Zach Bryan drops ‘All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster’ album
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The chorus against Ticketmaster’s contentious concert pricing practices is growing, including Zach Bryan and friends. The country music artist dropped a live album titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster” on Sunday. Bryan also issued a statement on social media in which he decried “a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately.” The statement doesn’t mention Ticketmaster by name except in the new album title, though he tagged the company in a separate Instagram post displaying the track listing. A message seeking comment from Ticketmaster was not immediately returned.
The AP Interview: Ukraine FM aims for February peace summit
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s foreign minister has said that his nation wants a summit to end the war but he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part, a statement making it hard to foresee the devastating invasion ending soon. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press that his government wants a peace summit within two months at the United Nations with Secretary-General António Guterres as mediator. Kuleba told The Associated Press that Russia must face a war-crimes tribunal before his country talks with Moscow but that other nations should talk feel free to negotiate, as happened with a grain agreement between Turkey and Russia.
Wal Street opening lower; S&P off 0.2% after holiday break
BANGKOK (AP) — Wall Street is reopening Tuesday with stocks slightly lower following a holiday break. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is flat just after the open, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 0.6%. Investors in Europe and Asia bid up stocks following news air passengers arriving in China from abroad will no longer have to observe a quarantine, the latest step toward dropping once-strict virus-control measures in the world’s No. 2 economy. Oil prices are rising. Southwest Airlines is down the most in almost three months after a wave of flight cancellations attracted scrutiny by regulators.
Serbs put up new roadblocks as tensions soar in Kosovo
MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Serbs have erected more roadblocks in northern Kosovo and defied international demands to remove those placed earlier. The move on Tuesday came a day after Serbia put its troops near the border on a high level of combat readiness. The new barriers made of heavily loaded trucks were put up on Tuesday in Mitrovica. The northern Kosovo town is divided between Kosovo Serbs and ethnic Albanians who make up the majority in Kosovo as a whole. It is the first time since a recent crisis started that Serbs have blocked streets in one of the main towns. Barricades had been set on roads leading to the Kosovo-Serbia border until now.
Germany’s governing coalition argues over COVID restrictions
BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s governing coalition is arguing over whether remaining COVID-19 restrictions should be dropped after one of the country’s top virologists was quoted as saying that the pandemic is over. Germany has scrapped the bulk of restrictions imposed at the height of the pandemic but, unlike other European countries, still requires mask-wearing in long-distance trains and buses. Masks are also mandatory in doctors’ practices, while masks and negative tests are still required to enter hospitals and nursing homes. The justice minister said Tuesday that the last restrictions should now be dropped. The health minister said that doing so immediately would be reckless.
Russia says it shot down Ukrainian drone near air base
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an air base deep inside Russia. It was the second time the facility was targeted this month. The incident raises questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s air defenses. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that three servicemen were killed by debris at the Engels air base. The base houses nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in launching strikes on Ukraine. It is located more than 370 miles east of the border with Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said aircraft weren’t damaged. In another cross-border incident, Russia’s Tass news agency reported that the country’s security forces had killed four Ukrainian saboteurs attempting to enter from Ukraine.
Foreign firms: China ‘turns corner’ by ending quarantine
BEIJING (AP) — Foreign companies have welcomed China’s decision to end quarantines for travelers from abroad as an important step to revive slumping business activity, while Japan announced restrictions on visitors from the country as infections surge. The ruling Communist Party’s abrupt decision to lift some of the world’s strictest anti-virus controls comes as it tries reverse an economic downturn. Quarantines for travelers from abroad will end Jan. 8. It is the biggest step toward ending curbs that kept most foreign visitors out of China since early 2020. Meanwhile, the government downgraded the official seriousness of COVID-19 and dropped a requirement for people with the virus to be quarantined.
EXPLAINER: 2023 tax credits for EVs will boost their appeal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. The credit, part of changes enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to spur EV sales and reduce greenhouse emissions. But a complex web of requirements is casting doubt on whether anyone will be able to receive the full $7,500 credit next year. For at least the first two months of 2023, though, a delay in the Treasury Department’s rules for the new credits will likely make the full credit temporarily available to consumers who meet income and price limits. The new law also provides a smaller tax credit for people who buy a used EV.