TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.1% in the January-March quarter, the government said Tuesday, showing its resilience despite rising energy prices because of the war in Iran. Japan’s real gross domestic product, or GDP, the sum value of a nation’s goods and services, grew at a seasonally adjusted…
MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case, ordering the government to return more than 55 million euros ($64 million) in wrongly imposed fines and interest, a court document seen Monday by The Associated Press said. The decision follows years of tax troubles in Spain for the Colombian superstar. The…
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — After three years as a prisoner in Beijing, Cheng Lei is busy rebuilding her life. She’s written a memoir and a play, tried her hand at stand-up comedy and is pursuing her career as a journalist. She has shone a rare spotlight on the harsh conditions within the secretive Chinese prison…
ITURI, Congo (AP) — At least 80 deaths have been reported in Congo’s new Ebola disease outbreak in the eastern Ituri province, authorities said, as health workers raced Saturday to intensify screening and contact tracing to contain the disease. Officials first announced the outbreak on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases. Meanwhile, Associated…
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A contemporary art fair has been held in the Ukrainian capital with an unusual premise: that art can help a society come to terms with what war has made normal. “Holding the event during wartime means not waiting for a better moment, but working with reality as it is,” said Anna…
May 10 (Reuters) – Germany is reviving efforts to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles from the U.S., the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing people with knowledge of Berlin’s strategy. Berlin hopes to persuade the Trump administration to agree to the sale of the Tomahawks together with their Typhon ground launchers, the newspaper said. The White…
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy accelerated in the first quarter of this year, expanding 5% from a year earlier as it largely shrugged off impacts from the Iran war so far, according to data released Thursday. The January-March data released by the government, covering a period during which the Iran war began, was better…
Reform UK has launched a major campaign offensive across Cambridgeshire ahead of the May 7 local elections, deploying two of its most prominent figures in a bid to secure breakthrough results. The party has confirmed that Peter Reeve will contest Peterborough, while Ryan Coogan stands in Huntingdonshire—two areas now seen as crucial battlegrounds. Experienced candidate…
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s exports of passenger cars accelerated in March, an industry association said Friday, as Chinese automakers stepped up their push to grow overseas markets. Passenger car exports jumped 82.4% year-on-year last month to around 748,000 vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from the 586,000 vehicles exported in…
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) – The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is an “abject lesson” in the risks of relying on fossil fuels, and underscores the case for governments to wean their economies off oil and gas, the U.N. climate secretary will tell EU policymakers on Monday. While…