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World News

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left, shakes hands with Ecuador's Minister of Interio...

US and Ecuador sign agreement to combat transnational crime

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The United States and Ecuador on Thursday signed a bilateral agreement aimed at strengthening their collaboration against transnational criminal networks. The agreement, signed during a visit of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the South American country, facilitates the exchange of information on suspected criminal offenders and risk assessments of […]
1 year ago
Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Lebanon, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press...

Lebanon’s UN refugee agency chief hopes at least 200,000 Syrian refugees return under new plan

BEIRUT (AP) — The UN refugee agency’s representative in Lebanon said Thursday he hopes that at least 200,000 Syrian refugees return from Lebanon by the end of the year under a new government-backed return plan. Before former President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive in December, only about 1% of the Syrian […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after rea...

European Union assumes it faces 15% tariffs in the US from Friday. But a key text still isn’t ready

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is working on the assumption that the United States will impose a 15% tariff on most EU exports from Friday, even though the two sides have yet to complete a key document clarifying how the agreement will operate. Last weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula […]
1 year ago

Pakistan and US reach a trade agreement to develop oil reserves and reduce tariffs

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Pakistan reached a trade agreement expected to allow Washington to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for the South Asian country, officials from both nations said Thursday. Officials did not specify where the exploration would take place, but most of Pakistan’s reserves are believed […]
1 year ago

Asian shares are mixed after US stocks fall on weakened hopes for a September interest rate cut

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after most U.S. stocks slipped, as doubts rose on Wall Street about whether the Federal Reserve will deliver economy-juicing cuts to interest rates by September. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.9% to 41,020.91 after the Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady at 0.5% and raised […]
1 year ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left, and Chile's Director of Investigative Police (P...

US to share biometric data with Chile ‘to track criminals,’ Homeland Security’s Noem says

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The United States will deploy biometric technologies in partnership with Chile to control migration and disrupt criminal networks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday during a visit to the South American nation. “This arrangement is going to serve as a bridge to help Chile and the United States work towards […]
1 year ago

US sanctions Brazil’s Supreme Court justice overseeing case against Bolsonaro

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and the ongoing trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 election defeat […]
1 year ago
In this image taken from a video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers ins...

Russia’s Far East ‘land of fire and ice’ avoids major damage from earthquake and tsunami

MOSCOW (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck Wednesday off Russia’s Far East coast, flooding a fishing port with waves from a tsunami, cutting power to a few areas and sending some panicked residents fleeing buildings but causing only a few injuries. Regional authorities say they were prepared for the 8.8-magnitude quake and the subsequent waves, […]
1 year ago
American man, Taylor Kirby Whitemore, who was arrested in Bali on March 25 for allegedly selling po...

A US man goes on trial in Indonesia for allegedly selling porn videos online

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A trial began Wednesday in Indonesia against an American man accused of misusing his tourist visa by producing and selling pornographic videos online. The trial at the South Jakarta District Court was held behind closed doors. Indonesia’s Criminal Procedure Law says judges have the authority to limit public access to a […]
1 year ago
FILE - A woman walks in the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, where tens of tho...

US repatriates a child from sprawling camp in northeastern Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The United States repatriated an American child separated from their family from a sprawling camp in northeastern Syrian that houses tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group, the State Department said Wednesday. The department estimates that some 30,000 people from 70 countries remain in […]
1 year ago

Asian shares are mostly higher after China-US talks end without a trade deal

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares in Asia were mostly higher on Wednesday after the U.S. and China ended their latest round of trade talks without a deal. U.S, futures edged higher while oil prices slipped. Beijing’s top trade official said China and the United States agreed during two days of talks in Stockholm, Sweden, to work […]
1 year ago
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is interviewed by the A...

UN investigator says US sanctions over her criticism of Israel will seriously impact her life

ROME (AP) — An independent U.N. investigator and outspoken critic of Israel’s policies in Gaza says that the sanctions recently imposed on her by the Trump administration will have serious impacts on her life and work. Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, is a member of a group of […]
1 year ago
Thurvi Valli and her grandfather, Sitham Valli pray inside Crypt Church at the national shrine of S...

Trump coveted Canada as 51st state. Most Canadians differ with him on religion’s role in public life

MONTREAL (AP) — Throughout his new term, starting with his inaugural address, President Donald Trump has said he was “saved by God” to make America great again. In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney rarely evokes religion in public; his victory speech in April never used the word God. “Canada forever. Vive le Canada,” he ended. […]
1 year ago
President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after rea...

Higher US tariffs part of the price Europe was willing to pay for its security and arms for Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — France’s prime minister described it as a “dark day” for the European Union, a “submission” to U.S. tariff demands. Commentators said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s handshake with President Donald Trump amounted to capitulation. The trouble is, Europe depends mightily on the United States, and not just for trade. Mirroring […]
1 year ago
Swedens prime minister Ulf Kristersson, left, greets US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, right, an...

Top Chinese, US trade officials huddle in Sweden for second day of thorny talks over tariffs

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Chinese and U.S. trade officials were heading into a second day of meetings in the Swedish capital Tuesday to try to break a logjam over tariffs that have skewed the pivotal commercial ties between the world’s two largest economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng made no […]
1 year ago

US-EU trade deal wards off further escalation but will raise costs for companies, consumers

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy […]
1 year ago

Wildfires threaten Turkey’s fourth-largest city as southern Europe grapples with blazes

ISTANBUL (AP) — Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks threatened the country’s fourth-largest city early Sunday, causing more than 1,700 people to flee their homes and leaving a firefighter dead. Meanwhile, firefighters elsewhere in the region, including Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro, were also battling blazes fed by unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong […]
1 year ago

Here’s how a major Mexican tomato exporter is affected by Trump’s 17% tariff

AJUCHITLAN, Mexico (AP) — The Trump administration’s decision to impose a 17% duty on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico has created a dilemma for the country providing more tomatoes to U.S. consumers than any other. The import tax that began July 14 is just the latest protectionist move by an administration that has threatened dozens […]
1 year ago

US-China trade talks: Can China reduce its export dependence?

BEIJING (AP) — China’s high dependence on exports will likely be a key focus of a new round of U.S.-China trade talks this coming week in Stockholm, but a trade deal would not necessarily help Beijing to rebalance its economy. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he hopes the negotiations can take up this […]
1 year ago

Israel says hundreds of truckloads of aid are waiting to enter Gaza. Why can’t the UN bring them in?

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. Yet Israel says hundreds of truckloads of aid are waiting at the border for the U.N. to distribute in Gaza. On Thursday, […]
1 year ago

Seeing yellow: Massive police presence highly visible ahead of Trump’s visit to Scotland

TURNBERRY, Scotland (AP) — It may not be typical golf attire, but one of the most ubiquitous outfits seen on President Donald Trump ‘s golf course Friday ahead of his visit was the reflective yellow vest worn by Scottish police. The standard issue garb that is far removed from the traditional Turnberry tartan was highly […]
1 year ago

Tens of thousands flee their homes as Thailand and Cambodia clash

SURIN, Thailand (AP) — Tens of thousands of people sought refuge on Friday as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second day, heightening fears of a broader conflict. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs a regional […]
1 year ago

Asian shares retreat after Alphabet and AI stocks nudge Wall Street to more records

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares retreated on Friday after Wall Street inched to more records as gains for Alphabet and artificial-intelligence stocks helped offset a steep tumble for EV-maker Tesla. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.7% to 41,511.09 after two days of gains following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a trade deal that would place […]
1 year ago

Ranchers in southern Mexico are struggling against a flesh-eating parasite infecting livestock

CINTALAPA, Mexico (AP) — With Mexican cattle again barred this month from entry to the United States over fears of spreading a flesh-eating parasite, ranchers and veterinarians in Mexico hundreds of miles from the border are fighting what has U.S. agricultural authorities so on edge. In the southern state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, the […]
1 year ago