News

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — What was shaping up as a regular workday turned out to be anything but for the organizers of France’s first summer Olympic Games in a century. French anti-corruption police raided their bustling Olympic headquarters on the outskirts of Paris, arriving unannounced and accompanied by a magistrate

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims are casting stones at pillars representing the devil during the final days of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. This year’s pilgrimage was the first in three years to be held without coronavirus restrictions and drew over 1.8 million Muslims from all corners of the earth. The

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A British court ruled Thursday that a government plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is unlawful, delivering a blow to the Conservative administration’s pledge to stop migrants making risky journeys across the English Channel. In a split two-to-one ruling, three Court of Appeal

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says a request for his country to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for thousands of Afghan nationals faces security and other concerns but is still being considered by his administration. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken first relayed

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer The only break much of America can hope for anytime soon from eye-watering dangerous smok e from fire-struck Canada is brief bouts of shirt-soaking sweltering heat and humidity from a southern heat wave that has already proven deadly, forecasters say. And then the smoke will likely come back to

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A committee of British lawmakers has slammed allies of Boris Johnson in Parliament for trying to interfere with their investigation into whether the former prime minister lied about rule-flouting parties in his office during the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Commons Privileges Committee said Thursday that senior

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Fender, the guitar of choice for some of the world’s biggest stars from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, is opening what it calls its “first flagship store” in its 77-year history. The American guitar manufacturer has chosen for its location Tokyo’s Harajuku, a hot spot for Japanese

PARIS (AP) — UNESCO’s 193 members states are gathering for a two-day meeting in Paris aimed at voting on the United States’ plans to rejoin the U.N. cultural and scientific agency. The U.S. withdrew from the agency five years ago, during Donald Trump’s presidency. U.S. officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China

CAIRO (AP) — The Red Cross says it has facilitated the release of 125 Sudanese army soldiers held captive by the country’s rival paramilitary force. The group said the soldiers walked free on Wednesday. It said the freed men — 44 of whom were wounded — were transported from the capital, Khartoum, to the city

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea have agreed to revive a currency swap agreement for times of crisis. The move is the latest sign of warming ties as the countries work to smooth over historical antagonisms. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki announced the agreement after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Choo Kyungho. Suzuki

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mixed Thursday after leaders of major central banks said they need to keep interest rates high to fight persistent inflation despite fears that might tip the global economy into recession. London and Shanghai declined while Paris and Tokyo advanced. Oil prices declined.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank may have to tighten its oversight of the American financial system after the failure of three large U.S. banks this spring. Powell said Thursday that tougher regulations put in place following the 2007-2008 financial crisis have made

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian authorities have seized large amounts of drugs and weapons in a raid on a far-right biker gang tied to organized crime. Public broadcaster ORF reported Thursday that police searched properties in Upper Austria and detained 10 people on suspicion of breaching firearms, narcotics and extremism laws. Tabloid daily Krone reported that

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States humanitarian agency tells The Associated Press it is horrified by conditions in Ethiopia. Three months ago, the U.S. and the United Nations paused food aid for one-sixth of the country’s population over massive theft of the aid. Local officials there have reported hundreds of hunger deaths in recent