Month: July 2023

By SAMYA KULLAB and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — For Rima Yaremenko, the 5,000-kilometer (3,000-mile) odyssey to escape Russian occupation ended within sight of where it started. The 68-year old Ukrainian woman traversed three countries over six days only to settle across the river from her beleaguered hometown. She came a long

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An international aid group says two children died as Afghan families fled a Taliban demolition of their shantytown homes in the country’s capital of Kabul. The Norwegian Refugee Council said on Tuesday that the demolition of the settlement left 280 families, or around 1,700 people, homeless. The group says it received reports

By TERRY TANG Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Even Southwestern desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California this week with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings. To add insult to injury, the region has been left high and dry

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A giant panda has given birth to twin cubs at a theme park in South Korea. The park’s operator said Tuesday Ai Bao gave birth to the cubs, both female, last Friday. It says it’s the first time that panda twins have been born in South Korea. Both Ai Bao

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most decorated living war veteran has lodged an appeal against a civil court ruling that blamed him for the unlawful killings of four Afghans. Ben Roberts-Smith retired from Australia’s elite Special Air Service Regiment a decade ago. He lost a landmark defamation suit on June

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Paraguay’s president-elect, Santiago Pena, has arrived in Taipei for a visit meant to reinforce relations between Taiwan and one of its few remaining diplomatic allies. Pena, who takes office next month, is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai, who is also the governing Democratic Progressive Party’s

By BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, the University of Hawaii law school has marketed its Jurist-In-Residence program to the Supreme Court as an all-expenses-paid getaway, with the upside of considerable “down time” in paradise. The justices have enthusiastically participated. “Your colleagues who were here most recently were Justices (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — An industry group says China’s auto sales rose 8.8% over a year earlier in the first half of 2023 as electric vehicle purchases surged. But growth is fading as an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls cools. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says

By EDNA TARIGAN and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s top diplomat is warning of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, saying that Southeast Asia is “one miscalculation away from apocalypse” and pressing for world powers to sign a treaty to keep the region free from such arms. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is facing a long-delayed reckoning with sexual harassment and sexual violence. In the past month, people have stepped forward with accusations, one after the other, leading to criminal investigations, resignations at different levels of government, and a society-wide discussion of the unspoken rules that govern

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli protesters blocked highways leading to Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv at the start of countrywide demonstrations Tuesday against the government’s planned judicial overhaul that has divided the nation. The demonstrations came the morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition gave initial approval to a bill to limit the Supreme Court’s

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and DAVID RISING Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thai police say the dismembered body of a 62-year-old German businessman who has been missing for a week has been found in the freezer of a house in southern Thailand. The chief of police in the town of Nong Prue said the body of

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, SEUNG MIN KIM and KARL RITTER Associated Press VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — NATO opened its summit Tuesday with fresh momentum after Turkey withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The