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International News

France on strike: Unions say ‘non’ to higher pension age

PARIS (AP) — More than a million demonstrators marched in cities and towns across France on Tuesday, in a new round of protests and strikes against the government's plan to raise the retirement age to 64. Unions called for more protests this weekend while warning that the situation could ...

Lego posts boost in profit, sales as it raised some prices

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Lego said Tuesday that profits increased by 5% in 2022 from a year earlier and sales rose even as it raised prices on higher-ticket toys. The Danish toy company said net profit rose to 13.8 billion kroner ($2 billion) from 13.3 billion kroner. Sales were up 12%, ...

Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral set to reopen in December 2024

PARIS (AP) — The reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is going fast enough to allow its reopening to visitors and faithful at the end of 2024, less than six years after a fire ravaged its roof, French officials said Monday. The cathedral's iconic spire, which collapsed in the ...

Hezbollah says it backs Christian ally to become president

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah said Monday the group backs a former Cabinet minister and strong ally to become Lebanon's next president. It was the first time that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah openly named Sleiman Frangieh as the candidate they support to win the top ...

UNESCO chief promises help in restoring Iraq’s looted sites

BAGHDAD (AP) — The head of the United Nations cultural agency promised Monday to continue helping to repair the damage done to Iraq's historic sites by decades of war. In a visit to Baghdad ahead of the 20-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay met with ...

A month after quake, survivors need shelter, sanitation

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — One month after a powerful quake devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, hundreds of thousands of people still need adequate shelter and sanitation, and an appeal for $1 billion to assist survivors is only 10% funded, hampering efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis, a ...

US bans entry to Syria security agent over killings on video

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. State Department on Monday banned entry into the U.S. of a Syrian intelligence member who appeared in a video leaked last year showing him fatally shooting people during the country's 12-year conflict. The ban against Amjad Yousef, a member of Syria's notorious ...

Zelenskyy vows not to retreat from Ukrainian city of Bakhmut

CHASIV YAR, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut as Russian forces encroached on the devastated eastern city they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Less than a week ago, an adviser to Zelenskyy ...

Peru: 6 soldiers drown in river while responding to protests

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Six soldiers drowned while trying to swim across a river in the Andes to reach a town where protests demanding the resignation of Peru's president have turned violent, military officials said Monday. The bodies of two soldiers who had been missing were located later in the ...

Belarus sentences exiled opposition leader to 15 years

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 15 years in prison after a trial in absentia on charges including conspiring to overthrow the government, the latest move in a months-long effort by the Belarusian government to ...

UN envoy says 2023 is a `make or break’ year for South Sudan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for South Sudan called 2023 a "make or break" year for the world's newest nation that has been beset by civil war, saying Monday it's possible the country can keep its commitment to hold elections in December 2024 but only if there is political ...

Canadian official to examine Chinese election interference

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he will appoint a special investigator to decide whether there should be a public inquiry into reports of Chinese interference in Canada's elections. Trudeau also is having a Parliament national security committee examine classified ...

Yoon: Forced labor plan crucial for better ties with Japan

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday defended his government's contentious plan to use local funds to compensate Koreans enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II, saying it's crucial for Seoul to build future-oriented ties with its ...

Kim’s sister warns N. Korea ready to act against US, South

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The influential sister of North Korea's leader warned Tuesday that her country is ready to take "quick, overwhelming action" against the United States and South Korea, a day after the U.S. flew a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber in a demonstration of strengthen against ...

Japan launches H3 rocket, destroys it over 2nd stage failure

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's space agency intentionally destroyed a new H3 rocket moments into its launch Tuesday after the ignition for the second stage of the country's first new rocket series in more than two decades failed. Coming three weeks after an aborted launch due to a separate glitch, the ...

5th body found in Malaysia floods; over 40,000 displaced

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police have found the body of a young woman trapped in a car that was swept away by rushing waters, the fifth death of seasonal floods that have also forced more than 43,000 people to flee their homes. Police said in a statement Monday that a ...

In 1st news conference, China minister lashes out at US

BEIJING (AP) — In his first news conference since taking office, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang lashed out Tuesday at the United States over deteriorating bilateral relations and Washington's support for Taiwan. He also insinuated that America was undermining efforts for peace in Ukraine ...

US sees China propaganda efforts becoming more like Russia’s

WASHINGTON (AP) — China has long been seen by the U.S. as a prolific source of anti-American propaganda but less aggressive in its influence operations than Russia, which has used cyberattacks and covert operations to disrupt U.S. elections and denigrate rivals. But many in Washington now ...

Oil CEO who will head 2023 climate talks calls for change

A top oil company CEO who will lead international climate talks later this year told energy industry power players on Monday that the world must cut emissions 7% each year and eliminate all releases of the greenhouse gas methane — strong comments from an oil executive. "Let me call on you to ...

Egyptian president and visiting Iraqi PM seek to deepen ties

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi held talks Sunday with Iraq's prime minister in Cairo as the two countries seek to deepen ties and reinforce a regional alliance with Jordan. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani landed in the Egyptian capital and was greeted at ...