News
EU pushes for Palestinian statehood
AP
BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union (EU) foreign ministers argued on Monday that the creation of a Palestinian state is the only credible way to achieve peace in the Middle East, and they expressed concern about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s clear rejection of the idea.
Dog meat production and sales will soon become illegal in South Korea
AP
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's parliament on Tuesday passed a landmark ban on the production and sales of dog meat, as public calls for a prohibition have grown sharply over concerns about animal rights and the country's international image.
Powerful Japan earthquakes leave at least 62 dead
AP
SUZU, Japan - A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan left at least 62 people dead as rescue workers fought Wednesday to save those feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Colorado mass shooting suspect pleads not guilty by reason of insanity
AP
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday as a judge ruled the case can move to a trial following testimony giving new details of how he killed most of the 10 victims in just over a minute using a gun with a high-capacity magazine.
Dutch court rejects challenge to assisted suicide ban
AP
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Dutch court on Wednesday upheld the Netherlands’ ban on assisted suicide, a setback for activists who said the prohibition infringes on their right to determine when their lives end.
Virus lockdowns hit China economic powerhouse Guangzhou
AP
BEIJING, China — A surge in COVID-19 cases has spurred lockdowns in the southern Chinese manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, adding to financial pressure that has disrupted global supply chains and sharply slowed growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
Jury deliberations begins for R. Kelly's child porn, trial-fixing case
NPR
CHICAGO, USA — Jurors began deliberating Tuesday at R. Kelly's federal trial in Chicago, sorting through a month of evidence and arguments on charges accusing the singer of producing child pornography, enticing minors for sex and rigging his 2008 child porn trial.
Mexico says coronavirus now endemic, not pandemic
AP
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government said Tuesday that COVID-19 has passed from a pandemic to an endemic stage in Mexico, meaning authorities will treat it as a seasonally recurring disease.
Russia cuts natural gas to 2 NATO nations in escalation
AP
POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russia dramatically escalated its standoff with the West over the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, cutting natural gas off to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatening to disconnect even more nations. European leaders decried the move as “blackmail.”
More Western sanctions to hit Russia after Bucha killings
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union were set Wednesday to impose new punishing sanctions targeting Russia, including a ban on all new investment in the country and an EU embargo on coal, after evidence of torture and killings emerged in recent days from a town outside of Kyiv.