PARIS – Facing a court-imposed deadline, French lawmakers have approved a measure that allows detention for asylum-seekers and their families, and limitless house arrest for foreign convicts who cannot be expelled. In a contentious late-night vote Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron's…
ANKARA, Turkey – Dozens of demonstrators have marched to a building where the top U.S. and Turkish diplomats are seeking to ease some of the worst tensions in years between the two NATO allies. The group, waving Turkish flags, protested…
DHAKA, Bangladesh – An official says a visiting Myanmar minister has told Bangladesh's president that Myanmar is ready to take back Rohingya Muslims who fled violence there. Presidential spokesman Joynal Abedin said Friday that Myanmar's Home Minister Kyaw Swe told…
MANILA, Philippines – The body of a Filipino housemaid found stuffed in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait has been returned to the Philippines to her grieving family. A sister of Joanna Daniela Demafelis broke into tears and…
JERUSALEM – Facial hair is trendy worldwide these days, but in Jerusalem beards have never gone out of style, projecting religious mysticism, nationalism and ideals of masculinity. For men of all faiths in the holy city, a beard can be…
BEIRUT – One-month-old Heyim Hassan was receiving treatment for a chest infection in the Afrin general hospital in northern Syria when a shell landed a few meters (feet) away. His panicked father whisked him out of the building and spent…
KABUL, Afghanistan – Since the International Criminal Court began collecting material three months ago for a possible war crimes case involving Afghanistan, it has gotten a staggering 1.17 million statements from Afghans who say they were victims. The statements include…
MEXICO CITY – The bronco, the jaguar, and the former first lady: These three outsiders appear destined for Mexico's July 1 ballot as the first independent candidates to seek the presidency in generations, the result of a reform seen as…
LONDON – Russian oligarch-turned-dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky says he's not interested in replacing Vladimir Putin as president. Khodorkovsky told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that he might vote for TV star Ksenia Sobchak in next month's presidential election —…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's army says it has killed five Indian soldiers by destroying their post in the Himalayan region of Kashmir after Indian sniper fire struck a school van, killing the driver. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor says in…
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – The head of the Organization of American States' anti-corruption mission in Honduras has resigned citing a lack of support from the regional body and the Honduran government. Juan Jimenez Mayor said Thursday that the OAS didn't provide…
TOKYO – The government has nominated Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda to serve a second five-year term as the head of the central bank. The proposal Friday to a parliamentary committee was expected to gain approval before Kuroda's term…
The following screen grab is from a video released by the Shanghai Police Department that shows two unidentified men attempting to break into a storefront window. (The Shanghai Police Department ) Arguably the worst attempt at a robbery was caught…
OTTAWA, Ontario – Canadians will have to wait until at least early August or later to legally purchase recreational marijuana. As recently as last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government was insisting it was on track for legalization in July.…
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Leaders of Honduras' political opposition have denied accusations from the president that street gangs tried to swing the November election in their favor through intimidation. Earlier this week President Juan Orlando Hernandez called for an investigation by…
RIO DE JANEIRO – A man convicted in the killing of yachtsman Sir Peter Blake has been caught in Brazil after being on the run for more than 15 years. Civil police spokesman Walrimar Santos told The Associated Press Thursday…
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. envoy for South Sudan says he hopes "some form of agreement" will be signed Friday in Ethiopia's capital where talks are taking place aimed at ending the country's five-year civil war. David Shearer told reporters…
ORURO, Bolivia – Children returned to school Thursday and nervous adults tried to get back to normal after being stunned by two deadly explosions during this mining city's exuberant Carnival celebrations. People remained on edge as authorities sought explanations for…
KABUL, Afghanistan – Since the International Criminal Court began collecting material three months ago for a possible war crimes case involving Afghanistan, it has gotten a staggering 1.17 million statements from Afghans who say they were victims. The statements include…
CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says he isn't above crashing a party after his invitation was yanked. He told international journalists Thursday that he's determined to show up for the Summit of the Americas, a meeting of regional…
ROME – Prosecutors have opened an investigation into a 10-meter (30-foot) -wide sinkhole that swallowed up a half-dozen cars on a residential street in Rome. No one was injured in Wednesday evening's collapse in the Balduina neighborhood, but families in…
JERUSALEM – Israel's attorney general has praised a police investigation into the prime minister, saying it was done "by the book." In a speech at Tel Aviv University on Thursday, Avihai Mandelblit says the investigation was carried out "professionally and…
KEDROVOYE, Russia – For Russian mother Farkhanur Gavrilova, the blow came a week ago when an acquaintance called her to say that her son was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria that pitted Russian and U.S. combatants against each…
MEXICO CITY – The Roman Catholic diocese where two priests were killed earlier this month has withdrawn all nuns from the hyper-violent city of Chilapa in southern Mexico. The diocese said in a statement that the parents of one of…
JAKARTA, Indonesia – The most comprehensive study of Borneo's orangutans estimates their numbers have plummeted by more than 100,000 since 1999, as the palm oil and paper industries shrink their jungle habitat and fatal conflicts with people increase. The finding,…
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – El Salvador's Supreme Court has commuted the sentence of a woman serving 30 years in prison for what she says was a stillbirth. The court ruled Thursday that evidence in the case did not prove…
JOHANNESBURG – Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu says he will no longer be a global ambassador for the British-based aid organization Oxfam after allegations that senior staff members in crisis zones paid for sex among the desperate people the…
BANGALORE, India – A five-story building under construction collapsed Thursday in southern India, killing at least three workers and trapping several others, a fire official said. The official, M.N. Reddi, said at least seven people have been rescued from the…
Peru authorities said Alexander Delgado drugged his brother and swapped places with him to escape from prison. (Peru Ministry of Interior) A prisoner in a Peru jail allegedly drugged his twin brother, changed into his clothes and walked out a…
PARIS – Authorities say three skiers have died after being swept away by an avalanche in the French Pyrenees. The prefecture in the southern Hautes-Pyrenees region said the bodies of the three men were found Thursday, a day after an…
LIVERPOOL, England – A former English youth soccer coach was convicted of 43 charges of sex abuse against 11 young players in a trial that detailed how he shattered the trust of boys who dreamed of becoming professionals. Barry Bennell…
MOSCOW – Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee says a special forces officer has been killed in a shootout with a militant that also left the fighter dead. The clash occurred Thursday in a rural area of Dagestan, a republic in the…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's army says Indian fire has struck a school van from across the frontier in Kashmir, killing the driver and forcing residents to flee to safety. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor says Indian forces in an "unethical…
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The American prosecutor working to bring to justice former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army accused of crimes against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo's war for independence is stepping down at the end of next month. Specialist…
Report: More than 100 Russians killed US airstrikes in Syria The U.S. struck back with a massive round of airstrikes last week after coming under attack by a battalion-sized pro-Assad unit that many believed contained Russian mercenary contractors; national security…
ANKARA, Turkey – The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local): 4:15 p.m. The Russian Foreign Ministry says five Russians have been killed in a U.S. strike in Syria, the first official recognition of Russian deaths in the incident…
CAIRO – The United States Embassy in Sudan says it is "deeply concerned by the continued arrests and detentions of hundreds of political leaders, activists and ordinary citizens" in the country. In a Thursday statement it says that many of…
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Two more Westerners arrested in Cambodia for allegedly posting photos on social media of sexually suggestive dancing have been released, leaving only a British man incarcerated. A spokesman for the Siem Reap provincial court, Yim Srang,…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has submitted a resignation letter after the worst anti-government protests in a quarter-century, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported Thursday. "The prime minister said he tried his utmost effort to solve…
CAIRO – Egypt says its security forces have killed 53 militants since the beginning of a massive security operation, mainly in restive northern Sinai Peninsula, the epicenter of a years-long Islamic insurgency. Armed forces spokesman Tamer al-Rifaai said Thursday that…
GAUHATI, India – Indian police say an air force helicopter has crashed in the remote northeast, killing both crewmembers on board. Police officer Mukesh Aggarwal says the crash occurred Thursday while the helicopter was flying to Majoli island from Gauhati,…
MOSCOW – Russia's communications providers have blocked access to the website of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on orders of the state communications watchdog. The agency, Roskomnadzor, demanded that Navalny remove a video alleging that Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko received…
WARSAW, Poland – Poland's senate leader has appealed to Poles living abroad to report to the authorities any statements deemed "anti-Polish" or hurt "Poland's good name." The letter posted on the Senate's website is part of a wider campaign by…
TEHRAN, Iran – A top Iranian general has lashed out at Israel during a commemoration for a Hezbollah figure killed in a 2008 Damascus car bombing that the group blamed on Israel. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds Force, pledged…
BRUSSELS – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday the United States and Turkey are having an open dialogue about their growing differences over the fight in Syria, and are "finding common ground." Speaking at the close of a NATO…
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe's president is expressing condolences over the death of longtime opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and says upcoming elections must be free and fair "in tribute to him." Tsvangirai, who was the boldest opponent to longtime leader Robert…
GENEVA – International aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says it has taken action on 24 cases of sexual harassment or abuse among employees last year and dismissed 19 people in the process. The Switzerland-based organization also known as Doctors Without…
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's defense minister says he has asked his American counterpart that the United States end its support for Syrian Kurdish fighters and remove them from a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, that if fighting the Islamic…
BRUSSELS – NATO's chief says the alliance plans to expand its military training mission in Iraq and help the conflict-ravaged country develop new academies and schools for its armed forces. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that "we will scale…
A Judge under the U.S. Department of Labor ruled last month that open-air burn pits -- in which thousands of chemicals were released into the air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and…
