German minister: VW must solve most of its problems alone
Frankfurt, Germany — Germany wants to support Volkswagen and help it avoid factory closures but the ailing car giant will have to fix most of its problems itself, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Friday. Volkswagen said earlier this month it…
Asian stocks follow Wall Street’s rate cut rally higher
HONG KONG — Asian stocks surged Friday with Japan’s Nikkei leading regional gains after Wall Street romped to records following the Federal Reserve’s big cut to interest rates. U.S. futures and oil prices were lower. The Bank of Japan ended…
European Commission president says she’s in Kyiv to discuss support for Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday she had arrived in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, to discuss Europe’s support, winter preparedness, defense and progress on the G7 loans. “My 8th visit to Kyiv comes as the…
Russia targets Ukraine city’s energy sector as EU pledges $180M for repairs, shelters
Russian forces hit a care center for the elderly in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Thursday and targeted its energy sector in airstrikes that killed at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said. In the daytime attack on Sumy, a…
Submersible’s scientific director says vessel malfunctioned days before fatal dive
The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified Thursday that the sub had malfunctioned just prior to the fatal dive. Appearing before a U.S….
China-connected spamouflage impersonated Dutch cartoonist
Washington — Based on the posts of an X account that bears the name of Dutch cartoonist Bart van Leeuwen, a profile picture of his face and short professional bio, one would think the Amsterdam-based artist is a staunch supporter…
How Lebanon’s wireless paging system was weaponized to make Hezbollah devices explode
The simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers used by Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Tuesday was the result of an unprecedented weaponization of a wireless paging system, in which rigged devices detonated upon receiving a coded signal transmitted by radio frequency….
New analysis of 2019 Wuhan market animals may help find COVID-19 origin
LONDON — Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source….
Facing stresses, Russia scrambles to mobilize more forces
Moscow’s decision this week to expand its military capabilities is a sign of the stress that its military is facing in the third year of its slow-moving, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Analysts say the mobilization’s unpopularity and other factors are…
Biden says Fed made ‘declaration of progress’ with interest rate cut
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Thursday the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates was “an important signal” that inflation has eased as he characterized Donald Trump’s economic policies as a failure in the past and sure to “fail…