Month: July 2023

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY Associated Press More than one third of all U.S. energy consumption, and thus a significant source of climate change, is from heating and cooling homes and buildings. Air source heat pumps are a trending topic as a solution, but experts say geothermal pumps are a more efficient option. For the geothermal pumps,

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The German government has presented a long-awaited strategy for relations with China that points to a “systemic rivalry” with the Asian power and a need to reduce risks of economic dependency, but highlights Berlin’s desire to work with Beijing on challenges such as climate change and maintain

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Two firefighters in Alabama are in serious condition after they were shot while on duty at a Birmingham fire station. Police say the shooter entered the station Wednesday through an open bay door just after the two firefighters started their shifts. At least one other firefighter was in the station during

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster his country’s nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland United States. North Korea’s state media reported Kim’s comments a day after the

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a toughened version of a bill that outlaws gender transitioning procedures, with added clauses that annul marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bar transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents. The bill received swift, unanimous approval of

PARIS (AP) — France’s parliament has approved a boost to military spending spurred on by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The new budget bill includes 413 billion euros ($450 billion) in defense spending through the rest of this decade, which is the most significant spending hike in half a century. President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey took a dramatic pause in his testimony Thursday and appeared to almost choke up as he recalled the “intimate” and “somewhat sexual” friendship he shared with a man now accusing the actor of violently groping him, saying he was “crushed” when he learned of the

By NICOLE WINFIELD and LUIGI NAVARRA ROME (AP) — A train strike across Italy has stranded workers and tourists alike on a sweltering weekday at the peak of high tourism season. The strike on Thursday even affected some high-speed lines that are usually guaranteed during Italy’s frequent transport stoppages. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini signed a

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Leaders from Sudan’s six neighboring countries have met in Cairo for the most high-profile peace talks since conflict erupted across the northeastern African country in mid-April. Thursday’s meeting, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, was attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s finance minister says the International Monetary Fund has deposited the much-awaited first installment of $1.2 billion with the country’s central bank under a new bailout. The latest development comes a day after the global lender’s executive board approved $3 billion for Pakistan to enable it to

By AARON MORRISON AP National Writer The Black Lives Matter movement hits a milestone on Thursday, marking 10 years since its 2013 founding in response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Gunned down in a Florida gated community where his father lived in 2012, Martin was one of the

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Only six of the 128 women entered in singles at Wimbledon work with a female coach. That is indicative of a wider trend in tennis: 13 of the women ranked in the Top 200 have a female coach. Billie Jean King and others think that

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian general in charge of forces fighting in southern Ukraine has been relieved of his duties after speaking out about problems faced by his troops, a move that reflected new fissures in the military command following a brief rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, the commander of

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The bodies of dozens of people allegedly killed by Sudanese paramilitary and allied militia have been uncovered in a mass grave in West Darfur, the United Nations said Thursday. According to “credible information” obtained by the U.N. Human Rights Office, the bodies of the 87 people, some