world news

Bangladesh ex-PM appeals 5-year jail sentence in graft case

DHAKA, Bangladesh –  Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has appealed a five-year prison sentence in a corruption case. In their appeal, defense lawyers argued that the verdict was politically motivated and influenced by the government, an allegation authorities have…

David Davis says UK won't slash standards after Brexit

LONDON –  Britain's top Brexit official says his country wants to lead a "race to the top" in global standards, in a speech aimed at allaying European fears of a deregulated, laissez-faire U.K. economy. Brexit Secretary David Davis said Tuesday…

EU advocate says Poland broke law by logging in forest

WARSAW, Poland –  The European Union's top advocate says Poland has infringed environmental laws with its massive logging of trees in one of Europe's last pristine forests. The opinion published Tuesday by Advocate General Yves Bot could bring a ruling…

Seeking Swiss safety, Catalan activist snubs Spanish probe

MADRID –  A leading Catalan politician is vowing to carry on advocating for Catalan independence from her current base in Switzerland where she is evading a Spanish judicial probe for her role in last year's illegal secession attempt. Anna Gabriel,…

Lawmakers to question Oxfam on handling of abuse scandal

LONDON –  British lawmakers are set to question officials of two anti-poverty charities Tuesday amid concern sex predators are targeting aid organizations because of the chaotic environments in which they work. Parliament's International Development Committee called the urgent session amid…

Prosecutors: German angered by immigration attacked refugees

BERLIN –  Prosecutors in southwest Germany say a man who attacked and wounded three migrants with a knife apparently acted because he was angry about the government's refugee policy. The 70-year-old, who has German and Russian citizenship, seriously wounded a…

Egyptian officials say resumption of Russian flights delayed

CAIRO –  Cairo airport officials say the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt has been postponed until April, citing delays in reopening offices of the countries' national airlines. The officials said on Tuesday that modern baggage-scanning equipment has been installed…

The Latest: Shells rain down on Damascus from rebel suburbs

BEIRUT –  The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local): 11:15 a.m. Residents of the Syrian capital and the state-run news agency say shells from besieged rebel-held suburbs are raining down on Damascus. SANA says Tuesday's shelling killed…

Australia resettles Cambodian activist's family as refugees

CANBERRA, Australia –  Australia has accepted the family of a murdered Cambodian political activist as refugees, as the Australian government encourages its rejected refugees to resettle in Cambodia. Victoria state lawmaker Hong Lim's office said Tuesday that Kem Levy's wife…

Parts of New Zealand flood as remnants of Cyclone Gita hit

WELLINGTON, New Zealand –  Parts of New Zealand have declared an emergency as a powerful storm hits, causing flooding and forcing some people to evacuate their homes. The storm system is the remnants of Cyclone Gita, which last week ripped…

Ramaphosa tells South Africa: get some morning exercise

JOHANNESBURG –  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is winning some fans with his habit of early morning jogs and walks in which he interacts with the public. Ramaphosa, who took office on Feb. 15 after predecessor Jacob Zuma resigned, walked…

Thai court gives Japanese man custody of surrogate kids

BANGKOK –  A Thai court has granted legal custody of 13 babies carried by surrogate mothers to a Japanese millionaire who is their biological father. Bangkok's Central Juvenile and Family Court on Tuesday gave Mitsutoki Shigeta sole legal custody of…

Activists: Syria's shelling of Damascus suburb killed 98

BEIRUT –  A Syrian monitoring group and paramedics say government shelling and airstrikes on rebel-held suburbs of the capital, Damascus, killed at least 98 people on Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it was the deadliest day…

German man fined $258,000 for cheating at self-service till

BERLIN –  A German man has been fined 208,000 euros ($258,000) for cheating at a supermarket self-service till. Munich's district court convicted the 58-year-old businessman of theft for trying to pass off 47 euros-worth of veal liver as cheaper fruit.…

Pakistan: Indian troops open fire in Kashmir, killing boy

ISLAMABAD –  Pakistan's foreign ministry says Indian troops have opened fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing an 8-year-old boy. The ministry says Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat on Tuesday to lodge a protest over the killing. Islamabad…

Rebel chief: IS-linked Marawi attackers plotted for 2nd city

MANILA, Philippines –  The leader of the largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines says Islamic State group-aligned militants planned but failed to attack another southern city after their deadly siege in Marawi was crushed last year. Al Haj Murad…

Report: Iran summons Swedish envoy over granting citizenship

TEHRAN, Iran –  Iran's official IRNA news agency says the foreign ministry has summoned Sweden's ambassador over the Nordic country decision to grant citizenship to an Iranian researcher who is in jail in Tehran. Tuesday's report says the ministry summoned…

Volcanic blast reshaped summit of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung

JAKARTA, Indonesia –  The eruption of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung that shot ash 5 kilometers (3 miles) high also "annihilated" the mountain's summit. Before and after images from Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation show an enormous chunk missing…

Police name Netanyahu associates in Israeli corruption probe

JERUSALEM –  The Israeli police have named the two close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested for their suspected role in a wide-ranging corruption probe. With a gag order lifted Tuesday, police identified them as Nir Hefetz, a former…

Afghan officials say insurgent attacks killed 9 policemen

KABUL, Afghanistan –  Afghan officials say insurgents have killed nine policemen in separate attacks in the country's west and east. In western Farah province, attacks on police checkpoints killed eight policemen. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah governor, says…