Tag Archives: associated press

US treasury official raises alarm on environmental risks from illicit transfers of Iranian oil off Malaysia

A U.S. treasury official warned of environmental risks from illicit transfers of Iranian oil off Malaysia, news portal Malaysiakini reported on Thursday, as the United States narrows its focus on financing for militant groups routed through Southeast Asia. The United States sees Iran’s capacity to move its oil as being reliant on service providers based in Malaysia, a senior U.S. …

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Center-right coalition wins North Macedonia parliamentary election, but must seek governing coalition partner

The head of a center-right 22-party coalition that emerged victorious in North Macedonia’s parliamentary election has fallen just short of gaining a parliamentary majority, leaving it reliant on entering a partnership with another party to form a government. The “Your Macedonia” coalition, led by the head of the VMRO-DPMNE party, Hristijan Mickoski, won just over 43% of the votes in …

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ND lawmaker gets $2,500 fine, 250 hours community service in speculation case

A North Dakota judge on Thursday ordered a state lawmaker to serve 250 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine after a jury convicted him of a misdemeanor in connection with a controversial state-leased building he has an ownership in. State District Judge Bobbi Weiler also ordered Republican Rep. Jason Dockter, of Bismarck, to pay $325 in court …

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Japan’s Fisheries Agency seeks to allow commercial catching of fin whales, stirring conservation concerns

Japan’s Fisheries Agency on Thursday proposed a plan to allow catching fin whales in addition to three smaller whale species currently permitted under the country’s commercial whaling around its coasts. The proposal comes five years after Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in July 2019. It ended 30 years of …

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Country star Cindy Walker posthumously inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

Country star Cindy Walker was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, it was announced Thursday. Walker, who wrote countless hits across her six-decade career, was celebrated for her immediate, unpretentious songwriting style. She wrote songs performed by some of the biggest names in country music history and beyond, including Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, B.B. King, Cher, and Glen …

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South Sudan mediation talks launched in Kenya with a hope of ending conflict

High-level mediation talks on South Sudan were launched Thursday in Kenya with African presidents calling for an end to a conflict that has crippled the country’s economy for years. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir thanked his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for hosting the talks and said that his government would negotiate in good faith and with an open mind. SUDANESE …

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Air Force airman fatally shot when Florida deputies breached wrong apartment, attorney says

Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man’s family said Wednesday. Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, who was based at the Special Operations Wing at …

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2 skiers confirmed dead in Utah avalanche, sheriff says

Two backcountry skiers were killed and one was rescued after an avalanche Thursday in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said. A rescue team responded just after 10 a.m. to an avalanche reported near Lone Peak in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie …

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Eurovision explained: A look at the music festival's origins, top contenders, and this year's controversy

Scores of musicians, hundreds of journalists and thousands of music fans have gathered in the Swedish city of Malmo, where the Eurovision Song Contest is building towards Saturday’s exuberant, glitter-drenched final. But even Eurovision can’t escape the world’s divisions. Thousands of anti-Israel protesters are also expected in the city for demonstrations urging a cease-fire in the Gaza war and criticizing …

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Scientists discover thick atmosphere enveloping rocky so-called 'super Earth' planet

A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday. The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts …

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