Uncategorized

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday described the country’s nuclear arsenals as a deterrent factor in the Ukrainian conflict but demurred when challenged to make a pledge that Russia would not be the first to use them. Asked by a member of the presidential Human Rights Council to commit Russia to forswearing a first strike, Putin responded that such an obligation might prevent Russia from tapping its […]

BEIJING (AP) — China rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places Wednesday in a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. The move adds to earlier easing that fueled hopes Beijing was scrapping its “zero COVID” strategy, which is disrupting manufacturing and global […]

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — As coronavirus cases rose in Shanghai earlier this year and the city’s lockdown stretched from weeks to months, Leah Zhang’s feeling of suffocation grew. Though she could walk around campus freely, she was robbed of weekends spent seeing concerts in the city. She couldn’t stomach the cafeteria food — too sweet for her taste buds accustomed to the spicy Sichuanese cuisine she grew up with. When […]

LONDON (AP) — Time Magazine on Wednesday named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy its person of the year, awarding him the accolade “for proving that courage can be as contagious as fear.” Editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said the choice of Zelenskyy — alongside “the spirit of Ukraine” — was “the most clear-cut in memory.” “Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, the world marched to Volodymyr Zelensky’s […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered between small gains and losses on Wall Street Wednesday, leaving prospects uncertain for the market to break a four-day losing streak. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% as of 10:14 a.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 26 points, or 0.1%, to 33,627 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.5%. Every major index is on track for weekly losses. Treasury yields fell significantly. The yield […]

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Basic services like electricity and telecoms have been restored to key parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region following the signing of a cease-fire deal a month ago, but most areas are still cut off from the world. The agreement signed Nov. 2 requires Ethiopia’s federal government to restore basic services to Tigray, which has been mostly without phone, internet and banking services since war erupted two years […]

Friction has long-simmered within the global Anglican Communion over its 42 provinces’ sharp differences on whether to recognize same-sex marriage and ordain LGBTQ clergy. The divisions widened this year as conservative bishops affirmed their opposition to LGBTQ inclusion and demanded “repentance” by provinces with inclusive policies. Caught in the middle is the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the Church of England’s top bishop and the Anglican Communion’s ceremonial […]

Friction has been simmering within the global Anglican Communion for many years over its 42 provinces’ sharp differences on whether to recognize same-sex marriage and ordain LGBTQ clergy. This year, the divisions have widened, as conservative bishops – notably from Africa and Asia – affirmed their opposition to LGBTQ inclusion and demanded “repentance” by the more liberal provinces with inclusive policies. Caught in the middle of the fray is the […]

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s foreign ministry has slammed what it called Turkish threats of war, after the Turkish foreign minister threatened to “take action” against Greece in the wake of a military exercise in the Aegean Sea. In a statement issued Wednesday, the foreign ministry said that Turkey’s “repeated threats of war” were “completely unacceptable,” and noted that Greece respects international law and the United Nations’ Law of the […]