world news

Peru president signaled for taking money from Odebrecht

LIMA, Peru –  Accusations of corruption are again enveloping Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski after a high-ranking executive from scandal-plagued Brazilian builder Odebrecht allegedly said he contributed money to the leader's 2011 campaign. The allegations against Kuczynski were made Wednesday…

Belarusian sex worker alleges Trump-Russia tie without proof

PATTAYA, Thailand –  A Belarusian woman jailed in Thailand for offering sex lessons without a work permit says she has a story to tell involving the Kremlin, Russian billionaires and even the president of the United States. Anastasia Vashukevich, whose…

4 UN peacekeepers killed in central Mali

DAKAR, Senegal –  The U.N. mission in Mali says four of its peacekeepers have been killed after their vehicle hit an explosive device in the central Mopti region. Mali mission chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif said the four were killed Wednesday…

UK police arrest 3 men over blast that killed 5 people

LONDON –  British police say they have arrested three men in connection with an explosion over the weekend in the English city of Leicester that killed five people. Sunday's blast caused the collapse of a building which housed a shop…

Israeli military to probe raid that killed Palestinian

JERUSALEM –  Israel's army says military police have opened an investigation into a raid in which a Palestinian was killed. It made the announcement Wednesday after new footage emerged showing the 33-year-old running down an alley with a long object…

Iranian FM on Eastern Europe trip meets Bulgarian officials

SOFIA, Bulgaria –  The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Iran have discussed the state of affairs in the Middle East and bilateral economic relations. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva and her Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said they talked about…

Mexican police allegedly used near death-squad tactics

VERACRUZ, Mexico –  Prosecutors in the corruption-plagued Mexican state of Veracruz say police set up units that used dirty-war, death-squad style tactics to abduct, kill and dispose of at least 15 people suspected of being drug cartel informers and drug…

Germany: Anti-government extremist group strong in Bavaria

BERLIN –  Bavarian authorities say about one in four known members of an anti-government extremist group live in the southern state and they're investigating whether there are even more. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said Wednesday that 3,850 members of…

Berlusconi pick for premier, Tajani, campaigns in Brussels

ROME –  The man tapped by Silvio Berlusconi as his choice for Italy's next premier has met with laid off Italian union workers and vowed to pull strings to intervene in the politically clamorous closure of their Turin refrigerator factory.…

Greek PM in mini-reshuffle after rent allowance scandal

ATHENS, Greece –  Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has appointed deputy premier Yannis Dragasakis as the country's economy and development minister in a limited cabinet reshuffle triggered by a rent allowance scandal. In a statement Wednesday, the government said Dragasakis will…

Merkel says Germany has 'no-go areas;' gov't won't say where

BERLIN –  German officials have been left speechless by Chancellor Angela Merkel's comment that there are "no-go areas" in the country. The notion there are places in Germany outsiders — including police — can't visit has previously been dismissed by…

EU's Juncker urges Kosovo solve border deal with Montenegro

PRISTINA, Kosovo –  European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has called on Kosovo to ratify a border demarcation deal with Montenegro and improve ties with Serbia. Juncker continued his Balkan tour in Kosovo on Wednesday, the first visit by an EU…

Honduras' former first lady arrested in graft case

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras –  Authorities say military police have arrested the wife of former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo as part of a corruption case. Police arrived at the Lobo home in six vehicles and searched the residence before leaving with former…

Suspected serial rapist arrested in northern France

PARIS –  A man suspected of sexually assaulting dozens of women over more than 20 years has been arrested in northern France. A prosecutor in Valenciennes, some 210 kilometers (130.5 miles) north of Paris, said that the suspect, whose identity…

Nigeria orders 'all schools' defended in Boko Haram region

LAGOS, Nigeria –  The office of Nigeria's president says police and civil defense forces are ordered to defend all schools in "liberated areas" of the northeast to avoid further attacks on schools by Boko Haram extremists. Many in Africa's most…