Month: March 2023

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine official says the country’s coast guard has launched a strategy of publicizing aggressive actions by China in the disputed South China Sea, which has countered Chinese propaganda and sparked international condemnations that have put Beijing under the spotlight. Manila’s coast guard has intensified patrols

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense minister voiced caution Wednesday over media reports that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year. German daily newspaper Die Zeit and public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported Tuesday that investigators were able to

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and THEODORA TONGAS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Major demonstrations are underway in Athens and cities across Greece to protest the deaths of 57 people and the serious safety deficiencies the country’s worst train disaster exposed. Labor unions and student associations organized the rallies, while strikes halted ferries to the islands

PARIS (AP) — French train and metro drivers, refinery workers, garbage collectors and others are holding further strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64. Strikers want to keep up pressure on the government amid the ongoing parliamentary debate. New protest actions focused on women — and the retirement reform’s

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Women’s rights activists in Japan are renewing their demand for the government to allow married couples the option to keep both of their surnames, saying the current practice in which most women face social pressure to adopt their husbands’ surnames — a prewar tradition based on paternalistic

By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020. Lisbeth Imer, a runologist with the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represented the first solid evidence

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly lower Wednesday as investors fretted that the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates faster if pressure stays high on inflation. France’s CAC 40 shed 0.2% to 7,325.65 in early trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 dipped 0.3% to 7,898.54. Germany’s DAX inched down less

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and THEODORA TONGAS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Striking labor unions have disrupted mass transit in Greece to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country’s worst train disaster, which exposed major safety deficiencies. The strikes halted ferries to the islands on Wednesday and shut down bus and trolley car

By CIARÁN GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people are set to take part in demonstrations, rallies, and colorful events around the globe on Wednesday to mark International Women´s Day, the date established to celebrate women and demand equality for half the planet´s population. While there have been major advances in