News

by SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s incoming finance minister has signed a contract with a New-York-based company to conduct a forensic audit of the country’s central bank, a key demand of the international community to restore confidence in the crisis-struck country. Alvarez & Marsal had pulled out of an earlier deal

By DARIA LITVINOVA and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Facing pressure from the Kremlin, Apple and Google removed an opposition-created smartphone app that tells voters which candidates are likely to defeat those backed by Russian authorities. The move comes as three days of voting began in Russia’s parliamentary election. The Russian authorities are

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark wants to ban prisoners serving a life sentence from entering a romantic relationship, adding they “should not have the opportunity to spend time in prisons dating or advertising their crimes” on social media.  The move reportedly comes after Danish killer Peter Madsen engaged in a relation with a 17-year-old. In

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — One of the Faeroe Islands’ largest farmed salmon exporters is condemning a large catch of white-sided dolphins on the North Atlantic archipelago as part of the islanders’ traditional slaughter of sea mammals for their meat and blubber. The chief executive of Bakkefrost on Thursday called Sunday’s killing of nearly 1,500 animals

LONDON (AP) — Police have charged two men with the murder of Lyra McKee, a journalist shot dead as she covered rioting in Londonderry in 2019. Gearoid Cavanagh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, appeared in court Friday. They are charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of petrol bombs, throwing petrol bombs,

By PHILIPP JENNE Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — A civil trial has opened in Austria over the government’s handling of a coronavirus outbreak at an Alpine ski resort during the early stages of the pandemic that relatives say resulted in unnecessary infections and deaths. The widow and son of a 72-year-old Austrian man are seeking

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia is vaccinating 6-to-11-year-olds so students can safely return to schools that have been closed for months due to the coronavirus. Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the campaign live Friday as his grandchildren and young family members of other senior officials were shown being given

By HUIZHONG WU and EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — After almost two years, an unmarried Chinese woman suing for the right to freeze her eggs is getting her case heard in a Beijing court in a rare legal challenge against the country’s restrictions on unmarried women in reproductive health. Teresa Xu has

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Assembly, or parliament, has approved a Cabinet dominated by women, aiming to bring the country back to economic growth focusing on tourism and agriculture, infrastructure and energy. The 140-seat parliament voted 77-53 for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s new Cabinet and program. The 57-year-old politician boasted

By PIETRO DE CRISTOFARO and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press GOLSSEN, Germany (AP) — A crowded race to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after she decided not to extend her 16 years in office has left many Germans uninspired and undecided ahead of the Sept. 26 parliamentary election. While some of the issues that voters say are

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A bronze statue was unveiled in Hungary’s capital on Thursday which its creators say is the first in the world to pay homage to the anonymous creator of the Bitcoin digital currency. Erected in a business park near the Danube River in Budapest, the bust sits

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese regulators have set up a platform that allows the public to report on gaming companies they believe are violating restrictions on online game times for children. China’s National Press and Publication Administration set up the platform. It empowers holders of Chinese ID cards to report violations and furnish proof. This follows

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Friday, marking a feeble ending to an up-and-down week of trading. The S&P 500 index lost 0.9%. The benchmark index had its second straight weekly loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5% and the Nasdaq fell 0.9%. Roughly