By DEREK GATOPOULOS and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — After several years of strained relations that raised tensions to alarming levels, longtime regional rivals Greece and Turkey have made a significant step in mending ties during a visit to Athens by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ahead of his one-day visit, Erdogan
Continue ReadingBy LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — For months, Albanian opposition parties have used flares and noise to disrupt Parliament, in protest at what they describe as the authoritarian rule of the governing Socialist Party. On Thursday, lawmakers passed the annual budget and other laws, despite opposition claims that the Socialists have blocked
Continue ReadingVICTORIA, Seychelles (AP) — The president of Seychelles has declared a state of emergency after a huge blast at an explosives depot and flooding in other parts of the country’s main island. Local media say three people have died in the flooding and more than 100 were injured in the blast. They say most of
Continue ReadingBy JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he will “do what is necessary” to revive a blocked deal to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, even if it means ignoring human rights laws. The U.K. Supreme Court has declared the plan illegal, but Sunak said on Thursday that a planned
Continue ReadingBy DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in sometimes angry testimony to Britain’s inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, on Thursday defended himself against suggestions that his indifference and failure to heed the advice of scientists led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. In a second day of sworn testimony, Johnson rejected
Continue ReadingBy KATHY McCORMACK and STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — A pickup truck driver in a Boston suburb is accused of crashing into a police officer and a utility employee at a work site, killing both, then pulling a knife on another officer before stealing his cruiser and crashing, law enforcement officials said.
Continue ReadingBy SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government says Russia’s intelligence services have targeted high-profile British politicians, civil servants and journalists with cyberespionage and “malicious cyberactivity” as part of sustained attempts to interfere in U.K. political processes. The Foreign Office says Russia’s FSB agency was responsible for a range of cyberespionage operations in
Continue ReadingBy PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British poet and political activist Benjamin Zephaniah has died at age 65. Zephaniah drew inspiration from his Caribbean roots. His family said in a statement that Zephaniah died on Thursday after being diagnosed with a brain tumor eight weeks ago. Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and is
Continue ReadingBy Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (CNN) — Jean Joachim’s menorah has been sitting in the window of her first-floor New York City apartment for more than a decade. She loves lighting it every year on Hanukkah, and even when the holiday has passed, she keeps it on display. The gold-colored candelabra is a family heirloom.
Continue ReadingCNN By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (CNN) — Jean Joachim’s menorah has been sitting in the window of her first-floor New York City apartment for more than a decade. She loves lighting it every year on Hanukkah, and even when the holiday has passed, she keeps it on display. The gold-colored candelabra is a family
Continue ReadingBy TIAN MACLEOD JI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow says she still feels under the watch of the Chinese territory’s police after moving to Toronto. Chow was arrested in 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law but wasn’t charged. She said this week she won’t return to meet her
Continue ReadingBy THALIA BEATY Associated Press GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (AP) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Thursday that it will donate $100 million to expand its work on economic mobility in the U.S. The country’s largest foundation says the commitment represents a change in how it operates by putting more power in the hands
Continue ReadingBY ROBERT YOON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s down to two candidates in the race to lead the nation’s fourth-largest city. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire will face off in Saturday’s runoff election to be the next mayor of Houston. Whitmire and Jackson Lee were the top two vote-getters in
Continue ReadingKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Authorities in Seychelles have declared a state of emergency after a blast at an explosives store caused “massive damage” in an industrial area also facing flooding amid heavy rainfall. The blast happened overnight in the Providence area of Mahe, the largest and most populous island of the Seychelles. “Everyone is being
Continue ReadingBy DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defending his efforts to balance the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Johnson gave a second day of testimony on Thursday to Britain’s public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic. He was grilled about his government’s “Eat Out to
Continue ReadingBy JIWON SONG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Olympic committee is pushing to send hundreds of athletes to a navy training center to enhance their mental toughness ahead of the Paris Olympics. The move has prompted criticism that it’s outdated and regressive. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee says it recently
Continue ReadingBy Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — A record number of people signing up for Obamacare policies. Nine more states expanding Medicaid coverage to more than 2 million adults. Much higher favorability ratings among the public. Another victory for the landmark health reform law in the nation’s highest court. These are among the main reasons why
Continue ReadingBy DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press Lawmaker’s in Russia have set March 17 as the date for the country’s 2024 presidential election. A scheduling decree unanimously approved by the upper house of the Russian parliament Thursday moves Vladimir Putin closer to a fifth term in office. Putin hasn’t yet announced his intention to run again but
Continue ReadingBy Jessie Gretener and Nimi Princewill, CNN (CNN) — Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan issued a state of emergency Thursday after a blast at an explosives store injured scores of people and brought the country to a standstill. It is unclear if there were any casualties following the explosion. Schools are closed and only essential workers
Continue ReadingBy SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Chinese naval vessels have become the first ships to dock at a new pier at a Cambodian naval base that the United States and some international security experts say is destined to serve as a strategic outpost for Beijing’s navy. The docking of the two
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