EDINBURGH, Scotland – Scottish soccer team Hearts has apologized to former player Isma Goncalves after he said racial abuse forced him to leave. The Portuguese forward, who is black, joined Uzbekistan club Pakhtakor Tashkent last month after a year in…
PARIS – Kamel Daoudi's days are parceled out in intervals as unvarying as the alarm reminders on his tablet: 7 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 3:15 p.m., 5:45 p.m., 9:00 p.m. The times represent his nightly curfew and the exact…
BENGHAZI, Libya – A Libyan official says at least 19 illegal migrants have been killed in a truck crash near the town of Bani Walid, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Tripoli. The chief of Bani Walid hospital, Mohamed…
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that after months-long negotiations to form a new government, the country's politicians should now get back to real work. In a traditional Ash Wednesday address in Demmin in eastern Germany, Merkel referred to…
PARIS – French authorities say a man in custody has confessed to "unintentionally" killing a 9-year-old girl whose disappearance from a wedding party in the Alps prompted nationwide concern. Grenoble prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat said that investigators found some of Maelys…
AMSTERDAM – Ruud Lubbers, the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister who guided his country through economic turmoil to prosperity and helped shape the foundations of the European Union, has died at age 78. The Dutch government announced that Lubbers died Wednesday…
KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban are urging the "American people" to press their government to withdraw from Afghanistan and reminded Americans that the Afghan war is the longest conflict in which they have been embroiled — and at a cost…
PARIS – A French court acquitted a man charged with harboring Islamic extremists after they carried out the 2015 Paris attacks, bringing a surprising end Wednesday to the first criminal trial from the country's deadliest extremist violence since World War…
LONDON – The leader of Northern Ireland's biggest political party says talks to restore the collapsed Belfast government have failed. Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster says negotiations with Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein to restore the power-sharing government "have…
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. envoy for Syria says this is the most "violent and worrying and dangerous" moment in the country in four years, pointing to escalating violence on multiple fronts that undermines prospects for peace and regional stability.…
A Kim Jong Un impersonator looking for a Valentine’s Day love connection briefly danced with North Korea's “army of beauties” at a Winter Olympics hockey game -- but the bogus despot's charms were for naught and he was quickly, and…
PARIS – The Latest on the trial of a man charged with harboring terrorists from 2015 Paris attacks (all times local): 4:40 p.m. A French court has acquitted a man charged with harboring Islamic extremists after they carried out the…
A man used two cushion-like butt implants to try to smuggle more than two pounds of cocaine. (Polícia Judiciária) Two would-be drug smugglers failed in a "cheeky" attempt at slipping their stash by authorities at Lisbon airport, Portugal officials said.…
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron's office is closing the press room inside the presidential palace amid broader efforts by the French leader to control his public image. Advisers for Macron announced Wednesday that journalists will be moved to a…
JOHANNESBURG – Managers of a wildlife area in South Africa say a pride of lions killed a suspected poacher. The Umbabat Private Nature Reserve says the man was killed last week and that two sets of human tracks were found…
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…
BERLIN – The German government has called on British Prime Minister Theresa May to present her government's plans about the future relationship between Britain and the European Union after it leaves the bloc. A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel…
MEXICO CITY – Mexico's Interior Department says the federal intelligence agency sent a plainclothes agent to tail an opposition presidential candidate, even though the candidate never asked for and apparently did not want a tail. There have long been fears…
BERLIN – German police have asked the public in an unusual move to help find a young man who was allegedly involved in the gang rape of at least two female high school students in the western town of Essen.…
BEIRUT – The Latest on Syria related developments (all times local): 4:25 p.m. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister says allegations that Syria is using chemical weapons are an attempt to "justify hostile acts." Faisal Mekdad denied Wednesday in comments published on…
WARSAW, Poland – Top European Union official says there's a "good chance" for a better understanding with Poland, some of whose policies have led to an unprecedented dispute with EU leaders. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was upbeat Wednesday about…
LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia's defense minister says an explosive was used in a blast that has killed at least four people during Carnival celebrations — the second deadly explosion to hit the city of Oruro during the celebrations. Javier…
BRUSSELS – Human rights group Amnesty International has slammed Hungary's new anti-migration bill, saying it would allow the government to target any non-governmental organization working with migrants if it becomes law. Amnesty said Wednesday that the bill could suspend, disband…
BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is urging European allies and Canada to keep ramping up defense spending, as the alliance expands its command headquarters in response to a more assertive Russia. Stoltenberg said Wednesday that "to keep our…