AP National Business

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has taken the oath of office for his second term.  Radev is the country’s fifth democratically elected president. He was sworn in Wednesday at a ceremony in parliament together with Vice President Iliana Yotova.  The 58-year-old former chief of the Bulgarian Air Force overwhelmingly won a November

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press TANAGRA, Greece (AP) — French-built fighter jets roared over the Acropolis as Greece races to modernize its military and flaunts new security alliances aimed at checking neighboring Turkey. Six advanced Rafale jets, purchased from the French air force, flew in low formation over Athens on Wednesday before their official handover

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has limited access to what the government considers the most risky events and public gatherings as the country gets ready for the highly infectious omicron coronavirus variant.  People need to receive a booster shot or be vaccinated by two shots and additionally get tested or recovered from COVID-19 to attend

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A pipeline that carries oil from Iraq to world markets has resumed operating several hours after an explosion in southeastern Turkey forced it to shut down. No one was hurt in the explosion late Tuesday in Kahramanmaras province. A statement from Turkey’s pipeline company said the oil flow resumed on Wednesday

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United Kingdom have risen at the fastest pace in almost 30 years as higher costs for energy, transportation, food and furniture squeezed household incomes. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that inflation measured by the consumer price index accelerated to 5.4% in

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Council President Charles Michel has become the second top-level European Union official who has had to pull out of the bloc’s parliament session because he had a high-risk COVID-19 contact. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen already canceled her attedance on Monday.  Michel was to brief legislators on the EU

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli Cabinet minister has dismissed claims that police used controversial spyware to surveil protesters, a day after a newspaper investigation prompted outraged lawmakers to seek a formal inquiry. The Wednesday comments came a day after a Hebrew-language business paper published allegations that Israeli Police used

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares have mostly fallen in cautious trading after stocks on Wall Street sank to a new low for the year. Paris was higher while Frankfurt and London declined. U.S. futures were lower. Asian benchmarks also were mostly lower, with Tokyo down nearly 3%. Sony Corp.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish central bank says it and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to a currency swap deal equivalent to $4.74 billion to boost Turkey’s depleted foreign exchange reserves. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Turkey and the UAE agreed to swap 65 billion Turkish lira and 18 billion UAE dirham for

BERLIN (AP) — German news agency dpa has reported that police are investigating thousands of cases of suspected forgery of coronavirus vaccine certificates. The dpa report on Wednesday cited figures obtained from the country’s 16 states showing more than 12,000 police investigations have been opened nationwide. Dpa reported that the number of probes surged in

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Ukraine the Biden administration says it’s providing an additional $200 million in defensive military aid to the country amid soaring fears of a Russian invasion. A senior State Department official said the assistance was approved last month

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s government and central bank have taken unconventional steps in recent weeks to prop up a beleaguered economy crippled by skyrocketing consumer prices, instead of ending a much-criticized plan to cut interest rates. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s insistence on cutting rates is the opposite of what

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airlines across the world, including the long-haul carrier Emirates, are rushing to cancel or change flights heading into the U.S. over an ongoing dispute about the rollout of 5G mobile phone technology near American airports. The issue appeared to particularly impact the Boeing 777,

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An explosion has shut down a pipeline in southeastern Turkey that carries oil from Iraq to world markets. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the blast late Tuesday in Kahramanmaras province caused a huge fire that forced authorities to also shut down a highway. No one was hurt in the explosion.

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airlines across the world, including the long-haul carrier Emirates, are rushing to cancel or change flights heading into the U.S. over an ongoing dispute about the rollout of 5G mobile phone technology near American airports. Dubai-based Emirates, a key carrier for East-West travel, announced

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares have fallen in cautious trading after stocks on Wall Street sank to a new low for the year. Shares sank in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney. Technology shares led the decline Tuesday on Wall Street. Increasing coronavirus infections in Asia, linked to

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Pfizer’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, has been awarded the prestigious Genesis Prize for his efforts in leading the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Jerusalem, the Genesis Prize Foundation said Wednesday that Bourla had received the largest number of votes in an online campaign in which some

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press The local water district in a wealthy Southern California community is taking a more aggressive approach to conservation as the drought drags on despite a wet winter start. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is installing a new metering system that gives people a real-time look at their water use.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — The International Labor Organization says more than a half million people in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover in mid-August. An ILO report released Wednesday said the political crisis has paralyzed the economy and slammed the labor market. The situation is especially devastating