MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Smog containing gases from a restive Philippine volcano sickened dozens of students and prompted 25 towns and cities to shut their schools on Friday as a health precaution, officials said.There was no imminent threat of a major eruption of Taal Volcano, which authorities said remains at a low level of unrest
HANGZHOU, China (AP) — A long-standing border dispute between India and China has left three Indian martial arts competitors stranded at home and unable to make it to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, while sparking a diplomatic row Friday between the two countries.The three women wushu athletes are from India’s eastern Arunachal Pradesh, which China
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Suga, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, began fulfilling his mandatory military duty Friday as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service in the country.Suga, 30, became the group’s third member to start carrying out their military duties. The two others, Jin and J-Hope, are already performing
As ambassadors of the country where breakdancing originated 50 years ago, members of Team USA have something to prove — and potentially to lose — when the hip-hop dance form makes its official debut at the Paris Games in 2024.That’s because for U.S. breakers like Carmarry Hall, Victor Montalvo and Jeffrey Mike Louis, it’s more
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Schools for millions of students in Nepal were closed Friday as tens of thousands of teachers protested in the capital against an education reform bill in parliament.Teachers have been demonstrating in Kathmandu since Wednesday against the School Education Bill while teachers’ groups negotiate with government leaders over changes to the legislation.
HANGZHOU, China (AP) — In the first Asian Games since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, two teams of athletes are arriving in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, looking very different.One, sent from Afghanistan where women are now banned by the Taliban from participating in sports, consists of about 130 all-male athletes, who will participate
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two people were killed and two wounded in a shooting at a bar northwest of Stockholm, police said Friday, in the latest outburst of deadly violence in Sweden.In a statement, police said that a man in his 20s and another in his 70s died Friday of injuries sustained in the shooting late
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus has formally called on the European Union to re-evaluate which areas of Syria can be declared safe and free from armed conflict so that Syrian migrants can eventually be repatriated there, the Cypriot Interior Ministry said Friday.Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou was the sole official to raise the issue during July’s
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian authorities released a key Muslim cleric after four years of house arrest and allowed him to lead Friday prayers in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to mosque authorities. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been spearheading protests against Indian rule in the disputed region. He was detained ahead of
LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators signaled Friday that Microsoft’s restructured $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard is likely to receive antitrust approval. The Competition and Markets Authority said the revamped proposal “substantially addresses previous concerns” about stifling competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming market, which frees players from buying expensive
