world news

Trio of suicide bombers kill 18 at crowded market in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria –  Police say three suicide bombers have attacked a crowded market in northern Nigeria, killing at least 18 people. Borno state police spokesman Joseph Kwaji confirms the Friday night attack to The Associated Press. The bombers, all believed…

Strong quake rekindles memories of past disasters in Mexico

MEXICO CITY –  A powerful earthquake that rattled south and central Mexico caused little apparent destruction but rekindled fears in a population that still sees daily reminders of deadly earthquakes five months ago. Maricarmen Trujillo was in the same place…

The Latest: 5.8 aftershock shakes buildings in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY –  The latest on the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit southern Mexico (all times local): 7 p.m. A magnitude 5.8 aftershock in southern Mexico has caused tall buildings in Mexico City to briefly shudder, about an hour after…

Strong quake rumbles near Mexico City

People stand on the street after an earthquake shook buildings in Mexico City, Mexico February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Claudia Daut - RC1B09EEBCB0 A 7.5 magnitude quake shook southern Mexico on Friday, a prolonged rumble that rocked buildings across Mexico City. According…

Magnitude-7.5 earthquake slams south, central Mexico

MEXICO CITY –  A powerful earthquake has shaken south and central Mexico, causing people to flee buildings and office towers in the country's capital, and setting off quake alert systems. Crowds of people gathered on central Reforma Avenue in Mexico…

Ex-Guatemala prosecutor arrested in property seizure scheme

GUATEMALA CITY –  Guatemalan authorities have arrested the country's former organized crime prosecutor as a purported participant in a network that allegedly seized properties illegally. The United Nations' anti-corruption mission in Guatemala confirmed the arrest of Rony Lopez on Friday.…

Ex-Ontario conservative leader joins race amid allegations

TORONTO –  The former leader of Ontario's conservative opposition party is running for his party's leadership just three weeks after resigning amid sexual misconduct allegations. The development comes just a few months before an election. Patrick Brown stepped down after…

Vandals torch at least 25 trucks in southern Chilean region

SANTIAGO, Chile –  At least 25 trucks were torched in a southern region of Chile that the Mapuche indigenous community claims as its ancestral territory, authorities said Friday. The Chilean equivalent of the FBI said the trucks were burned in…

Anti-fascist demonstrators clash with police in Bologna

MILAN –  Italian police have turned water cannons on anti-fascist protesters in Bologna who were trying to disrupt a planned campaign appearance by the head of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova. Clashes broke out Friday afternoon and evening when police intervened…

Leading Venezuelan opposition party shuns presidential vote

CARACAS, Venezuela –  A leading opposition party in Venezuela says it has ruled out taking part in the April presidential election against President Nicolas Maduro. Leopoldo Lopez said Friday that his Popular Will party refuses to validate the election, which…

France drops rape investigation against budget minister

PARIS –  French investigators have dropped an investigation into rape accusations against President Emmanuel Macron's budget minister, citing a lack of evidence. The Paris prosecutor's office said Friday the investigation was unable to prove a lack of consent, and did…

Ethiopia declares state of emergency amid wide protests

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia –  Ethiopian officials have declared a state of emergency amid widespread anti-government protests that have persisted for more than two years and in which hundreds have been killed and several thousand detained, the majority of whom have…

Iranian passenger plane skids off runway on landing

TEHRAN, Iran –  Iran's official IRNA news agency is reporting that an Iranian passenger plane has skidded off the runway after its landing gear jammed during a domestic flight. The Friday report said all 104 passengers and crew of the…

Hawaii man admits punching police outside Buckingham Palace

LONDON –  A tourist from Hawaii has pleaded guilty to punching two London police officers outside Buckingham Palace. A prosecutor says 36-year-old Ryan Robinson of Kahekili Highway asked the armed officers, "Do you know any jokes?" before punching one in…

EU sees realistic chances for Western Balkan nations to join

SOFIA, Bulgaria –  The European Union's foreign policy chief says that all countries in the Western Balkans have realistic chances of joining the world's largest trading club by 2025. Federica Mogherini said at a briefing in Sofia that a recently…

Challenges ahead as Kosovo, Europe's newest nation, turns 10

PRISTINA, Kosovo –  Every country has a national anthem, a musical compilation that aims to stir patriotic emotion, and Kosovo is no exception. Except for one peculiarity: its anthem has no lyrics. Ten years after the former Serb territory declared…

Hezbollah: US not honest broker in Lebanon's gas dispute

BEIRUT –  The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah is urging fellow politicians not to let the U.S. administration divide their ranks while it mediates a dispute with Israel over offshore gas drilling rights. Hassan Nasrallah said in televised address Friday that…

Spanish or Catalan? Planned school policy shift sparks anger

MADRID –  Spain's conservative government says it's considering changes to allow parents in Catalonia to choose Spanish over Catalan as the main language in their children's schooling. The move, if confirmed, would end decades of regional policies prioritizing the native…

Bulgaria wades into Macedonia name dispute

SKOPJE, Macedonia –  Bulgaria has waded into a 25-year-long dispute between Greece and Macedonia regarding Macedonia's name, saying that issue also concerns Bulgaria. Macedonia and Greece are in a renewed push to resolve their dispute. Greece objects to its northern…

Inquest opens on death of baby in Kenya poll violence

NAIROBI, Kenya –  An inquest has started in Kenya's western town of Kisumu into the death of a six-month-old baby who was allegedly hit on the head by police during opposition protests last year against President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election. The…

Germany arrests suspected member of al-Shabab militia

BERLIN –  German authorities have arrested a 20-year-old Somali man on suspicion of being a member of the extremist militia al-Shabab. Federal prosecutors say the man was detained Thursday in the central state of Hesse. Prosecutors said in a statement…