CAIRO – Egypt says its security forces have killed 53 militants since the beginning of a massive security operation, mainly in restive northern Sinai Peninsula, the epicenter of a years-long Islamic insurgency. Armed forces spokesman Tamer al-Rifaai said Thursday that…
GAUHATI, India – Indian police say an air force helicopter has crashed in the remote northeast, killing both crewmembers on board. Police officer Mukesh Aggarwal says the crash occurred Thursday while the helicopter was flying to Majoli island from Gauhati,…
MOSCOW – Russia's communications providers have blocked access to the website of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on orders of the state communications watchdog. The agency, Roskomnadzor, demanded that Navalny remove a video alleging that Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko received…
WARSAW, Poland – Poland's senate leader has appealed to Poles living abroad to report to the authorities any statements deemed "anti-Polish" or hurt "Poland's good name." The letter posted on the Senate's website is part of a wider campaign by…
TEHRAN, Iran – A top Iranian general has lashed out at Israel during a commemoration for a Hezbollah figure killed in a 2008 Damascus car bombing that the group blamed on Israel. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds Force, pledged…
BRUSSELS – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday the United States and Turkey are having an open dialogue about their growing differences over the fight in Syria, and are "finding common ground." Speaking at the close of a NATO…
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe's president is expressing condolences over the death of longtime opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and says upcoming elections must be free and fair "in tribute to him." Tsvangirai, who was the boldest opponent to longtime leader Robert…
GENEVA – International aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says it has taken action on 24 cases of sexual harassment or abuse among employees last year and dismissed 19 people in the process. The Switzerland-based organization also known as Doctors Without…
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's defense minister says he has asked his American counterpart that the United States end its support for Syrian Kurdish fighters and remove them from a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, that if fighting the Islamic…
BRUSSELS – NATO's chief says the alliance plans to expand its military training mission in Iraq and help the conflict-ravaged country develop new academies and schools for its armed forces. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that "we will scale…
A Judge under the U.S. Department of Labor ruled last month that open-air burn pits -- in which thousands of chemicals were released into the air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and…
BANGKOK – Thailand's former national police chief, who currently heads the Thai Football Association, has met with investigators to explain his financial links with a fugitive massage parlor owner. Somyot Poompanmoung reported Thursday to the Department of Special Investigation —…
CAIRO – Egyptian officials say a senior Islamist leader detained over alleged links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group has been referred to state security prosecutors for questioning. They say five associates of Abdel-Monaem Abul Fetouh were released from detention…
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican is confirming that Pope Francis frequently meets with victims of sex abuse, seeking to defuse a mounting scandal over his unbridled support for a Chilean bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse.…
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan officials say attacks in the country's north and west have killed three members of the security forces and two children. The spokesman for the chief of police in northern Faryab province, Karim Yuresh, says a Taliban…
BERLIN – The head of a leading Turkish immigrant group in Germany says he's pressing charges against a politician from Germany's nationalist party for insulting Turks as "camel drivers" and immigrants with dual passports as a "homeless mob we no…
JOHANNESBURG – Up from Soweto township to become a leading anti-apartheid activist and then wealthy businessman, Cyril Ramaphosa has been a central figure in South Africa's tumultuous history before becoming the country's acting president. Astute and articulate, the 65-year-old former…
PARIS – France's National Union of Journalists has called on President Emmanuel Macron to reconsider a controversial decision to move the press room from inside the presidential palace to a nearby site. In a statement late Wednesday, the SNJ union…
LAHORE, Pakistan – A Pakistani public prosecutor says the trial of a suspect accused of brutally killing eight children has concluded and that a judge will announce the ruling this weekend. Abdul Rauf says the lawyer for the suspect, Mohammad…
Members of North Korea's Taekwondo demonstration team, pictured, are part of the delegation whose Olympic expenses South Korea agreed to pay, according to a report. (AP) South Korea on Wednesday approved a plan to pay North Korea's Olympic expenses to the…
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian police have defended bestowing their highest honor on the Philippine police chief, who has been criticized for spearheading the war on drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead. Ronald dela Rosa was among five neighboring…
NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan judge has rescinded the orders used to deport to Canada an opposition politician over his alleged role in a mock inauguration by opposition leader Raila Odinga. Judge Luka Kimaru also orders Kenya's government to return…
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Berlin. The two countries are taking small steps toward restoring friendlier relations after more than a year of tension. Hopes are high in Berlin that…
JOHANNESBURG – The Latest on South Africa's leadership transition (all times local): 11:15 a.m. South Africa's parliament spokesman says the speaker has received Jacob Zuma's resignation letter and his departure as president is effective immediately. Parliament is set to elect…