Seoul police say they’re questioning anti-North activists
June 30, 2020
South Korean police say they’ve summoned two activists accused of raising tensions with North Korea by sending propaganda balloons and plastic bottles filled with rice across the border…
After embassy move, U.S. to sell envoy’s house near Tel Aviv
June 30, 2020
The U.S. State Department says it has put the ambassador to Israel’s official residence in an affluent Tel Aviv suburb up for sale…
China’s campaign of ‘genocide’ could bring the U.S. and E.U. closer together
June 30, 2020
New reports detail a shocking, widespread campaign of forced sterilizations in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang.…
Israel’s Netanyahu still working out West Bank annexation plans
June 30, 2020
A lack of details is frustrating backers of annexation and critics alike.…
EasyJet may close 3 UK bases as it slashes staff
June 30, 2020
Budget carrier easyJet says it may close three bases in England as it consults with unions on steps to stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic…
China’s security law sends chill through Hong Kong, 23 years after handover
June 30, 2020
Pro-democracy parties disbanded, and people deleted social media accounts en masse as Beijing passed measures intended to eliminate political opposition.…
Netanyahu signals delay in West Bank annexation plan
June 30, 2020
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says discussions with the U—S— on his plan to annex occupied West Bank territory will continue “in the coming days.”…
Pandemic probe: Brazilian governor targeted in police raid
June 30, 2020
The governor of Brazil’s Amazonas state was targeted by a police raid over allegations of corruption related to COVID-19 spending…
Amid anti-racism protests, Belgian king expresses regrets to Congo for colonial brutality
June 30, 2020
Belgian Black Lives Matter activists have called for Belgium to reckon with its colonial history.…
Toronto mayor wants masks mandatory, citing U.S. problems
June 30, 2020
The mayor of Canada’s largest city is asking Toronto city council to make masks mandatory in public indoor spaces…
Congo marks 60th anniversary of independence from Belgium
June 30, 2020
Congo is marking its 60th anniversary of independence from Belgium amid a global reckoning over racial inequality…
French, Spanish and African leaders meet to combat extremism
June 30, 2020
Leaders from the five countries of West Africa’s Sahel region — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott on Tuesday to discuss military operations against Islamic extremists in the region, as jihadist attacks mount…
Outrage in Colombia over alleged soldier abuse of Indigenous
June 30, 2020
Accusations that a group of soldiers sexually assaulted two young Indigenous girls in rural Colombia have sparked protests outside army bases and rekindled fears about the military’s human rights record, especially in parts of the country still recovering from decades of armed conflict…
Israeli AG rejects Netanyahu request for financial legal aid
June 30, 2020
Israel’s attorney general says he opposes a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to have a wealthy American supporter finance his legal defense against corruption charges…
1st COVID-19 case in asylum seeker camp at US-Mexico border
June 30, 2020
An international disaster relief organization reports the first confirmed case of COVID-19 among migrants living in a tent encampment of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border…
India bans TikTok, other Chinese apps amid border standoff
June 30, 2020
India is banning dozens of Chinese apps amid a military standoff in the remote Karakoram mountain border region…
Protesters return to Sudan streets, calling for more reforms
June 30, 2020
Sudanese protesters have returned to the streets to pressure transitional authorities, demanding justice for those killed in the uprising last year that led to the military’s ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir…
Australian national news agency sold in binding agreement
June 30, 2020
Australia’s national news agency has been sold in a binding agreement to a consortium of philanthropist investors who say they are driven by a desire to retain media diversity…
Security Council trying again for first COVID-19 resolution
June 30, 2020
The U.N. Security Council is trying again to reach agreement on its first resolution on COVID-19 since the coronavirus started circling the global in February, after a lengthy dispute between the U.S. and China over mentioning the World Health Organization…
‘Ours is a face-to-face business’: The Irish ambassador to the U.S. on the difficulties of diplomacy during a pandemic
June 30, 2020
Daniel Mulhall hasn’t been in the Irish embassy for more than two months.…
Vatican prosecutors seize data from St. Peter’s Basilica
June 30, 2020
Vatican prosecutors have ordered the seizure of documents and computers from the administrative offices of St. Peter’s Basilica in an apparently new investigation into financial irregularities in the Holy See…
Germany takes EU hot seat with big challenges, expectations
June 30, 2020
Germany, the European Union’s biggest economic power, is taking the chair of the 27-nation bloc amid massive challenges and huge expectations as the continent grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic…
U.S. finds little support for extending arms embargo against Iran
June 30, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the United Nations Security Counci to extend the embargo, due to expire in four months, but he faced resistance from China, Russia and even European allies.…
Singapore election campaign begins, PM’s brother not running
June 30, 2020
The estranged brother of Singapore’s prime minister is not running in next month’s general election but says he hopes to be a “catalyst for change” as campaigning officially begins…
Trump’s two Russias confound coherent US policy
June 30, 2020
When it comes to Russia, the Trump administration just can’t seem to make up its mind…
Pope urges US Catholic media to work to overcome racism
June 30, 2020
Pope Francis is urging Catholic media in the U.S. to work to overcome “the diseases of racism and injustice” in his latest comments about anti-racism protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd…
Travel between US, Canada complicating MLB Toronto approval
June 30, 2020
The Ontario government says frequent travel between the U.S. and Canada is the complicating factor that’s holding up approval for Major League League Baseball to play in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic…
Top aides to Ukraine’s Zelensky outline plans to make tape leaks illegal
June 30, 2020
The officials said the “malicious practice” of leaks was hurting Ukraine’s international image.…
Pompeo calls Taliban leader amid Russian bounty scandal
June 30, 2020
A Taliban spokesman says that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the Taliban’s chief peace negotiator amid a roiling controversy in Washington over the Russian bounty scandal…
Australian national news agency sold in binding agreement
June 30, 2020
Australia’s national news agency has been sold in a binding agreement to a consortium of philanthropist investors who say they are driven by a desire to retain media diversity…
Belgian king expresses regret for violence in colonial rule
June 30, 2020
For the first time in Belgium’s history, a reigning king has expressed regret for the violence carried out by the former colonial power when it ruled over what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo…
Israel undeterred by international opposition to annexation
June 30, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to carry out his pledge to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, possibly as soon as this week…
Mortar shells hit after Somalia celebrates reopened stadium
June 30, 2020
At least three mortar blasts have sent sports fans in Somalia ducking for cover, hours after the Mogadishu Stadium reopened following years of instability…
Security Council extends peacekeeping force in Mali for year
June 30, 2020
The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali for a year…
Protests as currency slides, price of bread rises in Lebanon
June 30, 2020
Protesters closed several major roads in the Lebanese capital Beirut amid rising anger as the currency hit a new record low on the black market, electricity cuts increased and the government raised the price of bread for the first time in more than a decade…
AP PHOTOS: Preparing to welcome back Thai preschoolers
June 30, 2020
For the past month, Darunee Khedkhow has arrived at Bangkok’s Makkasan community preschool at 8 a.m. each weekday, just as she has done for most of her past 12 years as a teacher.…
Puerto Rico to demand COVID-19 test results from passengers
June 30, 2020
Puerto Rico’s governor has announced strict new rules for all passengers flying into Puerto Rico in a bid to curb coronavirus cases as officials blame recent outbreaks on those who flew to the U.S. territory and were infected…
Worsening drought forces state of emergency in Puerto Rico
June 29, 2020
Puerto Rico’s governor has declared a state of emergency as a worsening drought creeps across the U.S. territory amid a coronavirus pandemic…
Polish group seeks pope’s action against sex abuse, cover-up
June 29, 2020
The Vatican says Pope Francis has been informed about an appeal launched by Catholics in Poland urging intervention into cases where bishops have continued to cover up for priests who sexually molested children…
Kissing of Blarney Stone resumes as Ireland eases lockdown
June 29, 2020
Life has become ever so slightly more normal in Ireland as pints are pulled and locked-down hair is trimmed for the first time since March…
Philippine police fatally shoot 4 army soldiers in south
June 29, 2020
Philippine policemen have fatally shot four army soldiers, including two officers, who were trying to locate a suicide bomber but were suspected of being criminals by the police in the volatile south…
Lawyers urge Trump to rescind sanctions, travel bans for International Criminal Court
June 29, 2020
A group of 175 human rights and national security lawyers say the penalties are “wrong in principle” and “contrary to American values.”…
The world’s climate catastrophe worsens amid the pandemic
June 29, 2020
While countries went on lockdown, the Arctic caught on fire.…
China enacts Hong Kong security law, escalating confrontation with U.S.
June 29, 2020
Washington has imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for eroding political freedoms in the financial center and suspended trade privileges.…
Asian shares rise after Wall St rally, strong housing data
June 29, 2020
Asian shares are rising, cheered by a rally on Wally Street reflecting some optimism over stronger than expected housing data, despite the coronavirus pandemic…
Philippine army outraged by fatal police shooting of troops
June 29, 2020
The Philippine army chief has expressed outrage over the fatal police shooting of four soldiers and demanded justice…
New Zealand cancels 2021 APEC summit, will lead it virtually
June 29, 2020
New Zealand has canceled its plans to host a major meeting of U.S. and Asian leaders next year because of the coronavirus, opting instead to host a virtual summit…
Japan to boost space cooperation with US in revised policy
June 29, 2020
Japan plans to step up defense cooperation with the United States in space and improve its ability to detect and track missiles in response to what it called a growing threat from North Korea and China…
With restrictions, fans set to return to SKorean baseball
June 29, 2020
South Korea’s professional baseball league says it will require fans to wear masks and sit at least a seat apart as it prepares to bring back spectators in the coming weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic…
Jewish groups angry at Dutch railway company reparation
June 29, 2020
Jewish organizations have criticized the Dutch national railway company for not adequately consulting them in discussions to work out a form of collective Holocaust recognition…