ISLAMABAD – The United Nations development program has appointed the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest as its goodwill ambassador for the country. A statement issued Monday says Samina Baig will lead efforts to build national awareness and partnerships…
THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek police say arsonists have destroyed a car with diplomatic plates belonging to the Albanian consulate in the northern city of Thessaloniki. The attack occurred early Monday, police said. Unknown arsonists poured petrol over the parked vehicle,…
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Frightened students are staying away from the school in northern Nigeria where Boko Haram extremists seized 110 girls in a raid a week ago. The Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state had…
ATHENS, Greece – Greek police have confirmed that a hand grenade was thrown overnight at an Athens police station, hours after militants claimed the attack on a far-left website. Police say a taxi driver was lightly injured by the blast,…
KINSHASA, Congo – Organizers of anti-government marches in Congo say security forces shot dead at least four people and wounded dozens more in Sunday's nationwide protest against President Joseph Kabila's extended rule. The Lay Coordination Committee on Monday announced that…
GENEVA – The U.N. human rights chief has accused the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council of being second only to criminals who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the world's most egregious rights…
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging her party to sign off on a deal to form a new coalition government with the center-left Social Democrats. Merkel told a party convention Monday that Germany is in a "difficult and…
BEIJING – A close friend of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer says the lawyer has "mysteriously" died in a military hospital. Bob Fu, a religious activist who has known Li Baiguang for over a decade, says the government should…
BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania's top legal body has summoned the chief anti-corruption prosecutor to answer charges made by the justice minister who wants her ousted over what he says are serious concerns about the way she does her job. The…
WARSAW, Poland – The last surviving Christian Poles who helped Jews during the Holocaust are appealing to Polish and Israeli authorities to return to a path of "dialogue and reconciliation" amid a diplomatic crisis and bitter emotions sparked by a…
Ten people were killed in airstrikes as bombardment resumed Monday in the rebel-held suburbs of east Damascus, a Syrian monitoring group and paramedics say, bringing the death toll to 24 since the U.N.-mandated cease-fire on Saturday. Syrian state television showed…
BRUSSELS – The European Union is weighing whether to impose sanctions on senior officials in Cambodia over the erosion of democracy and a crackdown on the opposition and media there. EU foreign ministers on Monday urged Cambodia "to restore democracy…
ATHENS, Greece – Greece's government is opening a last round of reforms talks with bailout creditors, just five months before the country's massive rescue loan program ends. Government officials say that the talks with representatives of Greece's European partners and…
HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese police have seized 100 kilograms of heroin worth $2.5 million in one of the country's largest drug busts. Two men were arrested on Friday in northern province of Cao Bang bordering China as they were allegedly…
BERLIN – German prosecutors say they have detained a 28-year-old Syrian man on allegations he fought with an extremist organization in Syria. Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement Monday that the suspect, whose name was not released, was detained last…
BRUSSELS – European Union foreign ministers have tasked the EU's top diplomat with drawing up a list of sanctions to slap on senior Myanmar military officers over rights abuses against the Rohingya minority. The ministers on Monday also ordered EU…
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Slovakia's top police officer says an investigative reporter has been shot dead in his home together with his girlfriend. Tibor Gaspar says Jan Kuciak and his partner were found dead on Sunday evening in their house in…
CAIRO – Human Rights Watch has sharply criticized Egyptian authorities for a series of "arbitrary" arrests of political opponents of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ahead of next month's presidential election, which the group considers "unfair." Monday's HRW statement urges for the…
JOHANNESBURG – Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria have been transported to South Africa to recover from physical and psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary. Fiona Miles with international animal welfare group…
CAIRO – A Yemeni minister has accused the United Arab Emirates of trying to fragment his country by creating separate "regional and tribal armies" in the south. Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since 2015, with a Saudi-led…
ROME – The Latest on cold weather and snow across Europe (all times local): 10:25 a.m. Temperatures in Moscow have dropped to this winter's low despite the approaching spring. The Meteorological Office said on Monday the mercury in the Russian…
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag says Ankara has submitted documents to the Czech authorities formally requesting the extradition of the former leader of a Syrian Kurdish party. Salih Muslim, former co-chair of the Democratic Union Party,…
JERUSALEM – An Israeli court has released four of the seven suspects held in a high-profile corruption case involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confidants after a judge apparently discussed their detention with an investigator. The development leaves two Netanyahu aides…
BEIRUT – The Latest on the war in Syria (all times local): 11:15 a.m. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says it's "high time to stop this hell on Earth" in Syria's embattled eastern Ghouta region. Guterres also appealed on the warring…
Are exorcisms real? Spirited Debate: Father Vincent Lampert on the reality of exorcisms and that they are still occurring even today The Vatican is launching a new international exorcism training course in response to rising demand for priests skilled in…
LONDON – Police say four people have died in an explosion that collapsed a building in the English city of Leicester. Officials said Monday another four people are hospitalized and more people may be missing. A search and rescue operation…
BEIRUT – A Syrian monitoring group and paramedics say that despite the U.N. cease-fire resolution, new bombardment of the rebel-held suburbs east of Damascus killed 10 people as airstrikes and bombing resumed. Syrian state TV broadcast live footage showing the…
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's president has joined the growing number of supporters of the country's MeToo movement. President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting with his advisers Monday that he expressed respect to the victims who spoke up…
BEIJING – Chinese censors are acting quickly to remove satirical comments about the ruling Communist Party's move to enable President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely, while political observers are examining the possibility that China will return to an…
ROME – Romans have awoken to a rare snowfall, after an Arctic storm passing over much of Europe dumped enough snow to force schools to close and public transport to reduce services. Rome's Mediterranean climate and proximity to the sea…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The Latest on a powerful earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea (all times local): 8:45 p.m. Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency says a powerful earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea caused panic and damaged buildings in the…
JUBA, South Sudan – One year after South Sudan briefly declared a famine, more than half of the people in the world's youngest nation face extreme hunger amid civil war and famine could return, a new report says. More than…
BEIJING – A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential…
ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani mountaineering official says a Polish K2 expedition has expressed concern after a member abandoned the team following a dispute with fellow climbers to attempt a solo ascent of the world's second-highest peak in winter. Karrar Haidri…
BEIJING – China's ruling Communist Party's proposed scrapping of a limit on presidential terms is upending three decades of efforts to restrict how long top leaders can hold office and setting the stage for party chief Xi Jinping to remain…
HOMS, Syria – In the Syrian city of Homs' landmark Clock Square, where some of the first anti-government protests erupted in 2011, stands a giant poster of a smiling President Bashar Assad waving his right arm, with a caption that…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Government officers in Papua New Guinea are traveling to the area hit by a powerful earthquake to assess unverified reports of fatalities and to see the extent of the damage. A magnitude-7.5 quake hit early Monday…
At least four people were killed in a massive building explosion in the English city of Leicester, police said Monday. Leicestershire police said four people were still hospitalized, including one with serious injuries. “There are four confirmed fatalities at this…
TORONTO – One was homeless, smoked crack cocaine and worked as a prostitute. Another was from a conservative Muslim family and hid the fact that he was gay from his family. Another was a recent immigrant with a drug problem.…
Animal lovers are outraged after learning a beloved pig that was nursed back to health and later adopted in Canada was killed and eaten by its new owners. Molly was one of 57 pot-bellied pigs rescued from a hoarding situation…
JAKARTA, Indonesia – The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation. The director of de-radicalization at Indonesia's counter-terrorism…
CANBERRA, Australia – A new Australian deputy prime minister has been appointed after his predecessor quit over a sexual harassment allegation. Lawmakers in the Nationals party elected Michael McCormack as their leader on Monday. The junior coalition partner's former leader…
At least six people were injured in the city of Leicester, U.K., on Sunday after British police said they were responding to reports of a massive building explosion, which they described as a "major incident." “All emergency services are currently…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The Latest on the earthquake in Papua New Guinea (all times local): 1 p.m. Officials are waiting for more information about damage from the magnitude 7.5 quake that hit Papua New Guinea early Monday. Chris McKee,…
LONDON – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola used the platform provided by his first cup success with the English Premier League team on Sunday to criticize the imprisonment of pro-independence Catalan politicians. Guardiola defied an English Football Association charge for…
At least four people were critically injured in the city of Leicester, U.K., on Sunday after British police said they were responding to reports of a massive building explosion, which they described as a "major incident." “All emergency services are…
THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek police say they have arrested two Syrian citizens on suspicion of transporting 20 people who allegedly had entered the country illegally from Turkey. The arrests happened Saturday, but announced by police on Sunday. Police said a…
British police on Sunday said they were responding to a "major incident" after receiving reports of an explosion in the city of Leicester, U.K. “All emergency services are currently dealing with this,” the police force tweeted just after 7 p.m…
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Five people have been killed and one injured in a shooting outside a bar in downtown Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican police said the incident occurred around midnight Saturday in the town of Comerio, about 19…
BUDAPEST, Hungary – A candidate supported by several opposition parties in Hungary has been elected mayor of a southern city long dominated by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party. Analysts say Peter Marki-Zay's surprising victory in Hodmezovasarhely on Sunday could…
