Month: February 2023

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Some of Hong Kong’s best-known pro-democracy activists have gone on trial in the biggest prosecution yet under a law imposed by China’s ruling Communist Party to crush dissent. The 18 defendants face up to life in prison if convicted under the national security law critics say

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 641 people. Hundreds were still believed to be trapped under rubble, and the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers searched mounds of wreckage

By IMAD ISSEID and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press AQABAT JABR, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed five Palestinian gunmen in a raid on a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, Israeli security officials said, in a response to a botched attack on Israelis that was likely to further exacerbate tensions in the region. The

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song that’s become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the Islamic Republic wept early Monday after seeing he’d won a Grammy. Shervin Hajipour appeared stunned after hearing Jill Biden, the wife of President

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Buddhist abbot Hsing Yun, who established a thriving religious community in southern Taiwan and built universities overseas, has died. He was 95. He established Fo Guang Shan monastery in 1967, aiming to propagate Buddhist humanitarian values. It would go on to operate hundreds of temples and seminaries around the world, along

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A spokesperson for Pakistan’s media regulator says it has blocked Wikipedia for hurting Muslim sentiment by not removing allegedly blasphemous content. The action was taken because a 48-hour deadline given to Wikipedia was ignored and some of the blasphemous content is still available on the site. That’s

By JOVANA GEC and DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — At a central square in Serbia’s capital of Belgrade, dozens of Russians gathered recently to denounce President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, holding up photos of political prisoners from their homeland. Across the plaza, a billboard touts the Russian propaganda outlet RT, which

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian and Chinese trade ministers are holding their first bilateral meeting since 2019 as Australia urges China to lift barriers that are costing exporters $14 billion a year. Trade Minister Don Farrell held a teleconference from Australia’s Parliament House with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A Buddhist temple has been extensively damaged by fire in the Australian city of Melbourne. About 80 firefighters fought the blaze at the Bright Moon Buddhist Temple for more than two hours before it was brought under control late Sunday. Spot fires were still being put out Monday. There were no

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The overall death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey and northern Syria on Monday rose to 360 as health officials in the Syrian capital of Damascus reported that 237 people died in government-held areas of the country. Hundreds more were reported injured in

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector. The meeting is a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country’s economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. State media said Monday the

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — On Islamabad’s outskirts, burly men bind together in a scrum on a rugby pitch that has seen better days. The sign bearing the club’s name is worn. The floodlights are too costly to use, given high electricity prices and the paltry $135 total that the club earns

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beyoncé sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony’s most decorated artist in history, but at the end of Sunday’s show it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honor. The Grammys spread its top awards among other