world news

Tourists turn polo players for a day in Argentina

CAPILLA DEL SENOR, Argentina –  Riding a polo horse on Argentina's Pampas grasslands, Martin Folan swings a mallet in a wide arc and hit the ball with a loud clink, slotting it between two posts to cheers of "Goal!" Not…

Japan calls for North Korean steps toward denuclearization

TOKYO –  Japan's leader is calling on North Korea to take concrete steps toward denuclearization. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that he welcomes any dialogue premised on denuclearization. He spoke ahead of a meeting in Tokyo with South Korea…

49 dead from plane that crashed while landing in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal –  Nepal officials say the plane crash at Kathmandu's airport a day earlier killed 49 people among the 71 on board. The plane coming from Bangladesh swerved erratically and flew dangerously low before crashing and erupting in flames…

UN chief calls himself 'proud feminist,' urges men to follow

UNITED NATIONS –  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling himself "a proud feminist" and says all men should support women's rights and gender equality. His announcement was loudly applauded at Monday's opening of the annual two-week meeting of the Commission…

No terms limits could give Xi more sway on Hong Kong, Taiwan

BEIJING –  China's move to scrap term limits and allow Xi Jinping to serve as president indefinitely puts him on track to deal with some of the country's weightiest long-term sovereignty challenges, especially the fates of Hong Kong and Taiwan.…

UN official warns of humanitarian "catastrophe" in Venezuela

BOGOTA, Colombia –  A senior U.N. official says Colombia needs international help as it struggles with a humanitarian catastrophe along its border from Venezuelans driven from their homes by hunger. David Beasley is director of the World Food Program and…

US official: Maximum pressure on North Korea until progress

UNITED NATIONS –  The U.S. national security adviser says President Donald Trump is optimistic about the opportunity for a diplomatic solution in North Korea — but will keep up maximum pressure until there is "real progress" toward denuclearization of the…

Shooting at 'quinceanera' birthday party kills 2 in Mexico

MEXICO CITY –  Authorities in southern Mexico say three assailants shot up a 15-year-old's "quinceanera" or coming-of-age birthday party, killing two people and wounding four more. Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez says the incident took place around 2:30 a.m.…

Skulls show women moved across medieval Europe, not just men

BERLIN –  Scientists say they have found intriguing evidence that women also migrated long distances across medieval Europe, not just men. The discovery of unusually shaped female skulls at burial sites in Germany's Bavaria prompted the researchers to take a…

Mexico arrests suspect in 2014 case of 43 missing students

MEXICO CITY –  Mexican prosecutors say they have arrested a man who allegedly played a decisive role in the disappearance of 43 college students in 2014. The Attorney General's Office says the suspect probably belonged to the Guerreros Unidos drug…

French far-right youth official resigns over racial slur

PARIS –  A young official of France's far-right National Front has resigned after he was recorded using a racial slur outside a congress aimed at remaking the party's identity. Davy Rodriguez, the No. 2 in the party's youth wing, was…

'Accountant of Auschwitz' reportedly dies in hospital

BERLIN –  German prosecutors say they have been notified that a former guard dubbed the "accountant of Auschwitz" has died. Hannover prosecutor Kathrin Soefker says a lawyer informed her office that Oskar Groening died Friday in a hospital. Soefker says…

An American family trapped amid Assad’s brutal attacks

As the Assad regime continues to defy a Feb. 24 United Nations Security Council-mandated ceasefire in the Damascus suburbs known as eastern Ghouta, at least one American citizen and her family are huddled in a small basement in the enclave,…

The Latest: More protests of Slovak reporter's death planned

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia –  The Latest on the slaying of an investigative journalist and his fiancee in Slovakia (all times local): 8:00 p.m. Anti-government protesters in Slovakia are planning to hold more rallies over the slaying of an investigative journalist even…

British PM: Russia 'highly likely' behind ex-spy's poisoning

LONDON –  Russia is "highly likely" to blame for poisoning a former spy and his daughter with a military-grade nerve agent, Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday, demanding that Moscow give a compelling explanation or face "extensive" retaliation. May told…

US scientists rescued in Antarctica by Argentina icebreaker

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina –  An Argentine icebreaker has rescued five American scientists who were stranded in an island off the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Argentina's Foreign Ministry says the five scientists conducting research at Joinville Island were airlifted…

Colombia renews peace talks with last remaining rebel group

BOGOTA, Colombia –  Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he's resuming peace talks with the nation's last remaining rebel group. Santos told the nation in a televised broadcast Monday that he's sending his chief negotiator back to Ecuador for a…