LONDON (AP) — As the World Health Organization convenes its emergency committee Thursday to consider if the spiraling outbreak of monkeypox warrants being declared a global emergency, some experts say WHO’s decision to act only after the disease spilled into the West could entrench the grotesque inequities that arose between rich and poor countries during…
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Thursday to put Ukraine on a path toward EU membership, acting with uncharacteristic speed and unity to pull the embattled country further away from Russia’s influence and bind it more closely to the West. Meeting at a summit in Brussels, leaders of the EU’s 27 nations mustered the…
BERLIN (AP) — Germany activated the second phase of its three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies Thursday, warning that Europe’s biggest economy faces a “crisis” and storage targets for the winter are at risk after Russia reduced energy deliveries to several countries. The government said the decision follows cuts Russia made to natural gas…
LONDON (AP) — The airport lines are long, and lost luggage is piling up. It’s going to be a chaotic summer for travelers in Europe. Liz Morgan arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport 4 1/2 hours before her flight to Athens, finding the line for security snaking out of the terminal and into a big tent…
BERLIN (AP) — Three consecutive summits over the next week will test Western resolve to support Ukraine and the extent of international unity as rising geopolitical tensions and economic pain cast an increasingly long shadow. On Thursday and Friday, European Union leaders will meet in Brussels to consider officially making Ukraine a candidate for membership….
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has told The Associated Press that the West shouldn’t underestimate Russia’s military capabilities in Ukraine, saying Moscow is in it for the long haul as the war enters its fifth month. Kallas said in an interview Wednesday that Europe should ensure that those committing war crimes…
BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were higher in Asia on Friday, tracking gains on Wall Street, where the market is headed for its first weekly gain after three weeks of punishing losses. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index added 0.9% to 26,411.64 and the Kospi in Seoul jumped 1.8% to 2,356.38. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 1.4% to…
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is expanding health care coverage for employees who want to enlist the services of a doula, a person trained to assist women during pregnancies, to address racial inequities in maternal care. After first offering doulas to employees in Georgia last year, the nation’s largest retailer said Wednesday that it will…
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers stepped up the fight against global warming Wednesday by requiring deeper emission cuts from power plants, factories and planes in the EU and by endorsing an unprecedented import tax. The European Parliament advanced draft climate legislation that would slash the EU greenhouse gases by at least 55% in 2030…
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank once again raised its key interest rate significantly Wednesday as it tried to combat soaring inflation. The hike of a percentage point and a quarter brought the interest rate to 7%, the highest level since early 1999. It was the ninth straight increase since June 2021. The…
