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An American national has crossed into North Korea without authorization and has been detained

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American has crossed the heavily fortified border from South Korea into North Korea, the American-led U.N. Command overseeing the area said Tuesday, amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program.The U.N. Command tweeted that the U.S. citizen was on a tour to the Korean border village of Panmunjom and crossed the border into the North without authorization.It said he is currently in North Korean custody and that the U.N. Command is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident.It gave no further details on who the person is or why he crossed the border.Cases of Americans or South Koreans defecting to North Korea are rare, though more than 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea to avoid political oppression and economic difficulties at home since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.Panmunjom, located inside the 248-kilometer (154-mile) -long Demilitarized Zone, was created at the c...

Divisions over the Ukraine war cause a rift at EU-LatAm summit that was supposed to be a love-in

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — High anxiety set in on the closing day of a summit between European Union and Latin American leaders that was supposed to be a love-in but turned into a diplomatic fracas over the war in Ukraine. Ambassadors worked through much of the night and into Tuesday morning to find even the blandest text to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, with talks hung up over the reservations of some Central and South American nations such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which was running the toughest opposition at the summit.“It would be a shame that we are not able to say that there is Russian aggression in Ukraine. It’s a fact. And I’m not here to rewrite history,” an exasperated Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar pushed it even further. “Sometimes it’s better to have no conclusions at all than to have language that doesn’t mean anything,” he said.More than one EU leader suspected that Moscow was involved in sowing divisio...

Germans should emulate southern Europeans’ siesta during heat waves, public health group says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germans should emulate the southern European tradition of the siesta as a way to support workers during the country’s frequent hot spells, according to the head of an association representing public health officers.Germany’s health minister reacted positively to the suggestion on Tuesday but said companies and employees would have to decide whether to take it up.While Germany has avoided the kind of temperatures roasting southern Europe this week, it has sizzled at times this summer in temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit). The highest temperature so far this year, 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit), was recorded in Bavaria on Saturday. Since then, the heat has receded.Still, this summer’s high temperatures have been enough to prompt the head of the BVOeGD association, which represents public health officers across Germany, to propose that the country rethink its working habits during heat waves.“We should orient ourselves ...

Bankruptcy slams the brakes on Dutch e-bike manufacturer VanMoof

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch bicycle maker VanMoof has been declared bankrupt, slamming the brakes on a company that won design awards for its stylish, minimalist electric bikes but struggled to meet soaring demand and fix glitches with the app powering its service. The Amsterdam-based company, started in 2009 by brothers Taco and Ties Carlier, posted a statement on its website informing clients that an Amsterdam court declared VanMoof bankrupt on Monday.The company headquarters in Amsterdam was closed Tuesday. One man parked his VanMoof outside the building to take a picture of the bike with the company logo in the background.It remains unclear how the Dutch bankruptcy will affect the company’s foreign operations. VanMoof sells its bikes online and has brand stores in more than 20 cities worldwide, including New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo, according to its website. The company has sold about 200,000 bikes. It promised to make its bikes almost theft-proof, through the use ...

A UK woman jailed for obtaining tablets to end her pregnancy is to be released after appeal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A woman who was jailed for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her advanced pregnancy will be released from prison after Britain’s Court of Appeal reduced her sentence Tuesday.Carla Foster, a 45-year-old mother of three, was handed a 28-month sentence last month after she admitted to obtaining abortion pills to induce a miscarriage when she was 32 to 34 weeks pregnant in 2020. The medication was intended for use in the the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, and authorities had allowed the drugs to be delivered by mail during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prosecutors said Foster obtained them by lying to a pregnancy advisory service, saying that she was just seven weeks pregnant.Abortion is legal in England up to 24 weeks. A judge said last month Foster should serve half her prison term in custody and the remainder on license after her release. But three appeal judges ruled Tuesday that her sentence should be reduced to 14 months and be suspended. “This is a very sad c...

Barge to house asylum-seekers arrives in UK as Parliament passes controversial migration bill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A barge that will house up to 500 asylum-seekers arrived Tuesday in England after Parliament passed its long-debated bill to curb migration. The Bibby Stockholm was pulled by a tug into Portland after the government’s controversial legislation won passage after overcoming resistance in the House of Lords. The boat and the bill are both parts of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to stop migrants from making risky English Channel crossings in small boats. The legislation will become law after receiving the assent of King Charles III.The Conservative government has pledged to “stop the boats” — overcrowded dinghies and other small craft that cross from northern France carrying migrants who hope to live in the U.K. More than 45,000 people crossed the Channel to Britain in 2022; several died in the attempt. The bill is intended to deter those journeys and will prevent migrants from claiming asylum in the U.K. if they arrive illegally. Under the legislation, those caught...

Romanian court rules to keep Andrew Tate under house arrest as human trafficking case continues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A court in Romania’s capital on Tuesday ruled to extend by another 30 days the house arrest of Andrew Tate, the divisive social media influencer who is charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.The decision at the Bucharest Tribunal comes a month after prosecutors formally indicted the 36-year-old social media star along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women in the same case. All four defendants — who were arrested in late December near Bucharest and have denied the allegations against them — will remain under house arrest for 30 more days.Outside the court on Monday, Tate told journalists that “the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice in the end.”“My brother and I are extremely resilient people. … In the end justice shall be served,” he said. “We’re feeling like things are going to work out perfectly in the end — and until then we’re going to follow the judicial process.”The Tate brother...

Second heat wave in as many weeks grips Mediterranean while fires hit Spain, Switzerland and Greece

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

Officials warned residents and tourists packing Mediterranean destinations on Tuesday to stay indoors as a second heat wave in as many weeks hit the region and Greece, Spain and Switzerland battled wildfires.In Italy, Red Cross teams checked on the elderly by phone while in Portugal they took to social media to warn people not to leave pets or children in parked cars. In Greece, volunteers handed out drinking water, while in Spain they reminded people to protect themselves from breathing in smoke from fires.Several countries in southern Europe are sweating through a new heat wave, amplified by climate change, that is expected to persist for days. The U.N. weather agency said that temperatures in Europe could break even the 48.8-degree Celsius (119.8-degree Fahrenheit) record set in Sicily two years ago, as concerns grew the heat would provoke a spike in deaths.“Heat waves are really an invisible killer,” Panu Saaristo, emergency health unit team leader for the International Federati...

Millennial Money: 4 takeaways from Netflix’s money shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

In the past year, streaming service Netflix has released two financially focused offerings: the film “Get Smart With Money” and the series “How to Get Rich.” Both feature powerhouse financial influencers who help people reevaluate their approaches to money to educate and empower them. Here are four takeaways that you can apply to your own life, no matter your financial situation.TAKEAWAYS FROM ‘GET SMART WITH MONEY’The “Get Smart With Money” documentary features well-known financial writers, bloggers and podcasters who share their expertise on how to become better at managing money. Here are a couple of lessons they imparted.1. EMOTION MANAGEMENT IS KEY TO MONEY MANAGEMENTIn “Get Smart With Money,” some of the featured participants were dealing with significant debt or with the challenges of living paycheck to paycheck. The stress, fear and frustration that come with money can significantly impact how you manage it.Tiffany Aliche, a financial educator also known as The Budgetnista, ...

Paris Olympic organizing head says budget ‘under control’ a year ahead of 2024 Games

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:24 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The operating budget for the Paris Olympics is “under control,” the president of the organizing committee said Tuesday.With one year to go before the opening ceremony, organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said partnership deals are on track, with 22 new sponsors joining since the start of the year.“Just recently, we passed the 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) mark in secured revenue from our partners,” Estanguet said. “This is unprecedented. It’s obviously the first time that a sporting event in France has raised so much money from companies and partnerships.”Estanguet said the money in investment does not include “a new premium partner with whom we’re in talks.”Paris organizers are sill negotiating a partnership contract for the 2024 Games with luxury group LVMH.The organizing committee, known as COJO, has an operating budget of about 4.4 billion euros ($4.5 billion).Estanguet insisted that 96% of the budget is funded by the private sector, including the IOC, par...