News

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV says that thousands of farmers in central Iran have joined a protest demanding authorities open a dam to relieve drought-stricken areas. Several prominent actors and athletes joined the peaceful movement in the city of Isfahan on Friday, urging the government to intervene to aid famers increasingly suffering from

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The head of the European Central Bank is doubling down on the message that it’s no time to raise interest rates. Christine Lagarde says the bank won’t add to the squeeze on consumers who are facing rising prices driven by high energy costs. Higher inflation

LONDON (AP) — Two women and two children have died in a house fire in London. The fire brigade says around 40 firefighters and six fire engines were called to the scene on Thursday evening and took four people from the upper story of the house in Bexleyheath. Crews used breathing apparatus and a 9-meter

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy seized control of the House floor for more than eight hours overnight, preempting passage of President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill with a rambling speech full of vitriol. The California congressman acknowledged he was “angry.” McCarthy staged the speech Thursday into

BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s disease control agency said Friday that the country has entered into a “nationwide state of emergency” because of surging coronavirus infections. The head of the Robert Koch Institute said regular medical care cannot be guaranteed anymore in some parts of the country because hospitals and intensive care wards

BEIJING (AP) — China is threatening to retaliate against Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian says Lithuania will “reap what it sows,” but gave no details.  He described the move as an “egregious act” that “grossly interferes” in China’s internal

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have reported a record number of coronavirus deaths for a third day in a row. Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported 1,254 virus deaths Friday, up from the previous record of 1,251 registered the day before. The task force also reported 37,156 new confirmed cases. The daily new infections in

By ELOGE WILLY KANEZA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States has ended a sanctions program for Burundi, saying circumstances have changed in the East African nation several years after a bloody political crackdown. The U.S. says sanctions and visa restrictions on 11 people designated under the program have been lifted, reflecting President

BY MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on African nations to heed warnings posed by crises in Ethiopia and Sudan, take seriously popular demands for better governance and enact reforms. Blinken said growing extremism, increasing authoritarianism and exploding corruption in Africa are imperiling democracy,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets are mostly higher after Wall Street hit a record and Japan’s Cabinet approved a record stimulus package worth nearly a half-billion dollars. Market benchmarks in London, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Tokyo advanced. Hong Kong declined. Wall Street futures were up after a 0.3% gain

By ARITZ PARRA and RENATA BRITO Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A group of 39 Palestinians is waiting in a restricted area of the Barcelona airport for a fifth day after they refused to board their flight during a stopover because they wanted to request asylum in Spain, the country’s authorities say. Their flight on

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it scrambled fighter jets to respond to a group of Russian and Chinese warplanes that entered its air buffer zone unannounced. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft in the country’s air defense identification zone off its eastern

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record 56 trillion yen, or $490 billion stimulus package, including cash handouts and aid to ailing businesses, to help the economy out of the doldrums worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. The plan includes doling out 100,000 yen, or $880, each in

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says the country will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases. Schallenberg said the lockdown will start Monday and initially last for 10 days. Students will have to go back into home schooling, restaurants will close and