Month: September 2022

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A rare state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister who was assassinated in July, has split Japan. The hawkish Abe was one of the nation’s most divisive postwar leaders, but it is the ruling party’s cozy ties with the ultra-conservative Unification Church that has fired

LONDON (AP) — The British pound fell to all-time low against the U.S. dollar early Monday after Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng pledged further tax cuts, fueling concerns about the government’s economic policy. The pound fell as low as $1.0373, before rallying to $1.0672 in early London trading. It was its lowest level since the decimalization

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has held a series of meetings with foreign dignitaries in what he has called “funeral diplomacy” on the day before he hosts a controversial state-sponsored funeral for former leader Shinzo Abe. Kishida has been criticized for pushing to hold a state funeral

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government says it’s considering tougher cybersecurity rules for telecommunications companies and blamed the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier, Optus, for an unprecedented breach of personal data from 9.8 million customers. Optus says it became aware of the cyberattack last Wednesday. It has since offered its

By CRISTIANA MESQUITA Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — Authorities in Cuba suspended classes in Pinar del Rio province and said they will begin evacuations Monday as Tropical Storm Ian was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before reaching the western part of the island on its way to Florida. A hurricane warning was in effect

By JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Noru blew out of the northern Philippines on Monday, leaving six people dead, knocking down power in two entire provinces, trapping villagers in floods and forcing officials to suspend classes and government work in and around the capital. The most powerful typhoon

By ADAM SCHRECK and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An overnight drone strike near the Ukrainian port of Odesa sparked a massive fire and explosion, the military said Monday, hours after the United States vowed to take decisive action and promised “catastrophic consequences” if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The airstrike

By LORI HINNANT Associated Press IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Rainwater is for showers and dishes. Scavenged wood is for the cooking fires. But almost nothing keeps out the autumn chill in homes without windows. Russian forces controlled Izium for six months before being forced to retreat two weeks ago in a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The town

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military says an army helicopter has crashed during an overnight flying mission in the country’s southwest and that all six military personnel on board were killed, including both pilots. A military statement on Monday said the crash happened in Hernai district, north of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. It

By DAVID McHUGH, JUSTIN SPIKE, KAREL JANICEK and VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — As Europe heads into winter in the throes of an energy crisis, offices are getting chillier. Statues and historic buildings are going dark. Bakers who can’t afford to heat their ovens are talking about giving up, while fruit and

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares tumbled and the British pound sank further on Monday, reflecting pessimism over efforts by central banks around the world to curb inflation. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 2.6% to 26,462.48. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 1.5% to 6,479.30. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 3.1% to 2,219.75.

By YURAS KARMANAU and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After seven months of war, many Ukrainians fear even more suffering and political repression as referendums orchestrated by the Kremlin portend Russia’s imminent annexation of four occupied regions. Many residents fled the regions before the so-called referendums got underway, scared about being forced

By MUNIR AHMED and MUHAMMAD FAROOQ Associated Press KHAIRPUR, Pakistan (AP) — Like every year, Arz Mohammed had planted his little patch of land in southern Pakistan with cotton. The crop would earn him enough so that, as he puts it, his family of five wouldn’t be reduced to begging. Then came the deluge. Pakistan’s