Supply chain woes throw sand in the gears of German economy
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A closely watched survey of German business optimism sagged for the fourth month in a row, underlining concern about the impact on Europe’s largest economy from sharply higher energy prices and stubborn bottlenecks in supplies of raw materials and parts. The Munich-based Ifo Institute, which compiles the survey of thousands of […]2 days ago
Dutch agency: Netherlands could face higher sea level rises
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch climate experts warned Monday that the low-lying Netherlands could face higher sea level rises than previously forecast as well as the threat of extreme rainfall and other dangerous weather events caused by climate change. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, known by its Dutch acronym KNMI, issued the stark warning […]2 days ago
Uzbekistan’s incumbent leader wins 2nd term in office
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) — Uzbekistan’s incumbent leader has won a second five-year term in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation, preliminary results showed Monday. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received 80.1% of Sunday’s vote, the country’s Central Election Commission announced. Mirziyoyev, who took office in 2016 following the death of longtime President Islam Karimov, has relaxed many […]2 days ago
Road-blocking climate protesters resume campaign in London
LONDON (AP) — Environmental protesters pressuring the British government to insulate all homes within a decade resumed a road-blocking campaign in London on Monday ahead of the United Nations’ annual climate conference. As commuters headed to work, demonstrators from the Insulate Britain campaign obstructed a major artery into Canary Wharf, a major financial center in […]2 days ago
Tokyo concerned over China-Russia naval drills near Japan
TOKYO (AP) — Japan expressed concern Monday after China and Russia held a joint naval exercise in which 10 of their warships passed through international waterways between its northern and southern islands. The Chinese and Russian vessels were first spotted last Monday passing through the Tsugaru Strait between Japan’s main island of Honshu and the […]2 days ago
2 Polish troops hurt as migrants try forcing Belarus border
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Officials in Poland said Monday that two soldiers were lightly hurt when a group of some 60 migrants tried to force their way across the border from Belarus. The Border Guards office said the troops — who have been deployed to help protect the European Union’s eastern border from growing migration […]2 days ago
Taiwanese delegation in Prague to boost ties; China protests
PRAGUE (AP) — Taiwanese government ministers were visiting the Czech capital on Monday accompanied by dozens of business and research representatives to boost trade and investment, a move that has angered China. Minister of National Development Kung Ming-hsin is leading a delegation of 66 officials representing business and research groups and organizations, including biotechnology, green […]2 days ago
Spanish volcano more active, spews ‘giant lava fountain’
MADRID (AP) — A volcano erupting for the past five weeks on the Spanish island of La Palma is more active than ever, officials said Monday, after new lava flows following a partial collapse of the crater threatened to engulf previously unaffected areas. A powerful new river of molten rock gushed out of the Cumbre […]2 days ago
Canary Islands: Child dies after urgent migrant boat rescue
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Emergency agencies in Spain’s Canary Islands say a child who was among dozens of migrants rescued from a boat drifting in the Atlantic Ocean has died. Two adults and six children found on the boat some 185 kilometers (114 miles) southwest of Gran Canaria were evacuated by helicopter for urgent medical […]2 days ago
Chinese, Taliban representatives to meet in Qatar
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Taliban representatives during a trip this week to the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, an official said Monday. The talks during Wang’s visit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, are the latest high-level contact between the sides and will “provide an opportunity to have an […]2 days ago
Merck asks EU regulator to authorize pill that treats COVID
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The pharmaceutical company Merck says it has asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize its COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the first pill that has been shown to treat the disease. In a statement on Monday, Merck said the EU drug regulator had started an expedited licensing process for molnupiravir. If given the green […]2 days ago
Greek Socialist leader Gennimata dies after long illness
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The leader of Greece’s third-largest political party, Fofi Gennimata, has died after being hospitalized for treatment for a long-term illness earlier this month. She was 56. Gennimata had served as leader of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement, or Pasok, since 2015. It was later made part of a center-left umbrella group known […]2 days ago
Russia marks another record number of daily COVID-19 cases
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia reported another daily record of confirmed coronavirus cases Monday as a surge in infections has prompted the Kremlin to tell most people to stay away from work starting later this week. The Russian government’s coronavirus task force tallied 37,930 new confirmed cases in 24 hours, the highest number since the start […]2 days ago
Tokyo eateries return to normal hours as virus cases drop
TOKYO (AP) — People in Tokyo can eat and drink in bars and restaurants later in the evening starting Monday as officials ease social distancing rules with the country’s daily coronavirus cases reaching their lowest levels in more than a year. Crowds have been returning to bars and trains since Japan lifted its moderate state […]2 days ago
German court sentences IS woman to 10 years in prison
BERLIN (AP) — A German convert to Islam was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday on charges that, as a member of the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq, she allowed a 5-year-old Yazidi girl she and her husband kept as a slave to die of thirst in the hot sun. The Higher Regional […]2 days ago
Australia wants Facebook to seek parental consent for kids
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia plans to crack down on online advertisers targeting children by making social media platforms seek parental consent for users younger than 16 years old to join or face fines of 10 million Australian dollars ($7.5 million) under a draft law released Monday. The landmark legislation would protect Australians online and […]2 days ago
Turkey’s Erdogan lifts threat to expel Western ambassadors
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Monday stepped back from a threat to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western nations over their support for a jailed activist, defusing a potential diplomatic crisis. “We believe that these ambassadors, who have fulfilled their commitment to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, will now be […]2 days ago
Cambodia amends charter to bar dual citizens from top office
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Lawmakers in Cambodia on Monday approved an amendment to the constitution barring Cambodians with dual citizenship from holding high government office, a move initiated by Prime Minister Hun Sen and directed at prominent opposition politicians. The government says the measure is meant to show officials’ loyalty to their homeland and […]2 days ago
Facebook profits rise amid revelations from leaked documents
Amid fallout from the Facebook Papers documents supporting claims that the social network has valued financial success over user safety, Facebook on Monday reported higher profit for the latest quarter. The company’s latest show of financial strength followed an avalanche of reports on the Facebook Papers — a vast trove of redacted internal documents obtained […]2 days ago
129-year journey nears end as France returns Benin treasures
PARIS (AP) — In a move with potential ramifications for other European museums, France is displaying 26 looted colonial-era artifacts for one last time before returning them to Benin — a decision authorities in the West African country described as “historic.” The wooden anthropomorphic statues, royal thrones and sacred altars were pilfered by the French […]2 days ago
Amnesty International to close Hong Kong offices this year
HONG KONG (AP) — The human rights group Amnesty International said it will close its two offices in Hong Kong this year, becoming the latest non-governmental organization to cease operations amid a crackdown on political dissent in the city. The group said its local office in Hong Kong will close this month and its regional […]2 days ago
In France, Trump-like TV pundit rocks presidential campaign
PARIS (AP) — A survivor of the terrible journey to Auschwitz remembered how the youngest wailed. There were 99 children squeezed among 751 adults gasping for air, crazed by thirst and hunger, aboard convoy No. 63 that departed Paris at 10 minutes past midday on Dec. 17, 1943. The 828 murdered at the death camp […]2 days ago
Plan for UK coal mine brings hope to some, horror to others
WHITEHAVEN, England (AP) — In the patchwork of hills, lakes and sea that make up England’s northwest corner, most people see beauty. Dave Cradduck sees broken dreams. The coal mine where the 74-year-old once worked has long closed. The chemical factory that employed thousands is gone. The nuclear power plant is being decommissioned. To Cradduck, […]2 days ago
