Month: June 2023

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A committee of British lawmakers has slammed allies of Boris Johnson in Parliament for trying to interfere with their investigation into whether the former prime minister lied about rule-flouting parties in his office during the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Commons Privileges Committee said Thursday that senior

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Fender, the guitar of choice for some of the world’s biggest stars from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, is opening what it calls its “first flagship store” in its 77-year history. The American guitar manufacturer has chosen for its location Tokyo’s Harajuku, a hot spot for Japanese

PARIS (AP) — UNESCO’s 193 members states are gathering for a two-day meeting in Paris aimed at voting on the United States’ plans to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency. The U.S. withdrew from the agency five years ago, during Donald Trump’s presidency. U.S. officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China

CAIRO (AP) — The Red Cross says it has facilitated the release of 125 Sudanese army soldiers held captive by the country’s rival paramilitary force. The group said the soldiers walked free on Wednesday. It said the freed men — 44 of whom were wounded — were transported from the capital, Khartoum, to the city

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea have agreed to revive a currency swap agreement for times of crisis. The move is the latest sign of warming ties as the countries work to smooth over historical antagonisms. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki announced the agreement after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Choo Kyungho. Suzuki

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mixed Thursday after leaders of major central banks said they need to keep interest rates high to fight persistent inflation despite fears that might tip the global economy into recession. London and Shanghai declined while Paris and Tokyo advanced. Oil prices declined.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank may have to tighten its oversight of the American financial system after the failure of three large U.S. banks this spring. Powell said Thursday that tougher regulations put in place following the 2007-2008 financial crisis have made

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian authorities have seized large amounts of drugs and weapons in a raid on a far-right biker gang tied to organized crime. Public broadcaster ORF reported Thursday that police searched properties in Upper Austria and detained 10 people on suspicion of breaching firearms, narcotics and extremism laws. Tabloid daily Krone reported that

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States humanitarian agency tells The Associated Press it is horrified by conditions in Ethiopia. Three months ago, the U.S. and the United Nations paused food aid for one-sixth of the country’s population over massive theft of the aid. Local officials there have reported hundreds of hunger deaths in recent

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees has pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics. It was the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners ace Félix Hernández threw one against the Tampa Bay

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — A 15-year-old Palestinian girl, Sadeel Naghniyeh, was killed by suspected Israeli fire when a raid into the refugee camp last week ignited the fiercest Israeli-Palestinian fighting in years. Her eighth-grade classmates carried her dead body at her funeral. Witness accounts and surveillance videos

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be key figures at Thursday’s European Union summit, underscoring the importance the 27 EU leaders attach to protecting their eastern flank from Russian aggression and beefing up Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Zelenskyy is set to address the gathering

By CHRISTOPHE ENA and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press NANTERRE, France (AP) — Protesters angry after police fatally shot a 17-year-old boy set cars and public buildings ablaze in Paris suburbs and unrest spread to some other French cities and towns, despite increased security efforts and the president’s calls for calm. The killing of 17-year-old Nael

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after leaders of major central banks said they need to keep interest rates high to fight persistent inflation despite fears that might tip the global economy into recession. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul retreated while Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Oil

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon is preparing to step down. Rendon will hand over the gavel to Assemblymember Robert Rivas on Friday. Rendon is the second-longest serving Assembly speaker in state history. He’s not happy about the way he’s leaving office. He said Rivas’ efforts to