Russian President Putin visits occupied city of Mariupol
March 19, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, his first trip to the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September.
Macron’s leadership at risk amid tensions over pension plan
March 19, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A parody photo appearing on protest signs and online in France shows President Emmanuel Macron sitting on piles of garbage. The image references the trash going uncollected with sanitation workers on strike, but also what many French people think about their leader.
Bosnia: rights activists assaulted following LGBT event ban
March 19, 2023 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Rights activists in the Serb-run part of Bosnia were assaulted late Saturday, hours after police banned an LGBT event planned there over the weekend, citing security concerns.
Fight over science holds up key UN climate report
March 19, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Publication of a major new United Nations report on climate change is being held up by a battle between rich and developing countries over emissions targets and financial aid to vulnerable nations.
Vandals attack French politician’s office over pensions row
March 19, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — Protesters have vandalized the Nice office of the president of the Republicans party in an apparent threat to get his right-wing party to vote to block President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.
Man stabbed to death on a carousel at a German funfair
March 19, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Officials shut down a large funfair in western Germany on Sunday after a man was stabbed to death on a carousel.
Police said the 31-year-old victim and another man got into a fight while riding a carousel at the fair in Münster, a city of around 300,000, on Saturday evening.
Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An unprecedented wartime deal that allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty was extended just before its expiration date, officials said Saturday.
Facing arrest warrant, Russia’s Putin visits annexed Crimea
March 18, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.
UK minister in Rwanda to reinforce migrant deportation plan
March 18, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Britain's interior minister arrived in Rwanda on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing the U.K. government's commitment to a controversial plan to deport some asylum-seekers to the African country.
French protesters march past garbage piles, resisting Macron
March 18, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — A smattering of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise France's retirement age from 62 to 64 took place Saturday in Paris and beyond, as uncollected garbage reeked in the streets of the French capital amid a strike by sanitation workers.
Long-serving Montenegro president seeks re-election
March 19, 2023 GMTPODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Voters in Montenegro are casting ballots Sunday in a presidential election marked by political turmoil and uncertainty over whether the small NATO member state in the Balkans will unblock its bid to join the European Union or instead seek to improve ties with Serbia and Russia.
Serbia, Kosovo agree on how to implement EU plan, envoy says
March 18, 2023 GMTOHRID, North Macedonia (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have tentatively agreed on how to implement a European Union-sponsored plan to normalize their relations after decades of tensions between the two Balkan wartime foes, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Saturday after chairing talks between them.
Italy’s Democratic head blasts limit on LGBTQ parent rights
March 18, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The head of Italy’s opposition Democratic Party blasted a bureaucratic crackdown on LGBTQ families as ideological, cruel and discriminatory and vowed Saturday to push through legislation to better recognize and protect their rights.
Pope promotes ‘humanitarian corridors’ for asylum-seekers
March 18, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Saturday with thousands of refugees and charity groups hosting them in Italy as he sought to promote legal migration routes to Europe as an alternative to smuggling operations that he said have turned the Mediterranean Sea into a “cemetery.”
Pro-Moscow voices tried to steer Ohio train disaster debate
March 18, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Soon after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in Ohio last month, anonymous pro-Russian accounts started spreading misleading claims and anti-American propaganda about it on Twitter, using Elon Musk's new verification system to expand their reach while creating the illusion of credibility.
Heathrow security guards to strike for 10 days over Easter
March 18, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Security guards at London's Heathrow Airport will walk off their jobs for 10 days over the Easter break, the latest in a wave of strike action to affect the U.K.
Japan, German leaders agree to strengthen ties, supply chain
March 18, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday held the first round of government consultations in Tokyo and agreed to strengthen economic and defense ties to better cope with China's growing influence and global security concerns.
International court issues war crimes warrant for Putin
March 18, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE (AP) — The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
Violent protests in France over Macron’s retirement age push
March 17, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — Angry protesters took to the streets in Paris and other cities for a second day on Friday, trying to pressure lawmakers to bring down French President Emmanuel Macron's government and doom the unpopular retirement age increase he's trying to impose without a vote in the National Assembly.
Russia to award pilots involved in US drone incident
March 17, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian fighter pilots involved in an incident with a U.S. drone that resulted in its crash will be given state awards, the Defense Ministry announced Friday. The move appears to signal Moscow's intention to adopt a more aggressive stance toward future U.S.
Turkey’s president says he will back Finland’s NATO bid
March 17, 2023 GMTISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that his government would move forward with ratifying Finland’s NATO application, paving the way for the country to join the military bloc ahead of Sweden.
Near ‘cliff’s edge,’ Credit Suisse not seen as systemic risk
March 17, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Longtime troubles at Credit Suisse came to a head this week with a record stock plunge that spread fears of a banking crisis jumping from the U.S.
China’s Xi to meet Putin as Beijing seeks bolder global role
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes.
North Macedonia: EU’s Borrell seeks progress on accession
March 17, 2023 GMTEuropean Union officials Friday said North Macedonia has made progress in a bid to join the bloc but urged political leaders to adopt a promised constitutional amendment needed to further the process.
Prince Harry sues tabloid for defamation over security story
March 17, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Lawyers for Prince Harry asked a judge Friday to rule that a tabloid newspaper libeled the British royal with an article about his quest for police protection when he and his family visit the U.K.
UN rights chief decries ‘systematic repression’ in Belarus
March 17, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights chief called on Belarus Friday to end its “systematic repression” of critics and immediately release people held on political grounds, saying some violations may amount to crimes against humanity.
German lawmakers approve plan to shrink bloated parliament
March 17, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Lawmakers in Germany approved electoral reforms Friday that would reduce the size of the country's increasingly bloated parliament, but two opposition parties were vehemently critical and the plan is expected to face a court challenge.
Turkish FM to visit Egypt as countries end decade-long split
March 17, 2023 GMTISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Egypt, both countries announced Friday, the first such high-level trip in more than a decade as their leaders repair relations damaged in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring.
Spain: Long-term drought to bring more heatwaves, widlfires
March 17, 2023 GMTMADRID (AP) — Spain has officially entered a period of long-term drought, owing to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years, and likely faces another year of heatwaves and forest fires.
Montenegro presidential vote seen as test of future policies
March 17, 2023 GMTPODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro is preparing to hold a presidential election this weekend, a vote taking place amid political deadlock that has stalled the small NATO member's bid to join the European Union and questions about whether the Balkan country will align more closely with Serbia and Russia.
Slovakia, after Poland, agrees to give Ukraine Soviet jets
March 17, 2023 GMTPRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s government on Friday approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to heed the Ukrainian government's pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia's invasion.
US envoy ‘optimistic’ about upcoming Serbia-Kosovo summit
March 17, 2023 GMTPRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — A United States envoy of Friday urged Serbia and Kosovo to implement a European Union-facilitated agreement on normalizing their relations, calling it the best option to preserve peace and security in the region.
Pakistan athlete who died in migrant boat crash laid to rest
March 17, 2023 GMTQUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Mourners attended the funeral Friday of a Pakistani female field hockey player who died in a migrant boat crash off Italy’s coast last month, sending a wave of shock and grief through this impoverished Islamic nation.
AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
March 17, 2023 GMTMarch 10-17, 2023
A week when Tropical Cyclone Freddy displaced people in devastating Malawi and France recorded the longest winter drought since record-keeping began in 1959. King Charles III rubbed noses with a member of a Maori group on Commonwealth Day in London, while people in France continued to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the country's retirement age.
Former Israeli premier urges world leaders to shun Netanyahu
March 17, 2023 GMTTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s former prime minister on Thursday urged world leaders to shun Israel’s current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he presses ahead with a plan to overhaul the country's justice system.
Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone
March 17, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Biden administration released video Thursday of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S.
Exhibit: ‘Invisible’ Monet, Leon, was key to impressionism
March 17, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — Behind some great men, there is a bigger brother.
Claude Monet’s older sibling is the focus of a landmark Paris exhibit illuminating the hitherto unknown role Leon Monet played in the French impressionist painter’s life and art.
France’s Macron risks his government to raise retirement age
March 17, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron ordered his prime minister to wield a special constitutional power Thursday that skirts parliament to force through a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote.
Poland detains 9 people suspected of spying for Russia
March 16, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities said Thursday that the nation's security services detained members of a Russian espionage ring, alleging they were preparing acts of sabotage in Poland and had been monitoring railroad routes used for the transport of weapons into Ukraine.
Yellen declares bank system sound, as new rescues ordered
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offered firm, upbeat reassurances to rattled bank depositors and investors Thursday, even as American financial institutions and European agencies ordered fresh rescue efforts following the second-largest bank collapse in U.S.
Serb leader says he won’t sign anything during Kosovo talks
March 16, 2023 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Thursday he won’t “sign anything” during upcoming European Union-mediated talks with Kosovo's leader that are intended as another attempt to defuse decades of tensions between the two Balkan wartime foes.
Poland to be 1st NATO member to give Ukraine fighter jets
March 16, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland said Thursday it plans to give Ukraine about a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill Kyiv's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes to defend itself against the Russian invasion.
Italy retrial ordered for Americans in killing of officer
March 16, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Italy’s highest court has ordered a retrial for two American citizens convicted in the slaying of an Italian police officer during a sting operation gone wrong.
The Court of Cassation late Wednesday threw out the guilty verdicts against Finnegan Lee Elder, now 23, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, 22, both convicted in the stabbing death of the 35-year-old caribiniere during a plainclothes operation in July 2019 while the Americans, teens at the time, were on vacation in Rome.
Russia OKs alternative civil service for mobilized believer
March 16, 2023 GMTTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Russia on Thursday affirmed the right of a man mobilized to fight in Ukraine to perform an alternative form of civil service due to his stated religious beliefs, setting a precedent that could persuade more reluctant draftees to try to get out of military service.
UN announces new advisers to bolster young voices on climate
March 16, 2023 GMTUnited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres named seven young climate leaders Thursday to be his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, underlining the role of youth advocates in climate action.
Europe’s central bank backs big rate hike despite bank chaos
March 16, 2023 GMTFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank carried through with a large interest rate increase Thursday, brushing aside predictions it might dial back as U.S.
Hungary pressures EU by delaying Finland, Sweden NATO vote
March 16, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland dropped their longstanding military neutrality and quickly signaled their intentions to join NATO, in a striking sign of how powerful Europe's security fears had become in the shadow of Moscow's war.
Russian dissident ex-mayor handed 14-day sentence
March 16, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — A former mayor of Russia's fourth-largest city was ordered to spend 14 days in custody on Thursday pending his trial on charges that could entail a longer prison term, part of authorities' efforts to muzzle dissent.
How French government’s special power to impose a bill works
March 16, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron chose on Thursday to shun parliament and impose his unpopular pension reforms via a special constitutional power, the so-called “Article 49.3.”
Credit Suisse shares soar after central bank offers lifeline
March 16, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Credit Suisse shares surged Thursday after the Swiss central bank agreed to loan the bank up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion) to bolster confidence in the country’s second-biggest lender following the collapse of two U.S.
In low-wage Portugal, Europe’s housing crisis bites deep
March 16, 2023 GMTLISBON, Portugal (AP) — Like a growing number of people in Portugal, Georgina Simoes no longer earns enough money to afford a place to live.
EU moves on clean technology: Subsidies up, free market down
March 16, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union presented plans Thursday to fundamentally revamp its policies on promoting green technologies and dealing with critical raw materials, imposing limits on imports from countries like China while unleashing subsidies and other financial incentives to ramp up home production.
European Union official praises Serbia’s migration moves
March 16, 2023 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The European Union's top security official on Thursday praised Serbia's handling of migration through the country, which lies at the heart of the Balkan route into Europe and borders several EU member nations.
Populist Farmer Citizen Movement wins big in Dutch election
March 16, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A new powerhouse of Dutch right-wing populism took political center stage Thursday after winning its first provincial elections, a victory that was seen as a resounding rebuke to Prime Minister Mark Rutte's ruling four-party coalition.
Man given life in prison for 2019 killing of Gdansk mayor
March 16, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The man who fatally stabbed Gdansk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison by a Polish court on Thursday.
Stefan Wilmont stabbed the 53-year-old Adamowicz on stage during a life charity event on Jan.
Austrian police warn of abstract threat to Syrian facilities
March 16, 2023 GMTVIENNA (AP) — Austrian police issued a terror threat warning Thursday for Vienna, saying there was an “abstract" danger for Syrian institutions in the city.
The alert came a day after police in Austria's capital warned of " a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” on churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country’s intelligence service.
Scholz says Germany wants to curb ‘irregular migration’
March 16, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that Germany will have to do a better job at clamping down on “irregular migration” and deporting those who don't legally reside in the country.
Scholz said that Germany, however, would continue to provide protection for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's war.
Students call for education reform in Hungary protest march
March 16, 2023 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Thousands of students and other opponents of Hungary's government marched in the capital Budapest on Wednesday to demand educational reforms and a change in the Central European country's political culture.
Macron’s pension plan advances despite strikes across France
March 16, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — Thousands of people angered over President Emmanuel Macron's plan to raise the retirement age joined a national strike on Wednesday as a committee of lawmakers advanced the proposal.
New populist BBB wins Dutch vote; Rutte coalition down
March 15, 2023 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A new populist party riding anger among Dutch farmers and rural communities at government policies to rein in agricultural pollution emerged as the big winner in provincial elections Wednesday, according to early exit polls.
Putin, Assad discuss rebuilding Syria, regional issues
March 15, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian leader Bashar Assad in the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks that focused on rebuilding Syria after a devastating civil war and efforts to stabilize the region.
US and Russia ratchet up rhetoric over downing of drone
March 15, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and the United States ratcheted up their confrontational rhetoric Wednesday over a U.S.
Albania declares new national river park, backs airport plan
March 15, 2023 GMTTIRANA, Albania (AP) — The Albanian government on Wednesday formally designated the Vjosa River and its tributaries a national park, starting with an investment of some $80 million (75 million euros) to stop wastewater being poured into the river.
Here’s how an AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
AP InvestigationMarch 15, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
NASA Webb telescope captures star on cusp of death
March 15, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death.
Official: EU foreign policy chief unwelcome in Israel
March 15, 2023 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has signaled to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, that he is not welcome to visit following critical comments he made about Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials said Wednesday.
Court: Ukraine can try to avoid repaying $3B loan to Russia
March 15, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Ukraine can go to trial to avoid repaying $3 billion in loans it said it took under pressure from Russia in 2013 to prevent it from trying to join the European Union.
Italian novelist: Leonardo’s da Vinci’s mother was a slave
March 15, 2023 GMTMILAN (AP) — An Italian scholar and novelist has provided fresh fodder for an old debate over the identity of Leonardo da Vinci’s mother, proffering a recently unearthed document as evidence that she arrived on the Italian peninsula as a slave from the Caucasus region of Central Asia.
UK Treasury chief predicts no recession in Britain this year
March 15, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — The U.K. is likely to avoid a recession this year, Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt said Wednesday, adding a bit of surprise to what had been billed as a boring budget meant to restore confidence and stability in the nation's finances.
Floods kill 14 in Turkish earthquake-battered provinces
March 15, 2023 GMTANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Floods caused by torrential rains hit two Turkish provinces that were devastated by last month’s catastrophic earthquake, killing at least 14 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials said Wednesday.
German police conduct raids on suspected people smugglers
March 15, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — German police on Wednesday conducted raids against a group suspected of smuggling about 90 people into the country, making five arrests, authorities said.
More than 20 apartments and offices in Berlin and the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt were searched, along with three vehicles and a bank safe in the Bavarian town of Hof, police and prosecutors in the German capital said in a joint statement.
Arctic sea ice thins in 2 big jumps, and now more vulnerable
March 15, 2023 GMTClimate change attacked crucial Arctic sea ice thickness in two sudden big gobbles instead of steady nibbling, a new study says.
Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO membership
March 15, 2023 GMTANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Wednesday that his country may soon ratify Finland’s application to join NATO, allowing for the possibility of the country joining the military alliance separately from Sweden.
War, transport weigh on Germany’s efforts to curb emissions
March 15, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 2% last year, beating previous estimates but still falling far short of the cuts needed to meet its medium-term climate goals, officials said Wednesday.
Ukraine vows to hold on to Bakhmut despite Russian onslaught
German arms industry seeks clarity on Ukraine weapons orders
March 15, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense industry says it stands ready to ramp up its output, including the kinds of arms and ammunition needed by Ukraine, but needs clarity about what governments want before investing in further production capacity.
Austrian police: Possible threat to Vienna places of worship
March 15, 2023 GMTVIENNA (AP) — Austrian police warned Wednesday of a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” in Vienna against churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country's intelligence service.
German investigators take down crypto money laundering site
March 15, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — German investigators said they took down a major online money laundering operation on Wednesday, seizing the Germany-based server infrastructure of a platform that dealt in ill-gotten cryptocurrency.
UK, German fighter jets intercept Russian plane near Estonia
March 15, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — British and German air force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian aircraft flying close to Estonian airspace, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Wednesday, amid mounting concerns about confrontation in the skies near Russia and Ukraine.