Today: October 10, 2024
Today: October 10, 2024

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World

Turkey hikes interest rates in another sign of economic normalcy. But markets expected more

Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate Thursday, another sign of commitment to a traditional path of battling inflation but still falling below expectations after critics blamed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies for inflaming a cost-of-living crisis. The 2.5 percentage point hike — putting the rate at 17.5% — came a month after the bank unleashed a 8.5% increase, a reversal after more than a year of rate-cutting prompted by Erdogan. He believes lowering interest rates fights inflation, contradicting traditional economic theory that says the opposite. Central banks around the world have been hiking rates

Turkey hikes interest rates in another sign of economic normalcy. But markets expected more
World

Major fire near Athens contained but Europe's heat wave keeps authorities on alert

Greece’s Fire Service intensified water drops west of Athens where a huge blaze was contained overnight, as authorities braced Thursday for a new round of extreme weather. Seven firefighting planes and nine helicopters were operating in the area, including four planes sent from Italy and France as part of a European Union support mechanism. Searing heat across Europe’s Mediterranean south has maintained a high or very high risk of fires in Spain, Italy and Greece. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the Fire Service and civil protection authority would remain on alert as a new heat

Major fire near Athens contained but Europe's heat wave keeps authorities on alert
World

Thousands of UK hospital doctors walk out in latest pay dispute, crippling health services

Thousands of senior doctors in England began a 48-hour walkout Thursday to demand better pay and conditions, paralyzing hospitals and leaving only emergency care covered. The severe disruptions are the latest in months of industrial action by public sector workers amid U.K.’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis. They come just two days after junior doctors staged the longest strikes in the history of the state-funded National Health Service. Thousands of operations and appointments have been canceled, and health officials say the impact of the latest round of strikes to hit the country’s public health system is likely to be

Thousands of UK hospital doctors walk out in latest pay dispute, crippling health services
World

Oklahoma prepares to execute man for 1995 slaying of Tulsa woman

Oklahoma is preparing to execute a man Thursday for stabbing a Tulsa woman to death with a butcher knife in 1995 after his escape from a prison work center. Jemaine Cannon, 51, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 10 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It will be the second execution in Oklahoma this year and the ninth since the state resumed lethal injections in 2021. Cannon was convicted of killing 20-year-old Sharonda Clark, a mother of two with whom Cannon had been living at an apartment in Tulsa after his escape

Oklahoma prepares to execute man for 1995 slaying of Tulsa woman
World

American Airlines made $1.3 billion in the second quarter as travel booms and fuel prices drop

American Airlines is reporting a $1.34 billion profit for the second quarter, boosted by strong ticket sales and a huge drop in the price of jet fuel, and the airline raised its profit expectations for the year. Revenue rose 5% to a quarterly record of $14.06 billion. International travel in particular is picking up, and that is helping American, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Thanks to lower fuel prices, the carrier’s spending at the pump plunged 32%, saving the American about $1.3 billion compared with a year earlier. American now expects to earn between $3 and

American Airlines made $1.3 billion in the second quarter as travel booms and fuel prices drop
World

Prominent Egyptian rights activist with ties to Italy is pardoned and released from jail

A prominent Egyptian rights activist with ties to Italy was released from jail Thursday, days after he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, according to his family and a rights defender. Patrick George Zaki, a postgraduate student in Italy, was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi along with five other people on Wednesday, according to the country’s Official Gazette. Zaki’s release was announced by Hossam Bahgat, founder of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who posted a picture of him on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. His sister, Marise Zaki, also confirmed his release, posting a photo on

Prominent Egyptian rights activist with ties to Italy is pardoned and released from jail
World

Russia's Wagner mercenaries launch joint training with Belarusian military near Polish border

Mercenaries from Russia’s military company Wagner on Thursday launched joint drills with the Belarusian military near the border with Poland following their relocation to Belarus after their short-lived rebellion, a move that prompted Warsaw to redeploy its troops. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said that the weeklong maneuvers will be conducted at a firing range near the border city of Brest and will involve Belarusian special forces. The ministry added that Wagner’s combat experience will help modernize the Belarusian military. A video released Wednesday appeared to show Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin for the first time since he led

Russia's Wagner mercenaries launch joint training with Belarusian military near Polish border
World

Kenya police are told not to report deaths during protests. A watchdog says they killed 6 this week

Police in Kenya say they have been ordered not to report deaths amid demonstrations against the rising cost of living, but an independent watchdog says at least six people were shot dead by police on Wednesday and 27 were shot dead in such protests earlier this year. A police official told The Associated Press they were told this week not to report any deaths in the demonstrations that the political opposition has called through Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear who issued the order. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak

Kenya police are told not to report deaths during protests. A watchdog says they killed 6 this week
World

The US and North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to talk about US soldier

A pink phone. A New York mission. Swedish diplomats. A North-South Korean hotline. The United States and reclusive North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to contact each other. An American official said Wednesday that the U.S. government had reached out to the North as it tries to discuss a U.S. soldier who dashed into North Korea during a tour of a border area this week. The North has not yet responded, according to the U.S. Here’s a look at possible channels the rivals could use to discuss Pvt. Travis

The US and North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to talk about US soldier
World

Landslide triggered by heavy rains kills 10 and traps many others in western India

A landslide triggered by torrential rains in India’s western Maharashtra state killed 10 people, with many others feared trapped under piles of debris, officials said Thursday. A team of 60 rescuers and trained trekkers has been deployed to help save people trapped by the landslide, which occurred late Wednesday night, the state’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted. Harsh weather conditions have hampered rescue efforts and authorities have sent in medical teams to help the injured, he added. While 75 people have been rescued, many others are still stuck, an official told the Press Trust of

Landslide triggered by heavy rains kills 10 and traps many others in western India
World

The UK's governing Conservatives are braced for a drubbing from voters in 3 special elections

Voters went to the polls Thursday in three electoral districts of England, with the governing Conservative Party braced for a drubbing over a cost-of-living crisis and a morale-sapping string of political scandals. The elections for House of Commons seats are being closely watched because they let voters in three distinct areas of England — a small town in the north, the rural southwest, and the London suburbs — deliver a verdict on the party that has governed Britain since 2010, ahead of a national election due next year. Three opinion polls this week gave the left-of-center Labour

The UK's governing Conservatives are braced for a drubbing from voters in 3 special elections
World

Ex-Israeli security chief backs reservists' protest as Netanyahu allies advance judicial overhaul

The former head of Israel’s internal security agency voiced support on Thursday for military reservists refusing to serve in protest of the government’s planned judicial overhaul, drawing fierce criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultranationalist allies days before parliament was set to vote on a key piece of legislation. A parliamentary committee approved late Wednesday a bill that would curtail the high court’s remit in using the “reasonability standard,” a legal yardstick allowing judges to overturn decisions made by elected officials deemed beyond the pale. The bill, which will come up for a final vote in parliament

Ex-Israeli security chief backs reservists' protest as Netanyahu allies advance judicial overhaul
World

1 man is dead and 48 are injured after a suspected gas explosion in downtown Johannesburg

One man died and at least 48 people were injured after a suspected underground gas explosion ripped open roads and flipped vehicles in the heart of South Africa’s biggest city, authorities and emergency services said Thursday. Firefighters found the man’s body found under a vehicle. The cause of the blast at evening rush hour Wednesday in downtown Johannesburg remained unclear. The company that supplies gas to that part of the city said it did not believe its underground pipelines were responsible, as authorities first thought. An investigation was underway as city authorities brought in specialists to determine

1 man is dead and 48 are injured after a suspected gas explosion in downtown Johannesburg
World

China doesn’t want a trade war with the US but will retaliate against further curbs, ambassador says

China does not want a trade war with the United States but will retaliate against any further U.S. restrictions on technology and trade, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. said. Ambassador Xie Feng criticized U.S. curbs on the sale of microchips and chipmaking equipment to China that were imposed last year by the Biden administration. Beijing has described the measure as part of an effort to “contain” China. “China does not shy away from competition, but the definition of competition by the U.S. side I think is not fair,” Xie said Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum, a security and

China doesn’t want a trade war with the US but will retaliate against further curbs, ambassador says
World

A Croatian firefighter has died in a storm that swept the Balkans, bringing the toll to 6 dead

A Croatian firefighter has died during a deadly storm that swept the Balkans after a heatwave, brining the death toll to six, officials said Thursday. Emergency services in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia scrambled Thursday to restore electricity and clear the debris left over after Wednesday’s chaos. Meteorologists said the storm was extremely powerful as it was formed after a string of very hot days. Experts say extreme weather conditions are likely fueled by climate change. Elsewhere in Europe, a continuing heat wave caused wildfires and public health warnings. Throughout the Balkan region, authorities reported hundreds

A Croatian firefighter has died in a storm that swept the Balkans, bringing the toll to 6 dead
World

German police search for a lion suspected of being on the loose in Berlin's suburbs

German authorities warned people in Berlin’s southern suburbs on Thursday to watch out for a potentially dangerous animal, suspected to be a lioness, that was on the loose. Police in Brandenburg state, which surrounds the capital, issued a warning in the early morning hours of an “escaped wild animal” and asked people in and around Kleinmachnow, Teltow and Stahnsdorf — just outside Berlin’s city limits — not to leave their houses and to bring their pets indoors. The warning was later extended to southern areas of Berlin and an alert was sent on an official warning app

German police search for a lion suspected of being on the loose in Berlin's suburbs
World

Sinclair seeks elusive Women's World Cup title in 6th appearance for Canada

The most prolific scorer in international soccer begins play in her sixth Women’s World Cup when Christine Sinclair leads Canada against Nigeria in a Friday match played in Melbourne. It will likely be a last World Cup for Sinclair, who gets the same anxiousness at age 40 as she did when she made her global debut 20 years ago. “It’s the same as my first World Cup. I still get those nerves, those butterflies of excitement as I did back in 2003 in my first one,” Sinclair said. “This is why you play, this is

Sinclair seeks elusive Women's World Cup title in 6th appearance for Canada
World

At least 21 injured in third night of Russian air attacks against southern Ukraine

A third night of Russian air attacks targeted Ukraine’s southern cities, including the port city of Odesa, and wounded at least 21 people, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. At least 19 people were injured in Mykolaiv, a southern city close to the Black Sea, the region’s Governor Vitalii Kim said in a statement on Telegram. Russian strikes destroyed several floors of a three-story building and caused a fire that affected an area of 450 square meters (4,800 square feet) and burned for hours. Kim said two people were hospitalized, including a child. In the port city of

At least 21 injured in third night of Russian air attacks against southern Ukraine
World

India's Modi breaks silence over Manipur ethnic violence after viral video shows mob molesting women

Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke more than two months of public silence over deadly ethnic clashes in India’s northeast, saying Thursday that the assaults of two women as they were being paraded naked by a mob in Manipur state were unforgivable. A video showing the assaults triggered massive outrage and went viral late Wednesday despite the internet being largely blocked and journalists being locked out in the remote state. It shows two naked women being surrounded by scores of young men who grope their genitals and drag them to a field. “The guilty will not be

India's Modi breaks silence over Manipur ethnic violence after viral video shows mob molesting women
World

As another cheetah dies in India, authorities try to get ambitious conservation project on track

An eighth cheetah death in India’s Kuno National Park last Friday has raised new questions about a project that reintroduced the big cats to the country 10 months ago and has been mired in controversy since its inception. The latest death was caused by an infestation under a cheetah’s radio collar due to humid and wet weather conditions in central India, according to veterinarians from South Africa who are closely involved with the project. The Indian government said the cheetah deaths being caused by an infection under their radio collar is “speculation and hearsay.” Maggot wounds,

As another cheetah dies in India, authorities try to get ambitious conservation project on track
World

Yellen visits Vietnam to build US ties and push supply chain diversity to offset tensions with China

The U.S. considers building strong economic and security ties with Vietnam a priority, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday as she met with Vietnamese officials in a visit aimed at fortifying America’s relations across Asia. Yellen arrived in Vietnam after visits to Beijing and to India, where she attended financial meetings of the Group of 20 major industrial economies. “The United States considers Vietnam a key partner in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Yellen told Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to remarks provided by the U.S. Treasury Department. A “free and open Indo-Pacific”

Yellen visits Vietnam to build US ties and push supply chain diversity to offset tensions with China
World

Live updates |Matthew Jordan gets 151st Open started at Royal Liverpool

Matthew Jordan has played Royal Liverpool hundreds of times. Thursday morning was unlike any other. He hit the opening tee shot in the 151st edition of the British Open. Jordan received a rousing ovation from the grandstand behind the first tee, and then hit driver just left of the pot bunker into the rough. He put his next shot into a bunker left of the green and holed an 8-foot par putt. It’s not unusual for the R&A to have the first shot struck by a player with local connections. Jordan is different. He is a

Live updates |Matthew Jordan gets 151st Open started at Royal Liverpool
World

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed as Japan reports weaker than expected trade data

Asian shares were mixed Thursday after Japan reported weaker than expected trade data for June, with imports falling nearly 13% from a year earlier. Shares rose in Sydney and Hong Kong but fell in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul. U.S. futures slipped and oil prices were little changed. Japan logged a trade surplus in June for the first time in nearly two years as imports sank, largely due to lower oil prices. Exports rose only 1.5% from a year earlier despite sharp increases in shipments of vehicles as supply chain problems eased. Economists say they anticipate weaker exports

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed as Japan reports weaker than expected trade data
World

In a refugee camp in Kenya, food shortages left kids hungry even before Russia ended grain deal

Abdikadir Omar was trapped in an extremist-controlled town in Somalia for years until May, when he slipped out to make a 12-day journey with his wife and seven children to neighboring Kenya in search of food and safety. To his surprise, “I found peace but no food,” the 30-year-old told The Associated Press. He stood near the withered maize he tried to plant around his family’s makeshift shelter of branches and plastic sheeting outside one of the world’s largest refugee camps. As global food insecurity suffers another shock with Russia’s termination of a deal to keep

In a refugee camp in Kenya, food shortages left kids hungry even before Russia ended grain deal
World

Flooded with sightseers, Europe's iconic churches struggle to accommodate both worship and tourism

A recent Saturday evening Mass at Sagrada Familia parish had all the hallmarks of a neighborhood worship service, from prayers for ill and deceased members to name-day wishes for two congregants in the pews. But it also featured security checks to get in and curious tourists peering down to take photos of the worshippers from above. The regular Mass is held in the crypt of modernist architect Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece church, one of Europe’s most visited monuments. With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic records in Barcelona and across southern Europe, iconic sacred sites are struggling to

Flooded with sightseers, Europe's iconic churches struggle to accommodate both worship and tourism

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