursday, but a cut wouldn’t be a huge surprise as inflation falls from multi-decade highs. The consensus in financial markets is that a majority of the bank’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee