world news

President says Egypt 'scored a goal' with Israel gas deal

CAIRO –  Egypt's president says his country "scored a goal" by signing a $15 billion deal with an Israeli company to supply natural gas that will help turn Egypt into a regional energy hub. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi said in televised comments…

A look at the scandals surrounding Israel's prime minister

JERUSALEM –  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life as a dizzying array of scandals has engulfed him, his family and his inner circle. Police last week announced they have sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu for…

Zimbabwe's Mugabe marks 94th birthday in near solitude

HARARE, Zimbabwe –  Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe is celebrating his first birthday since his resignation in near solitude, far from the lavish affair of years gone by. The government that removed him with military assistance in November has declared…

Spain helps keep alive archaic language of Sephardic Jews

MADRID –  A language still spoken by the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain 500 years ago is getting a helping hand from the Spanish Royal Academy to keep it alive. Ladino, a language taken abroad by Spanish Jews expelled…

Snow isolates Moroccan mountain villages more used to sun

TIGHANIMINE, Morocco –  Bitter cold and exceptionally heavy snowfall have beleaguered parts of Morocco this winter, disrupting schools, closing national highways — and delighting residents in cities where it hadn't snowed for decades. The effects are starkest in the north…

Polish official: no criminal charges under Holocaust law

WARSAW, Poland –  A Polish government official says a controversial law makes it a criminal act to blame Poles for Holocaust crimes they did not commit will not lead to criminal charges. The recently adopted law has sparked a bitter…

Japanese father of 13 surrogate children veiled in mystery

TOKYO –  A Japanese man who has won legal custody of 13 surrogate children in Thailand has remained virtually anonymous in Japanese media. Mitsutoki Shigeta is the son of the founder of Japanese telecom and insurance company Hikari Tsushin. As…

Latvian official to miss ECB meeting amid corruption reports

RIGA, Latvia –  Latvia's banking chief will miss a meeting of the European Central Bank's top council, of which he is a member, amid an investigation into suspected corruption. The Bank of Latvia's spokesman, Janis Silakalns, said Wednesday that Latvia…

Budget carrier flydubai sees profits and revenue increase

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –  Budget carrier flydubai says its earnings and profits have increased, with revenue reaching 5.5 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion) in 2017 compared to 5 billion dirhams ($1.37 billion) in 2016. Profits for the Dubai-based airline reached…

The Latest: Turkey vows to press on with Syria offensive

BEIRUT –  The Latest on the Syrian civil war (all times local): 12:15 p.m. The spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is determined to press ahead with its offensive to clear a Syrian enclave of Kurdish fighters despite…

Philippines to court: Declare communist groups as terrorists

MANILA, Philippines –  Justice officials have asked a court to formally designate the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, as terrorist groups in a move that could further damage chances of a resumption…

Sri Lanka bus explosion injures 19, including 12 soldiers

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka –  Sri Lanka's military says an explosion in a passenger bus has injured 19 people, including 12 military personnel. Brig. Sumith Atapattu said the explosion occurred Wednesday near Diyatalawa, a former garrison town about 190 kilometers (120…

Greece: Parliament debates investigation over pharma scandal

ATHENS, Greece –  Greek lawmakers are debating whether to launch an investigation into 10 senior politicians — including two former prime ministers, the current central bank governor and a European commissioner — over allegations they were involved in a pharmaceutical…

New strikes kill 10 in rebel-held suburbs of Syrian capital

BEIRUT –  The Syrian Civil Defense rescue organization says 10 people have been killed by government airstrikes and shelling on a town in the suburbs of Damascus. The group, also known as the White Helmets, says government forces targeted Kafr…

French government unveils bill with new asylum procedure

PARIS –  French President Emmanuel Macron's government is presenting its first big immigration bill, which human rights organizations criticize as repressive toward asylum-seekers. The government says the bill, to be presented at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, aims at accelerating expulsion…

Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia to discuss regional security

BUCHAREST, Romania –  Moldova is to host a conference on the security challenges facing three former Soviet republics where there are ongoing concerns about Russian influence. The parliament speakers of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia will head the conference, which will…

Migrant deported by Israel back to Africa recounts ordeal

KAMPALA, Uganda –  Inside the immigration office in Tel Aviv, Yohannes Tesfagabr considered his options. He could not return to Eritrea, a country he risked his life to flee in 2010. He hoped to avoid the fate of compatriots who…

Pakistan says it will follow advice on radioactive material

ISLAMABAD –  Pakistan says it has agreed to follow the international nuclear agency's guidelines on the import and export of radioactive material. The international community has expressed concerns about Pakistan's atomic program since it tested its first nuclear weapons in…

Gunmen kill 5 police, 1 soldier in South Africa attack

JOHANNESBURG –  Gunmen have attacked a police station in a rural town in South Africa, killing five officers and an off-duty soldier in what the government calls a "national tragedy." Authorities say the attackers stole weapons and fled in a…

Bahrain sentences prominent activist to 5 years in prison

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –  A court in Bahrain has sentenced a prominent activist to five years in prison over tweets alleging torture at a prison in his country and criticizing Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The case against Nabeel…

Israeli media: Netanyahu confident to testify against him

JERUSALEM –  Israeli media are reporting that one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest confidants has turned state witness and will incriminate Netanyahu in corruption allegations. Police would not confirm Wednesday whether Shlomo Filber would testify, but all the major…

Russia appoints honorary consul in Pakistan border province

PESHAWAR, Pakistan –  Russia has named an honorary consul in a Pakistani province on the Afghan border, signaling closer ties with Islamabad at a time when U.S.-Pakistani relations are spiraling downward. The appointment of Arsala Khan as honorary consul general…