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World News

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Bank of Japan ups key rate for 1st time in 17 years

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares are mixed in Asia after the Bank of Japan hiked its benchmark interest rate for the first time in 17 years, ending a longstanding negative rate policy. In a widely anticipated move, the BOJ raised its overnight call rate to a range of 0 to 0.1%, up from minus 0.1%. It […]
1 day ago

Russian officials say Ukrainian shelling kills 2 in a border city and drones target an oil refinery

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine, killed two people, Russian officials said Saturday. A man and a woman died in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. It was the latest in exchanges of long-range […]
3 days ago

A Russian missile strike kills at least 14 people in southern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile strike on Odesa in southern Ukraine on Friday killed at least 14 people and injured 46 others, local officials said. A first missile struck houses and when emergency crews arrived at the scene a second missile landed, authorities said
4 days ago

Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher early as markets try to close out another winning week

Wall Street posted small gains in early trading Friday as markets try to close out another up-and-down week on the positive side. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average each rose less than 0.2% before the bell. Markets have bounced around between small gains and losses this week on a series […]
4 days ago

A plan to find new leadership for Haiti is moving forward, Caribbean officials say

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A plan to create a transitional presidential council is moving forward after a majority of Haitian parties and coalitions submitted the names of those charged with finding new leaders for the country, Caribbean officials said Thursday. The names were provided to a regional trade bloc known as Caricom that is helping […]
5 days ago

Stock market today: Asian markets retreat after data dash hopes that a US rate cut is imminent

BEIJING (AP) — Asian markets retreated Friday, with Hong Kong’s benchmark falling 2%, after a mixed batch of data on the U.S. economy dashed hopes that easier interest rates are coming soon. Oil prices and U.S. futures fell. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 edged 0.1% lower to 38,751.54, while the Kospi in South Korea sank 1.4% to […]
5 days ago

Women blast through gender barriers in Colombia’s emerald mines, but struggle to emerge from poverty

COSCUEZ, Colombia (AP) — Deep inside mountain tunnels where the heat is so intense it causes headaches, women with power tools are chipping away at boulders in search of gems. They have opened a difficult path for themselves in Colombia’s emerald industry, a sector long dominated by men. The lack of job opportunities, combined with […]
5 days ago

Kate’s photo scandal shows how hard it is for the UK monarchy to control its narrative

LONDON (AP) — The scandal over Kate, Princess of Wales’ family snapshot — dubbed “photogate” — is a new chapter in the thorny relationship between the media and Britain’s royal family. It’s also a sign of how hard it is for the monarchy to control its own narrative in the social-media era. “Social media has […]
7 days ago

Stock market today: Wall Street inches forward ahead of US report on consumer prices

Wall Street was mixed in early trading Tuesday ahead of a report on inflation in the U.S. that could sway the Federal Reserve’s timing on cutting interest rates. Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.2% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down less than 0.1% Tuesday’s report on prices […]
7 days ago

Haiti is preparing itself for new leadership. Gangs want a seat at the table

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Politicians across Haiti are scrambling for power after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created. But elbowing their way into the race are powerful gangs that control 80% of Haiti’s capital and demand a say in the future of the troubled […]
7 days ago

US pledges an additional $100M for a multinational force awaiting deployment to violence-hit Haiti

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced an additional $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti following a meeting with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica to halt the country’s violent crisis. Blinken also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on […]
8 days ago

Kate, Princess of Wales, apologizes for altering family photo that fueled rumors about her health

LONDON (AP) — Kate, Princess of Wales, apologized Monday for “confusion” caused by her altering of a family photo released by the palace — an image of Kate and her children that was intended to calm concern and speculation about the British royal’s health, but had the opposite effect. Several news agencies that initially published […]
8 days ago

Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher ahead of a US report on inflation

BEIJING (AP) — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Tuesday ahead of a report on inflation in the U.S. that could sway the Federal Reserve’s timing on cutting interest rates. U.S. futures and oil prices were higher. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.6% to 38,586.92, retreating further from its recent record highs as expectations build […]
8 days ago

Muslims spot Ramadan crescent moon in Saudi Arabia, meaning month of fasting starts Monday for many

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Officials saw the crescent moon Sunday night in Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, marking the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan for many of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. The sacred month, which sees those observing abstain from food and water from sunrise […]
9 days ago

Foreigners trapped in violence-torn Haiti wait desperately for a way out

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dozens of foreigners, including many from the United States and Canada, are stranded in Haiti, desperately trying to leave the violence-torn country where anti-government gangs are battling police and have already shut down both of the country’s international airports. They were in Haiti for reasons ranging from adoptions to […]
11 days ago

A ship with Gaza aid is preparing to inaugurate a sea route from Cyprus to the war-ravaged strip

LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — A ship bearing humanitarian aid was making preparations to leave Cyprus and head for Gaza, the European Commission president said Friday as international donors launched a sea corridor to supply the besieged territory that is facing widespread hunger after five months of war. The opening of the corridor, along with the […]
11 days ago

Cole Brauer becomes 1st American woman to race sailboat alone and nonstop around world

A CORUNA, Spain (AP) — Alone, Cole Brauer braved three oceans and the elements as she navigated her sailboat for months. When she and her 40-foot (12.2-meter) sailboat arrived Thursday in A Coruña, Spain, the 29-year-old became the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself, traveling across about 30,000 miles (48,280 […]
12 days ago

Biden orders US military to set up temporary aid port for Gaza as famine threatens

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military Thursday to set up a temporary port off the coast of Gaza, joining international partners in trying to carve out a sea route to deliver food and other aid to desperate Palestinian civilians cut off by the Hamas-Israel war and by Israeli restrictions on humanitarian […]
12 days ago

Stock market today: Wall Street set to open with small gains as Powell heads to Capitol Hill again

Wall Street pointed toward small gains before the open Thursday ahead of more testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Capitol Hill. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials ticked up 0.1% before the bell while futures for the S&P 500 added 0.3%. One day after testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, Powell will […]
12 days ago
FILE - Riot police detain two young men at a demonstration in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 21, 2022. Th...

Putin’s crackdown casts a wide net, ensnaring the LGBTQ+ community, lawyers and many others

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — It’s not just opposition politicians who are targeted in the crackdown by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government in recent years. Also falling victim are independent voices as well as those who don’t conform to what the state sees as the country’s “traditional values.” Russia’s once-thriving free press after the collapse of […]
12 days ago

A government official says Canada will restore funding to embattled UN agency in Gaza

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, a government official tells The Associated Press, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations against some of its staffers in Gaza. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported that Canada will restore funding […]
13 days ago

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after Wall Street recovers

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher in early Thursday trading, after Wall Street recovered some losses from the day before. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 momentarily reached a record high in early trading but slipped later to 39,794.13, down 0.7%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose nearly 0.1% to 7,740.80. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.5% to […]
13 days ago
FILE - Google's first datacenter in Germany is pictured during its inauguration in Hanau near Frank...

Europe’s Digital Markets Act is forcing tech giants to make changes. Here’s what that will look like

LONDON (AP) — Europeans scrolling their phones and computers this week will get new choices for default browsers and search engines, where to download iPhone apps and how their personal online data is used. They’re part of changes required under the Digital Markets Act, a set of European Union regulations that six tech companies classed […]
13 days ago

Houthi missile attack kills 3 crew members in Yemen rebels’ first fatal assault on shipping

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed […]
13 days ago