Somalia forces end rebel siege of Mogadishu hotel; 15 killed

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s security forces on Sunday ended a nearly five-hour siege by Islamic extremists at a beachside hotel in Somalia’s capital, said...

Asia Today: South Koreans urged to stay home as cases jump

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea counted its fourth straight day of triple-digit increases in new coronavirus cases Monday as the government urged people...

Black creatives in Italian fashion demand cultural reform

MILAN (AP) — The only Black designer belonging to Italy’s influential fashion council is demanding a “long overdue cultural reform’’ from her colleagues under the...

Lebanese president calls probe into Beirut blast ‘complex’

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the probe into this month’s devastating blast in Beirut is “very complex” and would not be finished...

Luis Abinader sworn in as Dominican leader; Pompeo attends

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Luis Rodolfo Abinader was sworn in as president of the Dominican Republic on Sunday in a ceremony attended by...

Telephone calls between UAE, Israel ring for the first time

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Telephone calls began ringing Sunday between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, marking the first concrete step of a...

South Korea pastor tests positive amid virus spike at church

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A conservative South Korean pastor who has been a bitter critic of the country’s president has tested positive for the...

Belarus workers on the streets as EU chief calls summit

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Thousands of factory workers in Belarus took to the streets and crowds of demonstrators besieged the state television headquarters Monday, raising...

Lockdown deaths in India ignite debate on police brutality

NEW DELHI (AP) — For two and a half minutes the popular Indian radio DJ described in graphic detail what she said was the torture...

New Zealand delays election after virus outbreak in Auckland

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed New Zealand’s elections by four weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak in Auckland. The...

UN-backed court to issue verdicts in Lebanon’s Hariri case

BEIRUT (AP) — More than 15 years after the truck bomb assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, a U.N.-backed tribunal in...

Whales filmed having whale of a time during lockdown

LE PECQ, France (AP) — With humans away, the whales will play. In another sign that wild animals are roaming more freely while locked-down people...

Italy, Spain ICU pressures decline, but emotional toll rises

ROME (AP) — Maddalena Ferrari lets herself cry when she takes off the surgical mask she wears even at home to protect her elderly parents...

Khamenei: Mass Ramadan events in Iran may stop over virus

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader suggested Thursday that mass gatherings may be barred through the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan...

US-Russian crew blasts off for International Space Station

MOSCOW (AP) — A U.S.-Russian space crew blasted off Thursday to the International Space Station following a tight quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. NASA astronaut...

Dubai allows alcohol home delivery as virus shuts down bars

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Champagne corks no longer pop at Dubai’s infamous alcohol-soaked brunches. The blaring flat-screen televisions stand silent in the...

Nicaragua inaction on virus raises fears of regional spread

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — International health officials are warning that the Nicaraguan government’s perplexing weekslong refusal to take measures to control the spread of the...

Taiwan protests WHO leader’s accusations of racist campaign

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s foreign ministry on Thursday strongly protested accusations from the head of the World Health Organization that the self-governing island was...

The Latest: Group says virus could push 500M into poverty

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with...

103-year-old Italian says ‘courage, faith’ helped beat virus

ROME (AP) — To recover from the coronavirus, as she did, Ada Zanusso recommends courage and faith, the same qualities that have served her well...

Lockdowns mean millions of women can’t reach birth control

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The callers were in tears. One by one, women in homes across rural Zimbabwe had a pleading question: When would family planning...

Warnings multiply against Easter holiday travel, gatherings

BERLIN (AP) — As the Easter holiday approaches, world leaders and health officials are fervently warning that the hard-won gains in the fight against the...

China’s 2019 economic growth weakens amid trade war

BEIJING (AP) — China’s economic growth sank to a new multi-decade low in 2019 as Beijing fought a tariff war with Washington, but forecasters said...

Panama man pulled 2 children from clutches of killer cult

SANTIAGO, Panama (AP) — Indigenous farmer Jose González recalled how his pregnant wife and five of his children were taken from their home by cult...

Puerto Rico to open schools after 6.4 quake despite concerns

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s government is opening public schools next week without knowing if they can withstand a big earthquake as...

Ukrainian president rejects prime minister’s resignation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected his prime minister’s offer to resign and asked him to stay on the job Friday after...

Bangladesh says once-submerged island ready for Rohingya

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A Bangladeshi island regularly submerged by monsoon rains is ready to house 100,000 Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced...

US hits Iran general with sanctions over protest crackdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on a senior Iranian general for his role in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters...

‘Days of God’: A look at Iran’s mounting crises

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader says his nation is living through “days of God.” The Islamic Republic has been reeling from...

Russia’s foreign minister slams ‘aggressive’ US policies

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign policy chief on Friday blamed what he described as “aggressive” U.S. policies for growing global tensions, noting Washington’s reluctance to...

Iran’s top leader strikes defiant tone amid month of turmoil

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader lashed out at Western countries as he led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight...

AP Exclusive: AT&T under pressure to defy Maduro’s censors

MIAMI (AP) — Last April, as a military uprising roiled Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro’s socialist government ordered pay TV providers to immediately cease transmission of CNN...

Key moments in the unraveling of Iran’s nuclear deal

The decision by European nations to trigger a dispute resolution mechanism in the Iran nuclear deal marks the latest step in the unraveling of the...

Iran announces arrests over downing of plane that killed 176

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176...

Davos forum: Trump to attend, but Iranian official cancels

GENEVA (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has cancelled an expected appearance at next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, organizers said Tuesday, citing the...

EU rebukes Iran over nuclear violations, sanctions possible

BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain, France and Germany ratcheted up pressure on Iran Tuesday to cease its violations of a landmark nuclear deal, stressing that they...

Gambia’s ex-dictator Jammeh reportedly wants to come home

BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Gambia’s longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh, who fled into exile three years ago after an election loss, has announced plans to return...

German prosecutors charge 6 more in VW emissions scandal

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Prosecutors in Germany have filed charges against six more individuals in connection with Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal, bringing the total to...

Irish prime minister seeks new mandate in February election

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Leo Varadkar sought a fresh mandate to govern Ireland on Tuesday, arguing he’s the best person to represent Irish interests...

Retired pope distances himself from book on priest celibacy

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI distanced himself Tuesday from a book on priestly celibacy and asked to be removed as its co-author...

EU lays out 1 trillion-euro plan to support Green Deal

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union plans to dedicate a quarter of its budget to tackling climate change and to help shift 1 trillion euros...

Nigel Farage gets his way, and last laugh: Brexit is coming

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Nigel Farage, the self-declared “pantomime villain” of Brexit, is leaving his favorite theater — the European Union’s parliament in Strasbourg —...

Kosovo woman, man repatriated from Syria charged with terror

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo prosecutors on Tuesday filed terrorism charges against an Albanian woman and a man for allegedly joining the Islamic State group...

Migrant agency says hundreds are fleeing Libya fighting

BRUSSELS (AP) — Almost 1,000 people trying to flee Libya by boat have been intercepted and returned to the conflict-ravaged country by its coast guard...

Dating apps leak personal data, Norwegian group says

LONDON (AP) — Dating apps including Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder leak personal information to advertising tech companies in possible violation of European data privacy laws,...

UN says ‘staggering’ deaths of rights activists in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm Tuesday at the “staggering number” of social activists killed in Colombia...

Lindsay Hoyle chosen to replace Bercow as UK Commons speaker

LONDON (AP) — Long-serving Labour Party lawmaker Lindsay Hoyle was elected speaker of Britain’s House of Commons on Monday, taking up the job with a...

HK leader says bill withdrawal own decision, not Beijing’s

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Thursday that the decision to withdraw an extradition bill that sparked months of demonstrations in...

Germany’s Merkel faces balancing act in Beijing

BEIJING (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Friday in Beijing, where she faces the challenge of balancing human rights concerns and economic discussions with...

Landline phones back in Kashmir, but calls don’t go through

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — The government in Indian-administered Kashmir said landline telephone service has been restored a month into a near-total communications blackout and security...