World News

The Latest: UN gets $100M for Palestinians but still short

ROME –  The Latest on the U.N. donor conference for Palestinian refugees (all times local): 1:45 p.m. The United Nations says a donor conference has produced nearly $100 million in new pledges to fund the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian…

2 killed during land mine clearance training in Cambodia

SIEM REAP, Cambodia –  A land mine exploded accidently during clearance training at a military base in western Cambodia on Thursday, killing two people, including an Australian trainer, and injuring three others, police said. National police said the explosion occurred…

Massive 'Peace March' in Hungary backing Viktor Orban

BUDAPEST, Hungary –  A massive march is underway in Budapest in support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government, three weeks ahead of parliamentary elections. Tens of thousands of people are marching across Margit Bridge on the Danube…

Egypt orders release of 2 detained journalists

CAIRO –  Egypt has ordered the release of two freelance journalists who were arrested while preparing a report on a historic tramway in Alexandria. The defense lawyer for May al-Sabbagh and Ahmed Moustafa, arrested on Feb. 28, says prosecutors ordered…

Syria marks 7 years of war; hundreds leave besieged enclave

Smoke rises from a building in the city of Homs, Syria, in this file photo from March 2013.  (Reuters) Hundreds of civilians streamed out of a town in Syria's besieged, opposition-held enclave of eastern Ghouta on Thursday, crossing on foot…

Ukraine lawmaker says speaker was involved in 2014 killings

MOSCOW –  A former military pilot who became a national icon in Ukraine after spending two years in a Russian prison has accused Ukraine's parliament speaker of being associated with snipers who fired on the crowds during the country's 2014…

Portugal, Spain nab more than 2 tons of cocaine, arrest 10

LISBON, Portugal –  Spanish and Portuguese police have intercepted about 2.5 metric tons (2.76 tons) of cocaine in a cross-border operation. A Portuguese police statement says the operation also led to the arrest of nine men and one woman of…

Muslims lament lack of solidarity over German mosque attacks

BERLIN –  Muslim groups in Germany are asking for greater solidarity from officials and the general public over a series of attacks against mosques. Several recent attacks on Turkish-backed mosques in Germany have been blamed on Kurdish groups angered by…

Italian police arrest suspect flagged by FBI

MILAN –  Italian police have arrested a 24-year man found in possession of explosive materials after the FBI flagged him as a possible extremist. Police in the central Italian city of Viterbo said Thursday that they searched the man's house…

Door from building in deadly London blaze fails fire test

LONDON –  Police say a door from a London high-rise that went up in flames, killing 71 people, has failed an expert fire safety test. The Metropolitan Police force said Thursday that an undamaged door from Grenfell Tower withstood flames…

Israel strikes Gaza after bombs planted near border

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip –  Israel says it struck four militant positions in the Gaza Strip after fighters there planted two explosive devices near the border. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the two bombs were planted on the…

French pensioners protest loss in income due to new tax

PARIS –  Thousands of retired workers are taking to the streets across France to protest against a new hike in a tax taken from their pensions. Protests are planned in several cities around the country Thursday over the 1.7 percent…

Pakistanis attend funerals for 9 killed in suicide bombing

LAHORE, Pakistan –  Hundreds of Pakistani mourners have attended the funerals of nine people — five police officers and four civilians — killed when a Taliban suicide bomber struck a police checkpoint on the outskirts of the eastern city of…

Mauritius president denies reports of financial misconduct

JOHANNESBURG –  A financial scandal is threatening to unseat Africa's only female head of state, the president of the Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius. President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, whose role is mostly ceremonial, faces allegations that she used a credit card…

Pakistani court charges deputy minister for insulting judges

ISLAMABAD –  A Pakistani court has charged the country's deputy interior minister with insulting judges and set a hearing date for his testimony later this month. The official, Talal Chaudhry, pleaded not guilty during an appearance before the court on…

Egypt's president says ready to join fight against militants

CAIRO –  With less than two weeks before elections, Egypt's president says he's prepared to personally join security forces battling Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula. The outcome of the March 26-28 election is a foregone conclusion, with general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah…

Searches, arrests in Catalonia amid widening probe

MADRID –  Police in Barcelona have searched the seat of the Catalan regional government as part of a widening probe on the funding of last year's banned Catalan referendum on independence from Spain. A Civil Guard spokesman said agents also…

UN seeks money for Palestinians after US slashes funding

ROME –  The United Nations chief is warning that a U.S.-induced half-billion-dollar funding shortfall for the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians risks cutting critical services that could "push the suffering in disastrous and unpredictable directions." Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed an…

Pakistan calls home India envoy over harassment allegations

ISLAMABAD –  Pakistan's foreign ministry says it has called its top diplomat in India back home for consultations after allegations of harassment of Pakistani diplomatic staff in New Delhi. Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal says the decision was taken after Pakistani…

Bangladesh mourns dead in crash of Dhaka-Kathmandu flight

DHAKA, Bangladesh –  Bangladesh is mourning those who died in the crash of a plane from Dkaha as it was landing in Kathmandu, Nepal. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered national flags be flown at half-staff at all government…

Military helicopter crashes in southern Senegal, killing 8

DAKAR, Senegal –  Authorities in Senegal say at least eight people were killed when a military helicopter crashed into a field of mangroves. Army spokesman Col. Abdoul Ndiaye confirmed the death toll Thursday. There was no immediate reason given for…

British involved in 'dirty dancing' case goes on trial

SIEM REAP, Cambodia –  A Cambodian court has started the trial of a British man who was among a group of foreigners arrested for allegedly posting photos on social media of sexually suggestive dancing. Daniel Jones, who has been charged…

Nepal authorities struggle to identify plane crash survivors

KATHMANDU, Nepal –  Officials in Nepal say they are struggling to identify many of the 22 survivors of a deadly plane crash, with many badly burned, in critical condition and unable to speak. Police spokesman Manoj Neupane says extensive burns,…