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LONDON (AP) — Thousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, with unions and the government swapping accusations of blame for putting lives at risk. The government advised people not to play contact sports, take unnecessary car trips or get drunk in order to reduce their risk of needing an ambulance, as paramedics, call-handers and technicians across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout for three […]

BERLIN (AP) — Climate activists said Wednesday that they have sawn off the tip of the Christmas tree erected in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate. The group Last Generation said two of its members used a hydraulic lift and a hand saw to cut two meters (six feet) off the top of the 15-meter (50-foot) tree and hang up a banner stating: “This is only the tip of the […]

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In a carpeted meeting room of what used to be a posh hotel, Ukrainian children are screaming with happiness at a performance put on for them and the joy of opening presents. In a country where children have seen the horrors of a 10-month war, there are people trying to bring some peace and happiness to them, at least for a moment during this holiday season […]

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that the remains of a Palestinian prisoner who died a day earlier from lung cancer would not be released for burial. Benny Gantz’s office said the body of Nasser Abu Hamid, one of the founders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, would be held as a bargaining chip for the return of captive Israelis and the remains of soldiers held by the […]

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — For a year and a half, phone calls to people trying to survive one of the world’s worst wars didn’t go through. Now, as phone lines start to be restored to parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region after a fragile peace deal, some Tigrayans are relieved while others grieve. “I have been dreading receiving phone calls,” said a Tigrayan living in Norway, who like others spoke with […]

KONYA, Turkey (AP) — To prepare for the ritual ahead, Omer Kilic and his 14-year-old son dress in white robes, drape black cloaks over them and don cone-shaped hats called “sikke.” The tennure robes symbolize funeral shrouds, the cloaks a tomb and the hats a tombstone — outfits that are part of a centuries-old tradition performed by the whirling dervishes of Turkey. The dervishes, a Sufi order of Islam that […]

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — With a backpack slung over his shoulder, Jacek Kryg walks down one row and then another of outdoor vegetable stands at Warsaw’s historic Hala Mirowska market. The 72-year-old Kryg already knows which one has the best prices on carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and his other staples. But he is keenly aware of what he spends, so he double-checks all the prices. His pension, after 30-plus years as […]

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Migrants along the U.S. border with Mexico sought shelter from the cold early Wednesday as restrictions that prevented many from seeking asylum in the U.S. remained in place beyond their anticipated end. The U.S. government asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday not to lift the limits before Christmas, in a filing a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order to keep the […]

BANGKOK (AP) — European shares were higher Wednesday after a mixed session in Asia in the absence of major data releases. Germany’s DAX rose 0.7% to 13,987.59 while the CAC 40 in Paris jumped 1% to 6,514.30. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.5% to 7,407.92. The future for the S&P 500 advanced 0.7% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 0.8%. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.7%, to […]