By DAVID HAMILTON and ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writers The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for many in the U.S. workforce. The Labor Department rule, which the administration proposed 15 months
Continue ReadingBy DAVID HAMILTON and ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writers The Biden administration enacted a new labor rule Tuesday that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors,” a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for many in the U.S. workforce. The Labor Department rule, which the administration proposed 15 months
Continue ReadingBy DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer With conference play heating up, there are only three unbeaten teams left in women’s basketball. No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 UCLA and fourth-ranked Baylor are all 14-0. None of the three was predicted to even win their conference with defending champion LSU the preseason choice in the SEC;
Continue ReadingCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish appeals court has upheld guilty verdicts for three members of an Iranian separatist group convicted of promoting terror in Iran and gathering information for an unnamed Saudi intelligence service. The three were arrested in February 2020 and convicted of promoting terror over a deadly attack on a military parade
Continue ReadingBy HUSSEIN MALLA Associated Press GHANDOURIYEH, Lebanon (AP) — Israel’s military says no damage was caused to one of its army bases in northern Israel after Hezbollah said it launched explosive drones toward the area, while an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon killed three members of the militant group. The Israeli military did not specify
Continue ReadingBy MARÍA GESTOSO and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press NOIA, Spain (AP) — Countless tiny plastic pellets are washing up on the shores of northern Spain and local authorities have declared an environmental emergency after a shipping container fell off a transport vessel last month. State prosecutors are investigating over fears that the pellets could have
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — A U.S. citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, a move that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine. The arrest of Robert Woodland Romanov was reported Tuesday by the press service of the Moscow courts. It said the Ostankino District Court ruled on Saturday to keep him in custody
Continue ReadingMADRID (AP) — Spain’s government says face masks will be mandatory in hospitals and healthcare centers starting Wednesday due to a surge in respiratory illnesses. Health Minister Mónica García said late Monday that it was a simple and necessary measure. Spain’s hospitals have come under immense pressure in recent weeks following a spike in cases
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW LEE, NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced tough talks with Israeli leaders on Gaza’s post-war future Tuesday, while Israel’s military pushed ahead with its offensive in the beleaguered territory. Heavy bombardment and fighting shook refugee camps, sending Palestinians scrambling to
Continue ReadingBy BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Sri Lankan navy spokesman says the debt-ridden country’s navy is preparing to join a U.S.-led operation to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea against attacks by Houthi rebels. Capt. Gayan Wickramasuriya said Tuesday that no date has been set for sending the ships.
Continue ReadingBy Jeremy Herb, Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz and Devan Cole, CNN Washington (CNN) — A federal appeals court hears arguments Tuesday over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for actions he took after the 2020 election, one of the key questions that could determine the former president’s legal and political fate in 2024. Trump
Continue ReadingBy Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN (CNN) — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has trimmed former President Donald Trump’s lead in the Republican primary race in New Hampshire to single digits, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Trump still holds a meaningful lead in the poll, with the backing
Continue ReadingCNN By Jessie Yeung, Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo and Marc Stewart, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — South Korea’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday banning the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, ending the traditional yet controversial practice of eating dog meat after years of nationwide debate. The bill received rare bipartisan support across
Continue ReadingBy ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — European markets opened lower on Tuesday after a mixed session in Asia, where Tokyo’s benchmark closed at a 33-year high. Germany’s DAX fell 0.4% to 16,654.65 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% to 7,433.01. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged 0.1% lower to 7,688.41. The futures
Continue ReadingANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The former president of a top-division soccer team in Turkey has told a court he regretted attacking a referee at the end of a league game but denied threatening to kill him. Faruk Koca resigned as president of MKE Ankaragucu after punching referee Halil Umut Meler. Koca has been charged with
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s national elections commission has registered the Communist Party’s candidate to compete with President Vladimir Putin in the March election that Putin is all but certain to win. Nikolai Kharitonov joins two other candidates who were approved for the ballot last week. Kharitonov, a member of the lower house of parliament, has
Continue ReadingBy SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has issued an alert saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution days before the island’s elections. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday that China has described as a choice between war and peace. The bilingual alert sent to residents’
Continue ReadingBy MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s transportation ministry says it has introduced improved emergency measures for the country’s airports, a week after a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines jetliner and a coast guard plane at Tokyo’s busy Haneda airport that is seen as a result of human error. The ministry said
Continue ReadingBy MATTHEW LEE, NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks in Israel on Tuesday as he seeks a plan for Gaza’s post-war future, while Israel’s military pushed ahead with its offensive in the beleaguered territory. Heavy bombardment and fighting shook refugee camps,
Continue ReadingTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — At least three people were hospitalized after mistakenly eating colorful pods of liquid laundry detergent that were distributed as a campaign freebie in Taiwan’s presidential race, according to Taiwanese media reports. One of the victims said she thought the pods were candy, the Central News Agency reported. The pods came in
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