World

Twin suicide bombings rock central Baghdad, at least 32 dead

Published on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 3:36pm
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BAGHDAD (AP) — Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said in what was the first massive bombing in years, harkening back to darker days of rampant militant attacks. 

Gas explosion rips through Madrid building, killing 4

Published on Wed, 01/20/2021 - 4:58pm
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MADRID (AP) — A powerful gas explosion tore through a residential building in central Madrid on Wednesday, killing four people and ripping the facade off the structure.

A tower of smoke rose from the building, where repairs were being done to a gas boiler, and billowed through Toledo Street, near the city’s center. Aerial footage shared by Spain’s National Police showed rubble covering a nearby schoolyard — though Madrid’s mayor said no one was seriously injured at the school.

All students and staff were inside the school buildings at the time of the blast.

Panel: China, WHO should have acted more quickly to stop pandemic

Published on Tue, 01/19/2021 - 3:37pm
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GENEVA (AP) — A panel of experts commissioned by the World Health Organization has criticized China and other countries for not moving to stem the initial outbreak of the coronavirus earlier and questioned whether the U.N. health agency should have labeled it a pandemic sooner.

In a report issued to the media Monday, the panel led by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said there were “lost opportunities” to set up basic public health measures as early as possible. 

Kremlin foe Navalny jailed for 30 days; allies plan protests

Published on Mon, 01/18/2021 - 3:32pm
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By DARIA LITVINOVA Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian judge on Monday ordered opposition leader Alexei Navalny jailed for 30 days, after the leading Kremlin critic returned to Russia from Germany where he was recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on President Vladimir Putin’s government. 

The ruling followed a hastily set up court hearing at a police precinct where Navalny was being held since his arrest at a Moscow airport on Sunday evening, which sparked sharp reactions both at home and around the world.

‘This is not a game’: Global virus death toll hits 2 million

Published on Fri, 01/15/2021 - 4:15pm
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By CHRIS SHERMAN, MARIA CHENG, JOHN LEICESTER and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope of vanquishing the outbreak, while in other, less-developed parts of the world, it seems a far-off dream.

‘At 6 p.m., life stops’: Europe uses curfews to fight virus

Published on Thu, 01/14/2021 - 3:50pm
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By JOHN LEICESTER and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — As the wan winter sun sets over France’s Champagne region, the countdown clock kicks in. 

Laborers stop pruning the vines as the light fades at about 4:30 p.m., leaving them 90 minutes to come in from the cold, change out of their work clothes, hop in their cars and zoom home before a 6 p.m. coronavirus curfew.

Britain’s Johnson pledges UK vaccine program will run 24-7

Published on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 12:00am
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s coronavirus vaccine program will operate around the clock seven days a week “as soon as we can,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged Wednesday as the U.K. accelerates efforts to inoculate millions of its most vulnerable people against coronavirus.

Mexico sees holiday bump in tourism amid pandemic surge

Published on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 3:36pm
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TULUM, Mexico (AP) — The friends from Jackson, Mississippi, relaxed on lounge chairs dug into a white sand beach and romped in the turquoise Caribbean waters, grateful for a break from the pandemic winter in the United States.

UK sees toughest coronavirus threat yet

Published on Mon, 01/11/2021 - 12:00am
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LONDON (AP) — The U.K. opened seven mass vaccination centers Monday as it moved into the most perilous moment of the COVID-19 pandemic, with exhausted medical staff reeling under the pressure of packed hospitals and increasing admissions.

Storm ‘Filomena’ blankets Spain with snow, disrupts traffic

Published on Fri, 01/08/2021 - 3:19pm
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MADRID (AP) — Spain was on high alert Friday as a cold snap covered much of the country with record levels of snow that is disrupting road, rail, sea and air traffic, while authorities warned that worse might be in store over the weekend.

The national AEMET weather agency had forecasted that the Spanish capital and other parts of the country’s central regions would receive more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall as Storm Filomena moved north from the Straits of Gibraltar.