TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese entertainment company that has acknowledged its founder sexually assaulted hundreds of boys over the span of half a century, took a new name on Monday: Smile-Up. It also vowed to focus on compensation for victims of the abuse. Tokyo-based Johnny & Associates, founded in 1975, will eventually fold, but its
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Five conservative cardinals from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have challenged Pope Francis to affirm Catholic teaching on homosexuality and female ordination ahead of a big Vatican meeting where such hot-button issues are up for debate.The cardinals on Monday published five questions they submitted to Francis, known as “dubia,” as
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Some of Europe’s top diplomats gathered Monday in Kyiv in a display of support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion as signs emerge of political strain in Europe and the United States about the war.The foreign ministers from the European Union’s 27 member countries converged on the Ukrainian capital for an
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption group said Monday that Cyprus needs to hold those at the highest echelons of executive power and law enforcement more accountable to counter an overwhelming public perception of widespread corruption.The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) said in a report that Cypriot laws
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Six days of Nobel Prize announcements begin Monday with the unveiling of the winner of the medicine award.The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was won last year by Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for discoveries in human evolution that unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA which provided key insights into our immune system
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati president-designate of the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks called on oil and gas companies on Monday to be “central to the solution” to fighting climate change, even as the industry boosts its production to enjoy rising global energy prices.The call by Sultan al-Jaber highlights the
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Philippe is threatening to unleash heavy rains and flash flooding in the Leeward Islands on Monday before eventually recurving out into the central Atlantic where it could gain hurricane status around midweek, forecasters say.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 2 a.m. Monday that Philippe was about 130
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Early voting began on Monday in New Zealand for the nation’s Oct. 14 general election, with conservative contender Christopher Luxon casting his ballot. Early voting also began in some parts of Australia in a referendum that would enshrine in Australia’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on
LONDON (AP) — David Beckham delves back into the hateful treatment he received following his infamous 1998 World Cup red card — and its impact on him — in a new Netflix documentary series pegged to the 10th anniversary of his retirement.“This whole process has been like an emotional rollercoaster,” Beckham said of the “Beckham”
MALE, Maldives (AP) — Jailed former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen was transferred from prison to house arrest on Sunday, fulfilling the campaign promise of his party candidate who won the presidential election runoff. Yameen is serving a prison term for bribery and money laundering during his presidency from 2013 to 2018. His transfer has been
