Month: July 2023

BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s parliament has approved legislation that would allow authorities to confiscate the cars of people who are caught driving far above the speed limit.Lawmakers on Wednesday approved the bill that calls for the cars of people who exceed the speed limit by more than 60 kph (37 mph) in built-up areas or

LONDON (AP) — A British parliamentary watchdog says a lawmaker accused of drunkenly groping two men at a private members’ club should be suspended from Parliament for eight weeks for “completely unacceptable” conduct. The House of Commons Standards Committee said Chris Pincher pinched a parliamentary staffer’s bottom and grabbed a civil servant by the groin

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plans to tell Chinese officials that Washington wants healthy economic competition but will defend trade curbs imposed by the U.S. on security grounds. She also will express concerns about Beijing’s export controls on metals used in semiconductors and solar panels, according to

By ANNA FRANTS Associated Press MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St. Petersburg and his Wagner troops have remained at the camps where they had stayed before a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, the president of Belarus said Thursday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped broker a deal for Prigozhin to end

BEIJING (AP) — The leader of the Solomon Islands will visit China next week, highlighting the accelerating contest between Beijing and Washington for influence in the South Pacific. China’s Foreign Ministry says Manasseh Sogavare will meet top officials in Beijing and travel to Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces, among China’s most developed. A ministry spokesperson says

By BASSEM MROUE and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli forces have shelled a southern Lebanese border village after several explosions were heard in a disputed area where the borders of Syria, Lebanon and Israel meet. Tensions continue to flare in the border area over two tents erected by the militant group Hezbollah

By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV Associated Press LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired cruise missiles Thursday at a western Ukraine city far from the front line of the war, killing at least four people in an apartment building in what officials said was the heaviest attack on civilian areas of Lviv since the Kremlin’s forces invaded Ukraine

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities in Nigeria say they have activated a national response plan for another round of deadly floods blamed mainly on climate change and infrastructure problems. The West African nation’s National Emergency Management Agency said Thursday it has begun to work based on dire forecasts by seeking

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s center-left government has distanced itself from the postponement of Donald Trump Jr.’s speaking tour in Australia. His promoters said the eldest son of the former U.S. president was deferring visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane because his Australian visa was only approved on Wednesday —

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Reward programs, including birthday freebies and discounts, have long been a way for brands to build loyalty and incentivize spending. But now some companies are becoming a bit more stingy, and customers are taking notice. Last fall, for example, many balked at Dunkin’s decision to stop

By ASHWINI BHATIA Associated Press DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, is celebrating his 88th birthday at his hillside Indian headquarters in Dharamsala. The celebrations Thursday are taking place in the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang Temple, which is festooned with Tibetan and Buddhist flags and portraits of the Tibetan leader.

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Senior officials from Sweden and Turkey are converging on NATO headquarters to examine President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s objections to the Nordic country joining the military alliance. They want to see what more, if anything, can be done to break the deadlock on Sweden’s entry. NATO Secretary-General Jens

BEIJING (AP) — China says 239 people died from COVID-19 in June in a significant uptick months after it lifted most containment measures. The country had reported 164 deaths in May and none at all in April and March. China started employing a “zero-COVID” containment strategy in early 2020 and credits the strict lockdowns, quarantines,

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong lawmakers on Thursday passed an amendment to a law to eliminate most directly elected seats on local district councils, the last major political representative bodies chosen by the public. The move shuts down further democratic challenges in the city. The changes will see the