PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron's office is closing the press room inside the presidential palace amid broader efforts by the French leader to control his public image. Advisers for Macron announced Wednesday that journalists will be moved to a…
JOHANNESBURG – Managers of a wildlife area in South Africa say a pride of lions killed a suspected poacher. The Umbabat Private Nature Reserve says the man was killed last week and that two sets of human tracks were found…
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…
BERLIN – The German government has called on British Prime Minister Theresa May to present her government's plans about the future relationship between Britain and the European Union after it leaves the bloc. A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel…
MEXICO CITY – Mexico's Interior Department says the federal intelligence agency sent a plainclothes agent to tail an opposition presidential candidate, even though the candidate never asked for and apparently did not want a tail. There have long been fears…
BERLIN – German police have asked the public in an unusual move to help find a young man who was allegedly involved in the gang rape of at least two female high school students in the western town of Essen.…
BEIRUT – The Latest on Syria related developments (all times local): 4:25 p.m. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister says allegations that Syria is using chemical weapons are an attempt to "justify hostile acts." Faisal Mekdad denied Wednesday in comments published on…
WARSAW, Poland – Top European Union official says there's a "good chance" for a better understanding with Poland, some of whose policies have led to an unprecedented dispute with EU leaders. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was upbeat Wednesday about…
LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia's defense minister says an explosive was used in a blast that has killed at least four people during Carnival celebrations — the second deadly explosion to hit the city of Oruro during the celebrations. Javier…
BRUSSELS – Human rights group Amnesty International has slammed Hungary's new anti-migration bill, saying it would allow the government to target any non-governmental organization working with migrants if it becomes law. Amnesty said Wednesday that the bill could suspend, disband…
BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is urging European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia. Stoltenberg said Wednesday that "to keep our…
TEHRAN, Iran – Some Iranian youth are celebrating Valentine's Day even though authorities have banned the celebrations as part of "decadent Western culture." Coffee shops and restaurants are crowded with boys and girls celebrating with their loved ones and exchanging…
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Ukrainian opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili has flown to the Netherlands, his wife's home country, after being ejected from Ukraine into neighboring Poland. It was not immediately clear how long he will stay and what he will…
PRISTINA, Kosovo – Kosovo's president has called an international war crimes court with jurisdiction over potential Kosovar suspects a "historical injustice," adding his government only reluctantly accepted it as the "price for its liberty." In an interview with The Associated…
VATICAN CITY – When a Vatican court convicted a Chilean predator priest of sex crimes, it went out of its way to affirm the credibility of his victims. Their testimony had been consistent and corroborated, while their motives in coming…
PARIS – French customs authorities say they have seized a giant stash of weapons found hidden in a sports store in the northern French region of Picardy. In a Wednesday statement, the French custom office said that its officers seized…
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq – Now that Iraq has claimed victory over the Islamic State group after a bloody 3 1/2-year war, the U.S.-led coalition is decreasing air support in the country — the latest indication of the coalition's shrinking…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – An international media watchdog group says the Arab Gulf state of Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of seven journalists and social media activists since a wave of anti-government protests broke out seven years ago. Reporters…
LAHORE, Pakistan – Hundreds of pro-Islamist university students have rallied in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore to show their opposition to Valentine's Day. Wednesday's rally came days after Pakistan's media regulatory authority, based on a court order, instructed all news…
PARIS – A French court is expected to hand down a verdict for a man accused of harboring killers who carried out the 2015 Paris attacks, in the first trial related to the country's deadliest extremist violence since World War…
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan police say at least seven people have died in a building collapse in a busy area of the capital. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara says firefighters and police are searching for people who may be…
JERUSALEM – An Israeli court has ordered that an Australian woman accused of sex crimes be placed under psychiatric evaluation until further notice. The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Wednesday that the woman remain in custody while the district psychiatrist…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has started seizing assets and funds belonging to Islamic charities linked to a radical cleric wanted by Washington who was released from detention late last year. It's the first step against Hafiz Saeed since he was freed…
Prince Henrik died late Tuesday at the age 83. (AP) Prince Henrik, the French-born husband of Danish monarch Queen Margrethe who publicly vented his frustration at not being the social equal of his wife or their son in line to…
BANGKOK – Police in Thailand say garbage collectors have found four fetuses in the trash at a popular resort town. Police Lt. Sommit Petchpradab said the fetuses were discovered Tuesday by garbage collectors in Hua Hin, 145 kilometers (90 miles)…
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron has said that he will order strikes in Syria if there is "proven evidence" that President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons against civilians. Macron told reporters on Tuesday evening France "will strike the…
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Blowing whistles and horns, thousands of Slovenian teachers are rallying for higher wages in the latest in a string of strikes and protests by public sector workers in the small European Union country. Most schools in Slovenia…
WARSAW, Poland – A Polish opposition activist and Solidarity-era hero has been briefly detained, handcuffed and charged with his role in obstructing a pro-government demonstration last year. Police detained Wladyslaw Frasyniuk early Wednesday at his home in Wroclaw, in the…
BANGKOK – Two Myanmar journalists facing up to 14 years in prison if convicted of receiving government secrets have appeared for the latest hearing in Yangon, one day after it was announced that they had won a major press freedom…
BERLIN – German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called for the release of a German-Turkish journalist who marks one year in a Turkish prison Wednesday. Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for the daily Die Welt, still has not been formally charged…
MELBOURNE, Australia – Lawyers for the most senior Catholic cleric to face sex charges have told an Australian court that the allegations stemmed from publicity surrounding a national inquiry into child abuse three years ago. Cardinal George Pell was charged…
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodian lawmakers have unanimously approved changes to the criminal code and the constitution that can further limit free speech and political activities, already under stress from the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. All 123 members…
JERUSALEM – The Latest in Israel after police recommended corruption charges against embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (all times local): 9:55 a.m. Israeli opposition politicians are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign following police recommendations that he be…
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Turkey and Greece have agreed to settle tensions through dialogue, a day after a Greek coast guard vessel was damaged in a collision with a Turkish patrol boat in the Aegean…
AMMAN, Jordan – Despite repeated threats to punish countries that don't agree with U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Trump administration is set to boost aid to Jordan by more than $1 billion over the next five years. President…
BEIJING – Millions in China are boarding trains, planes and automobiles in the travel rush ahead of Friday's Lunar New Year. The world's largest seasonal human migration actually begins a few weeks before China's most important traditional festival, as people…
JERUSALEM – Israeli police have recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges in two corruption cases, a development that deals an embarrassing blow to the embattled prime minister and is likely to fuel calls…
FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates – The waters of the Persian Gulf have long been home to pearl oysters, providing a valuable mainstay to the Arab tribes that subsisted off its trade before the discovery of oil pumped new life into…
BEIRUT – New fronts have opened up in Syria as President Bashar Assad and his allies push toward final victory and the fight against the Islamic State group draws to an end. This threatens an even broader confrontation among regional…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Thousands of Tonga residents face a long wait for power and other services to be restored after a cyclone tore through the Pacific nation this week. More details emerged Wednesday about the damage caused by Cyclone…
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine president's spokesman says his government rejects and does not recognize Chinese names given to undersea features in a vast offshore region where the Philippines has undisputed sovereign rights. Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Wednesday that…
QUETTA, Pakistan – Pakistani police say gunmen riding on motorcycles have opened fire on a vehicle carrying paramilitary soldiers in the country's southwest, killing four troops before fleeing. Abdur Razzaq Cheema, the police chief in Quetta, said Wednesday's attack took…
LA PAZ, Bolivia – An explosion killed two people and injured 10 Tuesday night in the same Bolivian town where eight people died and 40 were injured during weekend Carnival celebrations by a blast that has been blamed on a…
MEXICO CITY – Mexican authorities say dozens of dolphins have been found stranded on a rocky beach along the coast of Baja California Sur state. The federal environmental protection agency says 54 of the marine mammals came onshore in the…
Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, is looking the Security Council to act toward the repatriation of nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees who were forced to flee Burma to neighboring Bangladesh following a major military crackdown last…
UNITED NATIONS – Venezuela and Libya have been suspended from voting in the U.N. General Assembly for the third time in three years because of millions of dollars in unpaid dues to the world body. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed the…
LIMA, Peru – The host nation for a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders has withdrawn its invitation to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro over his country's plan to hold an early presidential election. Peruvian Foreign Minister Cayetana Aljovin said Tuesday that…
CANBERRA, Australia – Australia's deputy prime minister was under mounting pressure Wednesday to resign as his party's leader over revelations of a relationship with a former staffer. Newspapers revealed last week that Barnaby Joyce and his former media adviser are…
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. experts say "a political solution in Libya remains out of reach in the near future." The panel says in the summary of a report to the Security Council that despite U.N. efforts to overcome the current…
The Israeli military judge overseeing the trial of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi has ordered all proceedings to take place behind closed doors. (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) An Israeli military judge overseeing the trial of Palestinian teenager…
