world news

Pakistan says Indian sniper fire killed worker in Kashmir

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan –  Pakistan's foreign ministry says Indian troops opened fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing a laborer on the Pakistani side of the boundary. The statement says the ministry summoned an Indian diplomat to lodge protest…

Retirees protest across Spain to call for higher pensions

MADRID –  Retirees are demonstrating across Spain, calling for higher pensions and urging authorities to ensure funding for social security. The biggest protests are in cities including Bilbao, Barcelona and the capital, Madrid, where thousands screamed "Thieves, thieves!" at the…

Egyptian court sentences 21 to death on terrorism charges

CAIRO –  An Egyptian court has sentenced 21 people to death and seven others to up to life in prison on terrorism-related charges. Thursday's verdict, reported by the state-run MENA news agency, can be appealed. Out of the 28 on…

Duterte bans reporter from presidential palace compound

MANILA, Philippines –  The Philippine president has banned a reporter from entering the presidential palace compound to attend news briefings because her online news organization's license to operate was revoked by the government's corporate watchdog. President Rodrigo Duterte invoked Thursday…

Bangladesh High Court accepts appeal by ex-PM in graft case

DHAKA, Bangladesh –  Bangladesh's High Court has accepted an appeal by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of her five-year prison sentence in a corruption case. A panel of two judges heard arguments from both sides in a packed courtroom Thursday…

Palestinian killed in Israeli army arrest raid in West Bank

JERUSALEM –  A 33-year-old Palestinian man has been killed in disputed circumstances during an arrest raid by Israeli troops in the West Bank. The Israeli military says Palestinians attacked troops during Thursday's raid in the town of Jericho. A statement…

UK's May gathers divided Cabinet, seeking Brexit compromise

LONDON –  British Prime Minister Theresa May is gathering her divided ministers for a marathon meeting aimed at hammering out a common position on Brexit. May's "inner Cabinet" is due to meet Thursday afternoon and evening at the prime minister's…

Russian opposition leader Navalny reports arrest

MOSCOW –  Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has been detained by police and that his chief of staff is also being held. Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin's most visible and vehement foe, said on his Twitter account…

Egyptian policemen catch child falling off 3rd floor

CAIRO –  Three Egyptian policemen were able to catch a 5-year-old child as he fell from a third-floor apartment balcony in the southern city of Assiut, saving the boy's life. Egypt's Interior Ministry released a video of the incident this…

The Latest: New bombardment kills 13 Syrian capital suburb

BEIRUT –  The Latest on Syria related developments (all times local): 12:35 p.m. Syrian opposition activists and paramedics are reporting a fresh wave of bombardment of the rebel-held eastern suburbs of the capital Damascus, saying 13 people have been killed.…

EU leaders prepare life without Britain, mull future ties

BRUSSELS –  European Union leaders meet without Britain Friday looking to plug a major budget hole after Brexit and endorse a plan to streamline the European Parliament by sharing out the country's seats. In an implicit warning to Britain, EU…

Duterte: Labor ban to Kuwait stays, may be expanded

MANILA, Philippines –  The Philippine president says a ban on the deployment of workers to Kuwait, where a Filipina was found dead in a freezer, will continue and could be expanded to other countries where Filipino workers "suffer brutal treatment…

German leader calls on Iran, Russia to end Syria violence

BERLIN –  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for the European Union to step up pressure on Russia and Iran to end the violence in Syria. Hundreds have been killed amid increased bombardments in recent days and Merkel told Parliament…

EU, Africa leaders drum up support for impoverished Sahel

BRUSSELS –  European Union leaders meet Friday with counterparts from West Africa in a show of support for the impoverished Sahel region that has fallen prey to extremists and is a key transit point for migrants heading to Europe. The…

Syria: A father says last goodbye to child

BEIRUT –  A father saying his last goodbye to his dead child, before the shelling starts again. It's a grief shared by all too many parents trapped with their children under a brutal, government siege of the eastern Ghouta region…

UK growth in 2017 downgraded as consumer spending slows

LONDON –  Official figures show that the British economy did not grow as strongly as initially anticipated in the final quarter of 2017 amid a slowdown in consumption and business investment. The Office for National Statistics said Thursday that the…

China probing possible violation of UN sanctions on N. Korea

BEIJING –  China says it is "highly concerned" about a reported ship-to-ship transfer on the high seas that could violate U.N. sanctions on North Korea. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Thursday that Beijing is investigating the incident reported by…

Briton, German arrested at Bali's airport in drug cases

BALI, Indonesia –  Indonesian customs officials have arrested two foreigners accused of attempting to smuggle drugs onto the tourist island of Bali. Customs chief Himawan Indarjono said Thursday that British citizen Adam Scott and German Siegfried Karl Achim Ruckel were…

Merkel calls for "solidarity" from all EU on taking migrants

BERLIN –  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for all European member states to do their share in helping to deal with the large influx of migrants, while also working together to stem the flow by strengthening external borders and…

Landslide kills 5, leaves 15 missing in Indonesia's Java

JAKARTA, Indonesia –  Disaster officials say a landslide on the Indonesian island of Java engulfed rice paddies where farmers were working, killing five people and leaving 15 others missing. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Thursday that…

France plays catch-up coping with radicalized prisoners

PARIS –  Radicalized inmates in the general prison population can quickly start influencing others and endanger prison staff. It's a problem that has dogged French authorities for years and is set to grow more acute as foreign fighters return to…

Afghan official: Taliban attack local police, killing 8

KABUL, Afghanistan –  An Afghan official says Taliban fighters have attacked a police security post in central Ghazni province, killing eight local police. Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Thursday the attack happened the previous night. He said…