ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say gunmen have killed 14 people in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the assault, which took place on Thursday and targeted people as they traveled between the Shiite-majority provinces of
Continue ReadingWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors in southern Poland have charged a former European Parliament lawmaker and his wife with corruption and influence peddling as part of a larger probe into irregularities in the operations of a private university in Warsaw. Ryszard Czarnecki is a prominent member of Law and Justice, Poland’s former ruling conservative party.
Continue ReadingISLAMABAD (AP) — Gunmen have killed 14 people in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan, the Taliban said Friday, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility before the Taliban acknowledged the shootings, which took place Thursday and targeted people as they traveled between the Shiite-majority
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Officials of Tunisia’s largest opposition party say that dozens of the party’s members have been arrested this week, ahead of this weekend’s start of the campaign season for the country’s presidential election. The Islamist Party Ennahda says that tallies collected by its local branches suggest at least 80 men
Continue ReadingMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s central bank has raised its key interest rate by a full percentage point to 19% to combat high inflation as government spending on the military strains the economy’s capacity to produce goods and services and drives up workers’ wages. The central bank said in a statement Friday that “growth in domestic
Continue ReadingBy Allie Torgan, CNN Sacaton, Arizona (CNN) — Often, the calls from case workers come with great urgency. A baby, a toddler – a child who is in desperate need of a safe home. For Elisia Manuel, one of those urgent calls came in 2012. There was an infant in need of immediate care. “A
Continue ReadingCNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Whether you are superstitious or not, you probably won’t be able to escape the chatter around today’s spooky calendar date: Friday the 13th. The fear of the number 13 dates back centuries and has a combination of religious and cultural origins — but it could be just as
Continue ReadingBy Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Whether you are superstitious or not, you probably won’t be able to escape the chatter around today’s spooky calendar date: Friday the 13th. The fear of the number 13 dates back centuries and has a combination of religious and cultural origins — but it could be just as lucky
Continue ReadingWDRB, WLS, CNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Whether you are superstitious or not, you probably won’t be able to escape the chatter around today’s spooky calendar date: Friday the 13th. The fear of the number 13 dates back centuries and has a combination of religious and cultural origins — but it could be
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Wolfgang Gerhardt, a politician who led Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats from 1995 to 2001, has died. He was 80. Gerhardt’s death on Friday was announced by Christian Lindner, the current head of the party. The Free Democrats have been a coalition partner in several German governments, including the current three-party coalition led
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A police swoop on 20 child welfare homes in Malaysia where hundreds of children were allegedly sexually abused has exposed weaknesses in child protection in the country and cast a spotlight on the Islamic business group that ran the homes. Malaysian authorities rescued 402 children from 20 homes
Continue ReadingAssociated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has granted its first authorization for use of a vaccine against mpox in adults, calling it an important step toward fighting against the disease in Africa. The approval of the vaccine by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — has been received by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial on Saturday. Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the
Continue ReadingMILAN (AP) — A 56-year-old Canadian woman died after being caught in a sudden snowstorm in Italy’s Dolomite mountains and her companion is being treated for severe hypothermia. Italy’s Alpine Rescue Corps. on Friday said the two climbers called for help after being hit by the snowstorm more than a mile from a mountain refuge.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A leading Hong Kong media professional group says dozens of journalists, some of their family members and other associates have been harassed in recent months. It’s the latest sign of the city’s worsening media environment. In a news conference Friday, Hong Kong Journalists Association chair Selina Cheng said her
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say an alleged Islamic extremist has been arrested in connection with plotting an attack on German soldiers during their lunch break in Munich, killing as many of them as possible and causing a feeling of insecurity among the larger population. The Munich public prosecutor’s office said the 27-year-old
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Two men have been charged with burglary over the theft of an artwork by street artist Banksy that was taken in a smash-and-grab raid on a London gallery. The Metropolitan Police force said Friday that Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, are alleged to have taken “Girl with Balloon”
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a significant show of defiance against the United States, North Korea on Friday provided the outside world with a rare view into a secretive facility built to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs as leader Kim Jong Un called for a rapid expansion of his nuclear weapons program.
Continue ReadingTORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson are among the soccer dignitaries attending the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby. Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese authorities have banned the accounting firm PwC for six months and fined it over $56 million for its involvement in the audit of collapsed local property developer Evergrande. The punishment is the heaviest yet for international accounting firms operating in China. PwC will be banned from signing off
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