By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Heavy snow has stranded scores of vehicles on a main expressway in central Japan, paralyzing traffic for more than 6 kilometers (4 miles), officials said. Army troops were dispatched to help relief efforts. The traffic jam occurred on the Meishin Expressway in Gifu prefecture, reportedly after two
Continue ReadingBy JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After Turkey ratified Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Monday, Hungary became the last member of the military alliance not to have issued its approval. After more than a year of delays, and consistent urging from its Western partners to move forward on accession, the Central
Continue ReadingBy JON GAMBRELL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Qatar, one of the world’s top exporters of liquified natural gas, warned Wednesday that its deliveries were affected by ongoing attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The statement by QatarEnergy came as an explosion struck near a
Continue ReadingBy STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer An England cricketer’s problems obtaining a visa for the team’s test series in India have prompted the British government to call for fair treatment for any of its citizens seeking to enter the Asian country. Shoaib Bashir is a 20-year-old British Muslim of Pakistani heritage. He was the only
Continue ReadingNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Officials say at least seven people have been hospitalized after Cypriot police rescued 60 Syrian migrants found aboard a rickety wooden boat some 34 miles off the island nation’s southeastern tip. They have been at sea for six days. Helicopters flew the three children and four adults to a
Continue ReadingBEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say at least 39 people died and nine others were injured when a fire broke out at a commercial building in southeastern Jiangxi province. State broadcaster CCTV reported that local authorities said that the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon. The building houses an internet cafe in the basement and
Continue ReadingBy MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix registered its third-consecutive quarter of accelerating subscriber growth in the final three months of 2023, closing out a comeback year that included a crackdown on viewers freeloading on the video-streaming service and a smattering of price hikes. The fourth-quarter results announced Tuesday provided further
Continue ReadingSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a story published January 23, 2024, about financial results from Netflix, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the company had signed a $10 billion deal to stream WWE’s “Raw.” The deal is valued at approximately $5 billion.
Continue ReadingBy BASSEM MROUE and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A delegation of Libyan justice officials has visited Lebanon to reopen discussions over the fate of a prominent Lebanese cleric who went missing in Libya decades ago. Officials say they separately discussed the potential release of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son Hannibal, who has
Continue ReadingJERUSALEM (AP) — An explosion struck near a ship traveling through a crucial strait near Yemen, though no damage or injuries were reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack Wednesday, though suspicion immediately fell on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an organization monitoring Mideast waterways overseen by the British
Continue ReadingTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court says that authorities can use paintball guns to shoot at wolves in a popular national park. The plan is to scare the animals after at least one of them began approaching human visitors. The decision Wednesday was a victory for the eastern province of Gelderland that has
Continue ReadingBy Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) — The war between Israel and Hamas has already spilled over to the wider Middle East, with prospects of a confrontation between regional and world powers becoming ever more likely. Over the weekend, three US service members were killed and more than 30
Continue ReadingBy ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street pointed toward gains before the opening bell Wednesday as a flurry of companies report earnings. Global markets advanced after China’s central bank announced fresh measures to boost its slowing economy. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.4%, while futures for the Dow Jones industrials
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war being swapped. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm or deny Russia’s claims about the crash in Russia’s Belgorod border region, although they said they were
Continue ReadingCNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Alaska Airlines has found loose bolts on “many” of its Boeing Max 9 planes that were recently grounded for inspections, the carrier’s CEO announced Tuesday. Federal investigators are now considering when Max 9s will be safe to fly again as pressure mounts to add oversight on the airplane
Continue ReadingBy Arit John, CNN Rochester, New Hampshire (CNN) — Bonnie Cote never considered voting for anyone other than former President Donald Trump. As she stood outside her hometown’s opera house, where Trump held one of his final Granite State campaign rallies earlier this week, the 33-year-old said she was “relieved” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped
Continue ReadingDETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 1.9 million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. because a trim piece can fly off and create a hazard for other drivers. The recall covers Explorers from the 2011 through 2019 model years. Documents posted Wednesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that clips holding the
Continue ReadingBy BASSEM MROUE and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A delegation of Libyan justice officials in Beirut has reopened discussions with Lebanese officials over the fate of a prominent Lebanese cleric who went missing in Libya decades ago and the potential release of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son, who has held without charges
Continue ReadingBy SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet All-inclusive vacations can sometimes get a bad rap for being generic, inauthentic and filled with mediocre food and activities. But by booking the right kind of all-inclusive (which often means those that limit guest counts to only a couple dozen), you can find a unique vacation with personal attention. Start
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — Pope Francis recalled the extermination of millions of Jews in calling Wednesday for the upcoming Holocaust Day of Remembrance to reaffirm that war can never be justified. At the end of his weekly general audience, Francis referred to Saturday’s commemoration, which has become fraught this year given Israel’s military campaign in Gaza
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