By Laura He, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Factory activity in China contracted for a fifth straight month in August, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus measures to bolster the faltering economy. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — which surveys larger companies and state-owned enterprises — stood at 49.7 in
Continue ReadingOpinion by Frida Ghitis (CNN) — When an airplane owned by Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin plummeted in a fiery crash northwest of Moscow last week, observers in Russia and around the world immediately recalled two indisputable facts. First, that Prigozhin had openly challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, and second, that countless others who had defied Putin have met untimely, violent deaths. In the
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Idalia slammed into Florida’s Big Bend on Wednesday as a hurricane but had weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over land.
Continue ReadingBy Aya Elamroussi and Holly Yan, CNN (CNN) — Idalia, now a post-tropical cyclone, is moving farther away from North Carolina’s coast after unleashing heavy rains and powerful winds across the Southeast this week and leaving parts of Florida’s west coast with “significant damage.” It was the most powerful hurricane to slam its Big Bend
Continue ReadingBy SAM MEDNICK Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The ouster of Gabon’s president by mutinous soldiers appears to have been well organized and capitalized on the population’s grievances against the government as an excuse to seize power, analysts said. Soldiers on Wednesday ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled the oil-rich country
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By Coy Wire and Ben Morse, CNN (CNN) — Billie Jean King is one of tennis’ original revolutionaries but her influence has been felt far beyond her own sport. The American great not only fought for equality for women’s tennis, including helping to secure equal pay at the US Open, but she inspired a generation
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By Akanksha Sharma and Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — At least 15 people were killed after a fire broke out at a house that was being used as a factory in the Metro Manila area on Thursday, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines reported, citing local authorities. Marcelo Ragundiaz, fire brigade chief for Barangay Tandang Sora district,
Continue Reading By Rhea Mogul, CNN (CNN) — The Philippines has become the latest of China’s neighbors to object to its new national map, joining Malaysia and India in releasing strongly worded statements accusing Beijing of claiming their territory. China published a new version of its national map on Monday, as it has regularly done since at
Continue ReadingBy TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli authorities say a Palestinian driver slammed his truck into soldiers at a busy checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, killing one of them before being shot dead. The bloodshed on Thursday was the latest in a relentless cycle of violence to roil the region.
Continue ReadingGonzalo Jimenez (CNN) — No es solo el título de una película del llamado Brat Pack de la década de 1980: el fuego de San Telmo es el nombre que se le da a los destellos brillantes y repentinos de aparentes relámpagos que pueden bailar a través de un cielo nublado cuando hay tormentas cercanas.
Continue ReadingBy JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Swiss banking giant UBS has announced plans to save $10 billion in costs, including through 3,000 staff reductions in Switzerland as it moves ahead with “full integration” of longtime rival Credit Suisse’s domestic operations following a takeover. The announcement on Thursday came as the Zurich-based bank reported
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were trading mixed Friday as investors looked toward a United States jobs report being released later in the day. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% in morning trading to 32,820.80. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4% to 7,278.30. South Korea’s Kospi was virtually unchanged, inching
Continue ReadingBy NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand lawmakers rushed to pass legislation and criticize opponents during a rowdy final day of the nation’s 53rd Parliament. With an election looming in six weeks, lawmakers will now switch their focus to the campaign trail. Opinion polls indicate the opposition conservatives hold a
Continue ReadingBy REBECCA BLACKWELL and LAURA BARGFELD Associated Press HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida and Georgia residents living along Hurricane Idalia’s path of destruction on Thursday picked through piles of rubble where homes once stood, threw tarps over ripped-apart roofs and gingerly navigated streets left underwater or clogged with fallen trees and dangerous electric wires.
Continue Reading By Hanna Ziady, CNN London (CNN) — UBS expects to shed around 3,000 jobs in Switzerland to help it cut $10 billion in costs as it undertakes a sweeping overhaul following its emergency rescue of Credit Suisse earlier this year. The job cuts amount to around 8% of staff employed by the combined Swiss operations
Continue ReadingBy JOCELYN NOVECK and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Kelly McKernan’s acrylic and watercolor paintings are bold and vibrant, often featuring feminine figures rendered in bright greens, blues, pinks and purples. The style, in the artist’s words, is “surreal, ethereal … dealing with discomfort in the human journey.” The word “human” has
Continue ReadingBEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media report at least 121 passenger trains are suspending service in anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Saola, while several cities in coastal areas of southern China have suspended the start of the school year. State broadcaster CCTV reported the suspensions on key lines running from north to south and
Continue Reading By Michelle Toh, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Chinese tech firms Baidu and SenseTime launched their ChatGPT-style AI bots to the public on Thursday, marking a new milestone in the global AI race. Baidu has opened public access to its ERNIE Bot, allowing users to conduct AI-powered searches or carry out an array of tasks,
Continue ReadingBy GERALD IMRAY and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A nighttime fire ripped through a rundown apartment building mainly occupied by homeless people and squatters in Johannesburg early Thursday, leaving at least 74 dead, officials said. Some people threw babies out of third-story windows to others waiting below in the desperate scramble to
Continue ReadingBy ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence firm Baidu has made its ChatGPT-equivalent language model, Ernie Bot, fully available to the public. The company’s stock price rose by over 3% following the announcement. Beijing has taken steps recently to regulate the AI industry. Baidu’s CEO said Thursday
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