News

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says he is confident it will receive the second instalment of a $2.9-billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund before the end of the year. Payment of the money was delayed due to inadequate oversight and debt

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian officials say Ukraine has launched one of its biggest drone attacks on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula since the full-scale war began. They did not say if there were any casualties. The Moscow-appointed governor for the Russian-occupied part of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region said Ukraine launched

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Distraught by a romantic breakup, 16-year-old Kenny Batson vented his hurt by stomping out the windshields of cars on a for-sale lot. He landed in juvenile detention, but that was only the beginning of his trouble. Over the ensuing years, Batson stole cigarettes, booze and cars for drunken joyrides

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A plan for how Vietnam will spend $15.5 billion to transition to cleaner energy has been finalized and will be announced formally at the COP28 climate conference, which begins in Dubai next week. The climate counselor for the British Embassy in Hanoi did not give the

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A senator from the Netherlands’ Party for Freedom was appointed Friday to investigate possible governing coalitions after the far-right party’s election victory, while the party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it would support a center-right administration in parliament but not join the next

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian authorities have released a prominent Kashmir journalist on bail nearly two years after he was arrested on accusations of publishing “anti-national content” and “glorifying terrorism.” Fahad Shah, founder and editor of news portal The Kashmir Walla, was arrested in February 2022 under India’s sedition and

LONDON (AP) — Nissan will invest more than $1.3 billion to update its factory in northeast England to make electric versions of its two best-selling cars. It’s a boost for the British government as it tries to revive the country’s ailing economy. The Japanese automaker manufactures the gasoline-powered Qashqai and smaller Juke crossover vehicles at

By WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and DAVID RISING Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, allowing sorely needed aid to start flowing into Gaza and setting the stage for the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. There were

BEIJING (AP) — China has announced that it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia as it tries to encourage more people to visit for business and tourism. Starting Dec. 1, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will be allowed to enter China for up to

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed Friday in Europe and Asia after U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged, at 15,998.44, while the CAC 40 in Paris likewise was flat at 7,279.03. Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.4% to 7,453.40. On Wall Street, the

UTTARKASHI, India (AP) — Rescuers in India racing to evacuate 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel for nearly two weeks are hoping to resume drilling after a mechanical problem forced them to halt. The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, when a landslide in Uttarakhand state caused part of

LONDON (AP) — Irish police arrested 34 people after suspected far-right protesters in central Dublin attacked police, damaged shops and set fire to vehicles Thursday night following the stabbing of three children by an unidentified man earlier in the day. The head of the Irish police, Commissioner Drew Harris, said one officer was seriously injured

By SAM METZ Associated Press MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — The Marrakech International Film Festival begins on Friday, bringing American and international movie stars to the Arab world as war in the Middle East has led to the cancellation of other film festivals. The festival will feature directors Martin Scorsese and Richard Linklater and actors Jessica

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s main opposition party Nationalist Party has announced a veteran politician as its vice presidential candidate as hopes for a cross-party alliance to challenge the ruling Democratic Progressive Party have fractured. Hou Yu-ih said former legislator and Cabinet member Chao Shao-kang would be his running mate

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday after spending nearly 10 years in prison in South Africa for murder. The double-amputee Olympic runner was one of the world’s most admired athletes before he killed his girlfriend by shooting her multiple times through a

BEIJING (AP) — French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna says France and China should work together to reduce global tensions and address issues such as climate change and biodiversity. She met with Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday ahead of a major U.N. climate conference starting next week and an EU-China leaders meeting next month. The

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The top diplomats from South Korea, Japan and China are gathering in South Korea this weekend to discuss resuming their leaders’ summit, among other regional issues. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that the meeting will take place Sunday in the southeastern city of Busan. An

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares declined Friday in Asia, with Hong Kong’s benchmark retreating on selling of property shares following recent gains. U.S. futures edged higher after markets on Wall Street were closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. Oil prices were mixed. Japan reported its consumer inflation rose for