BY JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Germany’s top diplomat says China’s actions in the South China Sea violate the rights of Asian coastal states like the Philippines and threaten freedom of navigation, but adds that the territorial disputes have to be resolved peacefully because “the world doesn’t need another crisis.” Annalena Baerbock,
Continue ReadingBy NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Thursday unveiled plans for a yearlong restoration of the monumental baldacchino, or canopy, over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, pledging to complete the work on Bernini’s masterpiece before Pope Francis’ big 2025 Jubilee. The price tag? About 700,000 euros ($770,000). The
Continue ReadingBy MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say a magnitude 6.4 earthquake has shaken parts of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. The quake sent panicked residents fleeing from their homes and offices and frightened people in remote villages in Pakistan. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered in the Hindu Kush mountain range in
Continue ReadingBy Joseph Ataman, Frederik Pleitgen and Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — In the snow-filled skies above Ukraine, a deadly game is playing out. Russia began the new year with a barrage of air attacks, including the heaviest night of missile strikes since the war began, as Ukraine battles to meet an evolving threat with its limited supply of
Continue ReadingBy DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it will send an unofficial delegation comprised of former senior officials to Taiwan shortly after the self-governed island holds an election for a new president this weekend. The move carries the risk of upsetting Beijing in an already-fragile bilateral relationship. A senior administration
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press The lawyer of Sergei Udaltsov, a Russian left-wing activist, says her client is being questioned over terrorism offences. Udaltsov heads the Left Front, a group of left-wing political parties who oppose President Vladimir Putin and are affiliated with Russia’s Communist Party. He was a prominent during the 2011-2012 protests, which saw
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — A legal adviser to the European Union’s top court says Google should pay a whopping fine in a long-running antitrust case. EU regulators had found the company gave its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage over rivals in search results. The European Court of Justice’s advocate general on Thursday recommended rejecting the
Continue ReadingBy ANNIE MA Associated Press The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment, the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift announced Thursday will go toward a pooled endowment for the 37 historically Black colleges and universities that form UNCF’s
Continue ReadingBy HARRIET MORRIS and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out a cease-fire as his country defends itself against Russia’s invasion. He said Thursday that the Kremlin’s forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup. Limited cease-fires have occasionally been proposed since Russia launched its full-scale
Continue ReadingBy MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say a magnitude 6.4 earthquake has rattled much of Pakistan and parts of neighboring Afghanistan. Thursday’s tremors sent panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people in remote villages. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was in the Hindu Kuch mountain range
Continue ReadingBy MIKE CORDER and RAF CASERT Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a case that strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity, South Africa formally accused the country of committing genocide against Palestinians and pleaded Thursday with the United Nations’ top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply condemned alleged plans by members of far-right groups who supposedly met recently at a mansion outside Berlin to devise a plot to deport millions of immigrants, even those with German citizenship, if the groups take power. Scholz said Thursday that Germany will not allow anyone living
Continue ReadingBy Anna Chernova and Amy Cassidy, CNN (CNN) — Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny told a Moscow court of “freezing” conditions inside his prison, as he appeared via video link to outline his case against the authorities at the Siberian penal colony in which he is being held. Addressing the Supreme Court in Moscow, the opposition figure
Continue ReadingISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania have signed an agreement to jointly tackle drifting sea mines that have threatened Black Sea shipping since the start of the Ukraine war. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Thursday the agreement establishes a Mine Countermeasures Task Group among the three NATO allies to deal with the mines.
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is awarding $623 million in grants to help build an electric vehicle charging network across the nation. Grants being announced Thursday will fund 47 EV charging stations and related projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including 7,500 EV charging ports, officials said. “America
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is awarding $623 million in grants to help build an electric vehicle charging network across the nation. Grants being announced Thursday will fund 47 EV charging stations and related projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including 7,500 EV charging ports, officials said. “America
Continue ReadingBy Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Even as winter arrived in the East this week, with treacherous snow and an impending Arctic cold snap, much of the West is still entrenched in warm and dry conditions. It’s a sluggish and concerning start to what should be the region’s wet season and is raising concerns about
Continue ReadingBy Ella Nilsen, CNN Washington (CNN) — The Biden administration on Thursday announced over $620 million in grant funding to help counties, cities and tribes around the nation install new charging stations for electric vehicles and long-haul freight trucks. The funding, which comes from the bipartisan infrastructure law, will fund 47 projects in 22 states
Continue ReadingBy Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle, CNN (CNN) — Donald Trump plans to attend closing arguments for his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, where the former president’s business empire in the state is at stake. Trump is not expected to speak in court, however, after Judge Arthur Engoron rejected a request
Continue ReadingLAS VEGAS (AP) — Welcome to CES 2024. This multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association is expected to bring some 130,000 attendees and more than 4,000 exhibitors to Las Vegas. The latest advances and gadgets across personal tech, transportation, health care, sustainability and more will be on display, with burgeoning uses
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