International News

Grandstanding fears as Norway killer seeks parole

Former Israeli PM negotiating plea deal in trial

Pacific tsunami threat receding, ash stops help

Ex-leader of Ukraine returns to face charges

China anti-virus measures in full-force

North Korea fires 4th launch of month, Seoul says

Egypt marks centenary of Tutankhamun tomb

China's births fall in 2021, as workforce shrinks

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Analysis

Ex-leader Poroshenko returns to Ukraine to appear in court
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has returned to Ukraine to face court on treason charges he believes are politically motivated
1/17/2022 05:18:42 EST

7 minutes ago

Drone attack may be behind Abu Dhabi tanker explosion, fire

Police say a possible drone attack may have sparked an explosion that struck three oil tankers in Abu Dhabi and another fire at an extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport that killed three people and wounded six

7 minutes ago

17 minutes ago

Emirati state-run news agency, quoting police, says suspected drone attacks in Abu Dhabi kill 3 people, wound 6

17 minutes ago

20 minutes ago

In Greece, unvaccinated older people now face monthly fines

Greece has imposed a vaccination mandate for people over age 60.

20 minutes ago

FILE - Three elderly men wearing FFP2 face masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, sit on a bench in Athens, Greece, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. Italy, Spain and other European countries are re-instating or stiffening mask mandates as their hospitals struggle with mounting numbers of COVID-19 patients. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

28 minutes ago

China's economy grows 8.1% in 2021, slows in second half

China’s economy grew by 8.1% in 2021 but Beijing faces pressure to shore up activity after an abrupt slowdown in the second half

28 minutes ago

FILE - A worker in protective overall works near containers on a ship in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province on Nov. 7, 2021. China’s economy grew by 8.1% in 2021 after an abrupt slowdown in the second half that is prompting suggestions Beijing needs to shore up slumping growth, government data showed Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

40 minutes ago

Japan's Kishida says virus measures, defense top priorities

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told parliament that fighting the pandemic and strengthening defense are his government’s top priorities

40 minutes ago

Japan's Emperor Naruhito, top, arrives to the opening session at the upper house of parliament Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

1 hour ago

Indonesian officials make rare visit to Israel on COVID-19

Israel's Army Radio says a delegation of Indonesian officials made a rare visit to Israel recently to discuss coronavirus strategies, despite the countries not having diplomatic relations

1 hour ago

Ex-leader Poroshenko returns to Ukraine to appear in court

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has returned to Ukraine to face court on treason charges he believes are politically motivated

1 hour ago

Supporters of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko with a poster reading, "Poroshenko, Give fire!" gather waiting for his arrival at Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Poroshenko said he was returning to Ukraine to fight treason charges he viewed as politically motivated because he believed that fighting them is part of his defense of national unity. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

1 hour ago

7 in Swiss trial over protest against quarry expansion

Seven activists have gone on trial in Switzerland on charges including trespassing and resisting arrest over their roles in a campsite protest against the expansion of a limestone quarry in rolling Swiss countryside

1 hour ago

Trial against philanthropist and dozens resumes in Turkey

The trial against prominent Turkish civil rights figure Osman Kavala has resumed on the 1,539th day of his pre-trial detention, but without his participation

1 hour ago

Sweden puzzled by drones spotted over 2 nuclear power plants

Swedish authorities are puzzled by reports that drones last week were seen hovering over two nuclear power plants on the country’s Baltic Sea coast

1 hour ago

2 hours ago

Abu Dhabi police say drones may have caused an explosion on three oil tankers and minor fire at airport extension

2 hours ago

China's births fall in 2021, as workforce shrinks

The size of China's workforce has been declining for a decade.

2 hours ago

FILE - A man holds a child for photos near a cherry blossom tree in Beijing on March 24, 2021. The number of babies born in China continued to shrink in 2021, official data showed Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, as a declining workforce adds pressure to the ruling Communist Party's ambitions to boost national wealth and global influence. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

2 hours ago

Grandstanding fears as Norwegian mass killer seeks parole

Anders Behring Breivik is seeking early release from his 21-year sentence.

2 hours ago

FILE - Anders Behring Breivik attends the last day of his appeal case in Borgarting Court of Appeal at Telemark prison in Skien, Norway, Jan. 18, 2017. Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik goes to court Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022 after 10 years behind bars, claiming he is no longer a danger to society and attempting to get an early release from his 21-year sentence. (Lise Aaserud/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)

3 hours ago

Beijing shopper's lone omicron case draws national attention

A 26-year-old woman in China’s capital Beijing who contracted the omicron strain of COVID-19 has drawn national attention on social media for her shopping trips

3 hours ago

A woman wearing a face mask to protect from the coronavirus shops for Chinese Lunar New Year decorations at a mall in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Beijing has reported its first local omicron infection, according to state media, weeks before the Winter Olympic Games are due to start. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

4 hours ago

Credit Suisse chairman resigns in wake of internal probe

Credit Suisse says its chairman, Antonio Horta-Osorio, has resigned following an internal probe that reportedly turned up that he had violated quarantine rules intended to fight the COVID-19 pandemic

4 hours ago

January 17

Trailblazing Arab lawmaker shakes up Israeli politics

Arab politician Mansour Abbas broke a longstanding taboo when he joined Israel’s governing coalition last year

January 17

FILE - Israeli Arab politician, leader of the United Arab list, Mansour Abbas, discusses with President Reuven Rivlin on who might form the next coalition government, at the president's residence in Jerusalem, April 5, 2021. Abbas broke a longstanding taboo when he joined Israel’s governing coalition last year. The bold move appears to be paying dividends: Abbas is the linchpin of the shaky union, securing hefty budgets and favorable policies for his constituents. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)

January 16

N. Korea fires short-range missiles in 4th launch this year

South Korea says North Korea fired at least one projectile into the sea.

January 16

FILE - In this photo taken during Dec. 27 - Dec. 31, 2021 and provided on Jan. 1, 2022 by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea fires projectile into sea in the fourth launch this month, South Korea says on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

January 16

North Korea fires projectile into sea in 4th launch this month, South Korea says

January 16

French voting app Elyze matches users with presidential candidates

The founders say they want to get young French people more involved in politics.

January 16

France's President Emmanuel Macron winks as he visits the village of Tende hit by heavy flooding in Oct. 2020, southern France, Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Macron has yet to officially confirm he is running for a second term in the election this spring, but his visit to the French Rivera city of Nice had campaign overtones in a stronghold of ValÃ©rie PÃ©cresse, a conservative who is seen by many as his most significant challenger. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, Pool)

January 16

North Macedonia: Center-left government OK'd by parliament

North Macedonia’s parliament has approved a new coalition C abinet led again by the Social Democrats, with two ethnic Albanian parties as junior partners

January 16

Pacific tsunami threat recedes, volcano ash hinders response

A massive ash cloud has stopped surveillance flights from assessing the damage.

January 16

This satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by Japan Meteorological Agency and released by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (NICT via AP)

January 16

South Korean president visits UAE, showcasing deep ties

The president of South Korea has reached a preliminary multibillion-dollar deal to sell Seoul’s surface-to-air missiles to Abu Dhabi and pledged deeper cooperation with the United Arab Emirates during a visit to the Gulf Arab state

January 16

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrives to Al Wasl Dome to attend an official ceremony at Dubai Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

January 16

Ex-leader Poroshenko to go to Ukraine to face charges

He vows to fight treason charges he views as politically motivated.

January 16

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks to reporters in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday Jan. 16, 2021. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he is returning to Ukraine to fight treason charges even though he views them as politically motivated. He says he believes that fighting them is part of his defense of national unity. (AP Photo/Piotr Molecki)

January 16

Ukraine claims Russia behind cyberattack in 'hybrid war'

Ukraine says Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced government websites and it alleged that Russia is engaged in a “hybrid war” against the country

January 16

FILE Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks with journalists as he arrives for a round table meeting of the Eastern Partnership at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021. Ukraine said Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 that Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced its government websites and alleged that Russia is engaged in an increasing "hybrid war" against its neighbor. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

January 16

Mali's ex-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita dies at 76

Mali's former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died nearly 18 months after he was ousted in a military coup

January 16

FILE - Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita poses for a group photograph during the G5 Sahel summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, June 30, 2020. Mali's former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died nearly 18 months after he was ousted in a military coup. Keita's death was announced Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 in Bamako, where the 76-year-old had been battling health problems in recent years. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP, File)

January 16

French far-left presidential hopeful woos voters with jobs

Far-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is seeking to reinvigorate his flagging campaign for April’s election with an unusual rally

January 16

French Far-left presidential candidate for the 2022 election Jean-Luc Melenchon gestures as he speaks during a meeting in Nantes, western France, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Far-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon sought Sunday to reinvigorate his flagging campaign for April's election with an "immersive and olfactory" rally, using 360-degree video and smells diffused through an exhibition hall in the western city of Nantes. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)

January 16

Jordanian officer dead after Syria border clash with gunmen

Jordan’s military says that an army officer was killed in a shootout with smugglers on the country’s northern border with Syria

January 16

Spanish police bust large heroin ring, arrest 10 in raids

Spanish police have arrested the leading smuggler of heroin into the European country in a bust that took a total of 10 people into custody and confiscated 55 kilograms of the drug

January 16

State media: Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was deposed in a 2020 coup, has died at 76

January 16

Somalia's government spokesperson wounded in suicide bombing

Somalia’s government spokesperson has been wounded in a suicide bombing that the al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility for

January 16

A woman, right, points a medical worker to remains of the suicide bomber at the scene, after Somalia's government spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu was wounded in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Moalimuu appeared to be the sole target of the attack near his residence by a busy intersection in the capital, for which the al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

January 16

Tesla inks deal to get key battery component outside China

Car giant has turned to Mozambique for key components of its electric batteries.

January 16

FILE - A Tesla Supercharger station in Buford, Ga, on April 22, 2021. Tesla is turning to Mozambique for a key component in its electric car batteries in what analysts believe is a first-of-its-kind deal designed to reduce its dependence on China for graphite. Elon Musk’s company signed an agreement last month with Australia’s Syrah Resources, which operates one of the world’s largest graphite mines in the southern African country. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

January 16

Lebanon faces internet service interruption amid fuel crisis

Lebanon's state internet provider says internet services have been disrupted because of diesel shortages

January 16

FILE - Mamdouh al-Amari refuels privately-owned diesel generators that provide power to homes and businesses, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, July 16, 2018. Internet services were disrupted in Lebanon Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, because of diesel shortages, according to the state provider, adding another essential service to the list of casualties of the country’s snowballing economic crisis. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

January 16

Serbia votes in referendum on constitutional changes

Serbia has held a referendum on constitutional amendments that the populist government says are needed for the Balkan country to advance in a bid to join the European Union

January 16

A woman casts her ballot for a referendum on constitutional changes, in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. The government has said the amendments are designed to boost independence of the judiciary and are part of reform needed for Serbia's European Union membership bid. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

January 16

Earthquake rattles parts of Greece; no damage reported

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has rattled northern Greece and has been felt in the capital

January 16

Media report Chinese city of Xi’an lifts some restrictions after 3 weeks of lockdown

Media report Chinese city of Xi’an lifts some restrictions after 3 weeks of COVID-19 lockdown

January 16

Netanyahu negotiating plea deal in corruption trial

Netanyahu is accused of fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrongdoing.

January 16

FILE - Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to right-wing opposition party members, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem on June 14, 2021. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a plea deal in his corruption case. A person involved in the negotiations said Sunday, Jan. 16, 2021, that the agreement is likely to be announced in the coming days and could usher Netanyahu off the Israeli political stage for years. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

January 16

Portugal's election campaign begins under pandemic limits

Two weeks of official campaigning will not include any rallies due to COVID-19.

January 16

FILE - People queue to vote at a polling station at the University of Lisbon, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. The official two-week campaigning period for Portugal’s Jan. 30 general election is kicking off, though due to the coronavirus pandemic there will be none of the large rallies usually associated with the build-up to the ballot. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)

January 16

Migrant caravan from Honduras stopped in Guatemala

Some 600 migrants hoping to reach the United States have set off in a caravan.

January 16

Members of a migrant caravan hold a Honduran national flag as they begin their journey in the hopes of reaching the United States, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)

January 16

Djokovic leaves Australia after losing appeal to reinstate visa

"Djokovic has now departed Australia," Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said.

January 16

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic walks in Melbourne Airport before boarding a flight, after the Federal Court upheld a government decision to cancel his visa to play in the Australian Open, in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 16, 2022.

January 15

Italy's pork industry blames wild boars for swine fever

The discovery of African swine fever in northern Italy has pork producers fearing significant damages to a major agricultural export, and is also cutting short truffle hunting

January 15

Aegean Airlines suspends Beirut flights after plane damage

Greece’s dominant Aegean Airlines says it has suspended its flights to and from Lebanon’s capital pending an investigation into the causes of damage to the fuselage of one of its aircraft discovered after landing in Beirut

January 15

Serbian environmental protesters reject lithium mining plans

Environmental protesters are once again demanding the cancelation of plans for lithium mining in western Serbia

January 15

Environmental demonstrators hold banner showing an image of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, reading: "A traitor!" as they block a highway during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. Hundreds of environmental protesters demanding cancelation of any plans for lithium mining in Serbia took to the streets again, blocking roads and, for the first time, a border crossing. Traffic on the main highway north-south highway was halted on Saturday for more than one hour, along with several other roads throughout the country, including one on the border with Bosnia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

January 15

ِEgypt arrests wanted man after plane's emergency landing

Egyptian authorities say they arrested a prominent member of a U.S.-designated terrorist group

January 15

Jamaica arrests ex-Haiti senator sought in leader's slaying

He was sought in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

January 15

FILE - A person holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise during his memorial ceremony at the National Pantheon Museum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, that they have arrested a key suspect in the killing of President Moise with help from the U.S. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

January 15

The AP Interview: Taliban pledge all girls in schools soon

The Taliban are promising to try to open all schools for girls across Afghanistan after the Afghan New Year, which starts in late March

January 15

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers are aiming to restart education for girls and women by late March, the government's chief spokesman told The Associated Press in an interview, offering the first-ever timeline for addressing a key demand of the international community. (AP Photo/Mohammed Shoaib Amin).

January 15

Kazakhstan activists recall path from protest to bloodshed

The mass protests in Kazakhstan that began over New Year's weekend because of high fuel prices were peaceful at first, but then something changed

January 15

After talks make no progress, is Russian attack on Ukraine more likely?: Analysis

A week of diplomatic talks failed to dispel fears of a Russian attack.

January 15

A Ukrainian soldier walks in a trench at the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Jan. 10, 2022.

January 15

Hezbollah, ally end Cabinet boycott in crisis-hit Lebanon

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its main Shiite ally say they are ending their boycott of Cabinet meetings after three months

January 15

Public transport buses block a road, during a general strike by public transport and labor unions to protest the country's deteriorating economic and financial conditions in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Protesters closed the country's major highways as well as roads inside cities and towns starting 5 a.m. making it difficult for people to move around. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

January 15

Iran conducts static test of satellite-carrying rocket

Iran's state-run news agency says the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force has tested the engine for a solid-fuel satellite carrier rocket

January 15