PRAGUE – Czech authorities have detained a man suspected of carrying out two attacks on trains while blaming them on Islamic militants. State prosecutor Martin Bily said Wednesday that the man is suspected of cutting down two trees that fell…
GENEVA – A Swiss government spokesman says Pope Francis will visit Geneva in June. Federal Council spokesman Andre Simonazzi says details of the June 21 visit are being worked out, adding only that President Alain Berset would welcome Francis. St.…
BRUSSELS – The European Union is demanding that Russia, Iran and Turkey take responsibility for ensuring that the fighting stops in Syria and that a real 30-day halt in fighting is respected. In a letter to the countries' foreign ministers,…
Aaron Pajich, right, was strangled and stabbed to death by Jemma Lilley, left, and Trudi Lenon in 2016. (Supreme Court of Western Australia/Western Australia Police) A British woman who had committing murder on her "bucket list" and had an "obsession"…
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – The Latest on the killing of a Slovak investigative journalist (all times local): 2:40 p.m. Slovakia's culture minister has announced his resignation following the slaying of an investigative journalist and his girlfriend. Marek Madaric, a member of…
LONDON – The Latest on the wintry weather conditions across Europe (all times local): 1 p.m. Serbia and Slovenia have reported their first cold-related deaths in a snap of freezing weather that has gripped much of Europe this week. Slovenia's…
LONDON – The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local): 12:45 p.m. Prime Minister Theresa May says a European Union proposal for the Irish border after Brexit would "undermine the constitutional integrity of the U.K." and is unacceptable to Britain.…
CAIRO – Egypt's state-run news agency says a train collision in coastal Beheira province has left 10 people dead and 15 others injured. Wednesday's report by the MENA news agency quotes the spokesman of the Health Ministry as saying the…
CAIRO – Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has reshuffled his military command, naming a new chief of staff, as well as leaders of the ground, naval and air forces. His decree, carried by the state-run SUNA news agency late Tuesday, says…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Representatives for thousands of Ethiopian Jews say they will stage a mass hunger strike if Israel eliminates funding to allow them to join their families in that country. Hundreds gathered at a synagogue in Ethiopia's capital…
HELSINKI – Finnish prosecutors say a Moroccan asylum seeker has been charged with two terror-related murders and an attempt to murder eight others during a stabbing attack in the south west of the country last year. The state prosecutor's office…
JERUSALEM – The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it's holding a special fund-raising conference next month in Rome to make up for a cut in funding by the Trump administration. UNRWA's spokesman Chris Gunness said on Wednesday that Sweden,…
LONDON – Persistent snow and freezing conditions are causing delays in many parts of Britain, with roads and train service hit particularly hard. Many rail systems were disrupted, in the northern and eastern parts of Britain, and several lines of…
JERUSALEM – An Israeli organization has minted a coin bearing President Donald Trump's image to honor his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Mikdash Educational Center says Wednesday that the "Temple Coin" features Trump alongside King Cyrus, who 2,500…
NICOSIA, Cyprus – Cyprus' president says a resumption of talks to reunify the ethnically divided island nation is unlikely any time soon because of Turkey's blockade of an offshore gas search and "unacceptable" demands by breakaway Turkish Cypriots. Nicos Anastasiades…
TIRANA, Albania – Albanian police say they have seized 613 kilograms (1,350 pounds) of cocaine that arrived in the country in a shipment of bananas from Colombia. Top policeman Ardi Veliu on Wednesday said two people were arrested a day…
LONDON – The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local): 11:35 a.m. European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has unveiled the first draft text of the EU's legal agreement so far with Britain on the country's departure from the bloc…
LONDON – The Irish border is once again a stumbling block in Brexit talks, with anti-EU politicians accusing rivals of using it to keep Britain from fully leaving the European Union. Britain and the EU agreed in December that the…
CAIRO – Egypt's chief prosecutor is reminding his staff to closely monitor the media and start legal action against any outlet that disrupts security or hurts national interests. Wednesday's statement by Nabil Sadeq's office says "forces of evil" — one…
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Norway is moving to ban semi-automatic firearms as of 2021, which will mark a decade since mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik used such weapons to kill 69 people, most of them teenagers, before surrendering to police. Peter…
BERLIN – The German Defense Ministry says the military was called in to refuel the Iranian foreign minister's plane in Munich, after airport workers refused to do it for fear of running afoul of sanctions on Iran. The Defense Ministry…
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Three Nobel Peace laureates have accused Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the nation's military of genocide for their role in violence that has forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. The…
BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania's besieged anti-corruption chief says the agency last year prosecuted a record number of cases, at a time when political attacks on the anti-corruption fight have escalated. Laura Codruta Kovesi, National Anti-Corruption Directorate chief prosecutor, on Wednesday…
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Denmark's center-right government wants to double the punishment for crimes like vandalism and theft committed in areas with larger number of immigrants and higher unemployment, in an attempt to eliminate so-called "parallel societies" by 2030. In December,…
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Afghan officials say at least 30 people, including 19 police officers, have been kidnapped and six police killed by insurgents in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan. Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar's police chief, says Wednesday a group of…
BEIRUT – The Russia-ordered brief humanitarian pause has taken effect for the second day in the rebel-held region near the Syrian capital. Still, no civilians have used the exit corridor manned by Syrian and Russian forces to leave while ground…
JOHANNESBURG – A lion that mauled a young woman to death in South Africa was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators in his animal sanctuary. Kevin Richardson, who…
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia has seized a luxury yacht on the tourist island of Bali that is wanted by U.S. authorities as part of a probe into alleged multibillion-dollar corruption at Malaysian state investment fund 1MBD. Metro TV on Wednesday…
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – An investigative journalist shot dead in Slovakia last week was working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. Jan Kuciak's Aktuality.sk…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani police say gunmen have opened fire on a vehicle carrying a senior police officer in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing two of his guards but the officer escaped unhurt. Abdur Razzaq Cheema, police chief in Quetta,…
BEIRUT – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has headed to Saudi Arabia in his first visit to the kingdom since his now-reversed resignation from Riyadh late last year in a bizarre sequence of events that deeply strained relations between the…
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador – It's the biggest shark — and the biggest fish — in the sea, often found roaming in warm waters around the globe with its huge mouth agape in search of dinner. Yet despite its hulking appearance,…
BAGHDAD – International aid agencies say Iraqi authorities are increasing pressure on families in displacement camps in Anbar province to return to their homes ahead of national elections scheduled for May. The families fled their homes during the war against…
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Prosecutors in eastern Taiwan have detained the developer of a building complex that collapsed in an earthquake earlier this month, killing 14 people. The office of the Hualien district prosecutor said in a statement Tuesday that Liu…
North Korea reportedly sent materials to Syria to be used for a chemical weapons facility, according to experts from the UN. (Reuters) North Korea recently delivered 50 tons of materials to Syria for use in building what appears to be a…
JERUSALEM – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has reopened after Israeli officials suspended a plan to impose taxes on church properties in the holy city. The famed church was opened early Wednesday after it was closed for…
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is calling on the Taliban to take part in peace talks to "save the country." Ghani spoke Wednesday at the 2nd Kabul Process Conference attended by representatives from more than 20 countries and…
BEIRUT – The Syrian government's battle to recapture the rebel-held eastern suburbs of Damascus is likely to be a long and bloody fight because of the presence of thousands of battle-hardened fighters who have had years to prepare. Many of…
AJMAN, United Arab Emirates – When famed Indian actress Sridevi died in the United Arab Emirates, a local compatriot helped get her body back home. Ashraf "Sherry" Thamarassery, a 44-year-old man from Kerala who runs a mechanic's shop in Ajman,…
A 22-year-old woman died after she was brutally mauled by a female lion on Tuesday at a game lodge north of Pretoria in South Africa. The African News Agency reported that the female lion mauled the woman in the Hammanskraal…
RIO DE JANEIRO – One by one, three black Brazilian men matter-of-factly give tips for interacting with police that sound very much like "the talk" that many black Americans have with their sons. Don't carry a long umbrella. Don't make…
RIO DE JANEIRO – One of Brazil's top arms dealers has been charged in the United States with illegally exporting firearms, accessories and ammunition. The decision by a court in Miami on Tuesday follows an investigation by the U.S. Immigration…
MANILA, Philippines – A spokesman for the chief justice on the Philippine Supreme Court says she expects to be impeached by the House of Representatives next month and will go on indefinite leave to prepare for the trial. Spokesman Jojo…
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations has launched a 24-hour helpline for U.N. staff to speak confidentially about sexual harassment at work, and to support victims and witnesses. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said people who call will be able to speak…
JAKARTA, Indonesia – One of the main Indonesian groups for survivors of terror attacks has refused to participate in what it says is a flawed government-organized "reconciliation" meeting between former Islamic militants and victims. The three days of meetings between…
The United States issued a joint statement with the other members of the Iran nuclear deal Tuesday condemning the rogue nation for violating an arms embargo on Yemen that presented “serious risks to peace and stability in the region.” France,…
TOKYO – Japanese women who say "Me Too" do so at their own risk. Online comments accused Rika Shiiki of lying and being a publicity hound when she tweeted that she had lost business contracts after refusing to have sex…
HONG KONG – China's manufacturing activity has weakened to its lowest level in 19 months as the extended Lunar New Year holiday left the month with fewer work days. The official purchasing managers' index released Wednesday slipped to 50.3 for…
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. experts say North Korea sent items used in ballistic missile and chemical weapons programs to Syria along with missile technicians in violation of U.N. sanctions, and it transferred banned ballistic missiles systems to Myanmar. The panel…
This house in Halagoli, Hela Province, Papua New Guinea collapsed as a result of Monday's earthquake. (Jerol Wepii via AP) WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The governor of the central Papua New Guinea region hit by an earthquake this week says…
