world news

Slovakia's coalition to face no confidence parliament vote

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia –  Slovakia's three-party coalition government will face a parliamentary no-confidence vote next week amid the political turmoil set off by the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. The vote requested by the opposition has been set…

Volkswagen boss vows to be 'part of solution' on diesel

FRANKFURT, Germany –  Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller says the automaker had "an excellent year" in 2017 and is committed to addressing concerns about diesel pollution. Mueller cited the company's efforts to reduce diesel emissions and recover from its 2015 diesel…

Iraqi PM reopens Kurdish airports to international flights

BAGHDAD –  Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says he is reopening airports in Iraq's Kurdish region to international flights after federal authority was restored at the hubs. Al-Abadi's announcement on Tuesday comes some six months after the airports were initially…

Egypt escalates crackdown on media ahead of election

CAIRO –  Egyptian authorities have published a list of telephone numbers for citizens to use to bring attention to any media reports they perceive as undermining the country's security or hurting public interest. The publication of the numbers — listed…

The Latest: Hamas condemns explosion targeting Pals PM

JABALIYA, Gaza Strip –  The Latest on explosion striking Palestinian PM convoy in Gaza (all times local): 11:50 a.m. The Hamas militant group has condemned the Gaza explosion that targeted the convoy of visiting Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. In a…

Turkey approves controversial changes to election laws

ANKARA, Turkey –  Turkey's parliament has approved changes to Turkey's electoral laws that critics say are aimed at helping President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidate power and could lead to election fraud. The changes were approved Tuesday after an all-night session…

German court rejects bid for gender-sensitive bank forms

BERLIN –  A German federal court has rejected a customer's demand for her bank to include the feminine form of words such as "account holder" on official forms. The Federal Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that plaintiff Marlies Kraemer hadn't…

Explosion strikes Palestinian PM's convoy in Gaza

JABALIYA, Gaza Strip –  An explosion has struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister during a rare visit to Gaza, sparking fears of an assassination attempt. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was unharmed Tuesday but his Palestinian Authority quickly…

Car bomb kills 3 in southern Yemeni city of Aden

SANAA, Yemen –  Yemeni security officials say at least three people have been killed when a car bomb went off outside a supply post belonging to a security force backed by the United Arab Emirates in the southern port city…

No honeymoon: US relations, EU future challenge Merkel

BERLIN –  A record 171 days after Germany's election, Angela Merkel is set to pledge for the fourth time to dedicate her efforts to Germans' well-being and "protect them from harm." Merkel has 12 often-turbulent years as chancellor behind her.…

The Latest: Turkey says it has laid siege to Afrin in Syria

BEIRUT –  The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local): 10:15 a.m. Turkey's military says its troops and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters have begun a siege of the Syrian Kurdish-held northern town of Afrin. The military said in a…

Bali to shush social media for Day of Silence

BALI, Indonesia –  Bali's annual Day of Silence is so sacred that even reaching for a smartphone to send a tweet or upload a selfie to social media could cause offense. This year it will be nearly impossible to do…

Southeast Asian ride-hailing app Grab expands into lending

JAKARTA, Indonesia –  Southeast Asian ride hailing app Grab is expanding into financial services in partnership with a Japanese credit card company, hoping to offer credit to millions of people without bank accounts. Grab, founded by Malaysian businessman Anthony Tan,…

Iranian parliament begins hearing on Minister of Labor

TEHRAN, Iran –  Iranian lawmakers have begun a hearing on the labor minister's alleged mismanagement of unemployment and other government enterprises. The hearing could lead to the impeachment of Ali Rabiei if there is a majority vote in parliament against…

Turkish bus hits truck, bursts into flames; 13 dead

ANKARA, Turkey –  Turkey's state-run news agency says a passenger bus has burst into flames after hitting a truck, killing at least 13 people. Anadolu Agency says the accident occurred Tuesday on a highway in the central Turkish province of…

Rebel group vows to fight and not leave Syria's Ghouta

BEIRUT –  The largest rebel group in the besieged suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus has vowed not to leave the area and to continue fighting advancing government forces. The Army of Islam was responding to some local reports that…

US Defense Secretary Mattis arrives in Afghan capital

KABUL, Afghanistan –  U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has arrived in the Afghan capital to take stock of the war, with emphasis on prospects for drawing at least some Taliban fighters into reconciling with the Afghan government. The visit, which…

Official: Insurgents attacked police checkpoint, killing 5

KABUL, Afghanistan –  An Afghan official says at least five Afghan police forces have been killed after insurgents attacked their checkpoint in western Farah province. Fared Bakhtawer, head of the provincial council in Farah, said Tuesday that Insurgents took five…

China's Xi gains power with merger of anti-corruption bodies

BEIJING –  Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign stands to gain a major boost as the ceremonial legislature moves to establish a powerful new agency with authority over vast numbers of workers in the public sector. The National People's Congress…