BERLIN (AP) — A Jewish survivor of the Auschwitz death camp has told Germany’s parliament that she is appalled by the rising strength of the far right in the country and increasing antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. Eva Szepesi was born in
Continue ReadingBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he plans an EU naval mission in the Red Sea to be launched by Feb. 17. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have waged a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the Israel-Hamas war started in October. It has hampered
Continue ReadingBy ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Myanmar was a rising star in Southeast Asia before its military seized power three years ago in a takeover that has brought civil strife and a tightening vise of international sanctions, undoing years of progress and leaving the economy 10% smaller than it was in
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Roads around 4th Street in Desert Hot Springs were shut down as police negotiated with a suspect barricaded inside a home. The standoff started as a call of multiple people fighting in the street just before 6:00 p.m. on 4th Street just off of Palm Drive, city spokesperson Doria Wilms told News Channel 3 at
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russia’s parliament has approved a bill that would allow the confiscation of money, valuables and other assets from those convicted on charges of spreading “deliberately false information” about the country’s military. It’s expected to quickly sail through the upper house and be signed by President Vladimir Putin. Duma
Continue ReadingBy JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and its surrounding in northeastern Spain’s Catalonia region are preparing for tighter water restrictions amid a historic drought that has shrunk reservoirs to record lows. Catalan authorities are expected to declare a drought emergency Thursday for an area that is home to 6 million people
Continue ReadingCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s aging king, Harald V, is on sick leave until Feb. 2 because of a respiratory infection. The Norwegian palace made the announcement Wednesday. The 86-year-old monarch, who has repeatedly said he has no plans to abdicate unlike his second cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has been hospitalized several times
Continue ReadingBy MARK LEWIS Associated Press STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — The doors close Wednesday on nominations for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, with peace activists connected to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine among the known entries. The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps the nominations secret, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks public. The
Continue ReadingBy DIDI TANG and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is preparing to tell House lawmakers that Chinese government hackers are busily targeting water treatment plants, the electrical grid, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure inside the United States. Wray is appearing Wednesday before a House Select Committee focused on
Continue ReadingBy Priscilla Alvarez and Lauren Fox, CNN Democrats are doing what three months ago might have seemed unthinkable for the party in an election year: preparing to go on offense on border security. After months of migrant surges at the US southern border and a barrage of GOP attacks against the president and his administration
Continue ReadingBy Hannah Rabinowitz and Sean Lyngaas, CNN (CNN) — FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday warned that Chinese hackers are preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to the US. “China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides
Continue ReadingPARIS (AP) — French Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday that some 300,000 spectators will be able to attend the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games, about half the size of what was originally planned. The giant show on the River Seine on July 26 will mark the first time that an opening ceremony
Continue ReadingBy JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran threatened Wednesday to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic following President Joe Biden’s linking of Tehran to the killing of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan. The U.S. has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Mideast
Continue ReadingBy ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Global stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets awaited a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve, while China reported its manufacturing contracted for a fourth straight month in January. The future for the S&P 500 lost 0.3% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Continue ReadingBy Lamide Akintobi, CNN Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) — For the first time, African music will have its own category at the Grammys. The Recording Academy will showcase three new categories for this year’s awards, including “Best African Music Performance” — featuring some of Afrobeats’ global superstars. “By introducing these three new categories, we are able
Continue ReadingBy Hilary Whiteman, CNN Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Concern is mounting for thousands of sheep and cattle stranded off the coast of Australia after authorities ordered the Israeli-owned ship transporting the live cargo to turn around over fears it could be targeted by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. More than 16,000 animals are aboard the
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA and STEPHEN WADE Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee member has appeared in a court and asserted he’s not guilty of taking bribes connected to the Tokyo Games. A former executive with the powerful Japanese advertising company Dentsu, Haruyuki Takahashi is charged with accepting around 198 million
Continue ReadingBy Wayne Chang, CNN Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — Taiwan has protested against China’s “unilateral” adjustment of civil aviation flight routes that could result in civilian aircraft flying closer to the sensitive Taiwan Strait median line, adding pressure on Taipei in its aviation safety and aerial defense. China’s Civil Aviation Administration said it in a statement
Continue ReadingBy MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court plans to rule Wednesday on Ukraine’s allegations that Russia bankrolled separatist rebels in the country’s east a decade ago and has discriminated against Crimea’s multiethnic community since its annexation of the peninsula. The legally binding final ruling is the first
Continue ReadingBy Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn, CNN Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — A Thai court on Wednesday ordered the kingdom’s most popular political party to end its campaign to amend the country’s notoriously strict royal defamation law, dashing its supporters hopes for reform of the powerful monarchy. The Constitutional Court in Bangkok ruled the progressive Move Forward
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