Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen whom Russia accuses of being a spy, will remain in custody while Russian authorities continue their investigation of the former U.S. Marine. Whelan, his family and the United States believe the charges are baseless. Yulia Savchenko reports from Moscow. …
Syrian state media report that government forces now control all of northern Hama province for the first time since 2012 and that they have encircled a Turkish military monitoring post in the town of Morek. Turkish President Erdogan says that he will discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin …
India’s former finance minister, Arun Jaitley, died Saturday in a New Delhi hospital months after he stepped away from the job due to deteriorating health. A close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 66-year-old Jaitley was credited with steering landmark economic reform that helped create a single market in …
Comedian Dave Chappelle plans to host a special block party and benefit concert in Ohio for those affected by the recent mass shooting. Chappelle will be among national and local entertainers planned for the main stage at the “Gem City Shine” event in Dayton Sunday. WDTN-TV reports the City of …
The Rolling Stones have rocked stages around the world in their more than 50-year career. But now their influence has gone into space after NASA’s Mars InSight Mission named a rock on the planet after the band. Slightly larger than a golf ball, the “Rolling Stones Rock” is said to …
Hong Kong is gearing up for more protests as some demonstrators made plans to again to target the airport this weekend. Hong Kong police said Friday that the city’s high court had extended an order restricting protests at the airport. “Any person who unlawfully or willfully obstructs or interferes with …
Italian President Sergio Mattarella agreed to a new round of consultations with party leaders Tuesday to resolve Italy’s political crisis. Speaking to reporters in Rome Thursday, two days after the collapse of the country’s populist government, the president said if no coalition wins a parliamentary approval, he could form a …
The first Official Comic Book Convention or Comic Con for short, happened in New York in 1964. Since then, the world of comic books has moved to TV, the movies, and video games, and these conventions have become huge events. We visited one to get a feel for how they …
China “will not sit idly by” if the U.S. proceeds with a sale of advanced F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, a Chinese general said, while warning of other potential countermeasures in addition to punishing foreign firms involved in the deal. Beijing considered the sale a violation of previous U.S. commitments …
Experts are warning that a focus on alleged Islamist militant ties is hindering efforts to respond to insurgencies in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Local insurgent groups have claimed ties to Islamic State to increase their clout, but the groups operate autonomously, experts who study the …
Indonesia has arrested 34 people and cut internet access in its easternmost region of Papua to rein in violence after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination. Police have flown in 1,200 more officers to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday …
Iranian state media said the government showcased a domestically built long-range, mobile surface-to-air missile system on Thursday. The system’s unveiling came on Iran’s National Defense Industry Day and at a time of rising tension between Iran and the United States. Iran developed a large domestic arms industry in the face …
Zimbabwe rights activists are calling for Western sanctions against the country to remain in place, despite calls this week by the Southern African Development Community for them to be lifted. Government supporters say the sanctions are hurting ordinary people. But critics say it is the government’s policies, not sanctions, that are to …
The US Treasury took action Wednesday to crack down on Chinese traffickers of deadly fentanyl, sanctioning producer-exporters and warning banks on financial schemes used to distribute the synthetic opioid behind thousands of US overdose deaths. The Treasury identified Zheng Fujing, 36, and a company he controls, Qinsheng Pharmaceutical Technology, and …
Sudan on Tuesday completed the formation of an 11-member sovereign council that will run the country for a three-year transitional period until elections, a spokesman for the ruling military council told a news conference. The sovereign council will be led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head …
Ex-combatants with Colombia’s once largest guerrilla group turned over names and information Tuesday on several hundred people who went missing during the nation’s long civil conflict in a first step toward helping more families find closure. The list was provided to a special unit tasked with finding the missing and …
A group of activists is trying to persuade an international conservation conference to ban trophy hunting, which outrages some animal lovers but has long been tolerated by some environmentalists as a way of protecting wildlife. More than 50 members of the European Parliament and 50 environmental groups, led by the …
An investment fund designed for animal rights advocates and environmentalists, the first of its kind according to financial experts, is set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) next month. VEGN, as it will show on the NYSE’s floor, enters the fray of hundreds of funds that …
Russia’s Norilsk smelter complex and a town in South Africa’s eastern coal mining province have the highest sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions in the world, according to satellite data from U.S. space agency NASA. The NASA-compiled data published on Monday was commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace India and used the space …
The first American spacecraft expected to land on the moon in nearly 50 years will be a robotic moon lander built by closely held Astrobotic Technology and launched in two years by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, the companies told Reuters on Monday. Astrobotic was one of nine companies chosen …
Authorities on Spain’s Canary Islands have confirmed the evacuation of more than 8,000 people Sunday and Monday as a massive wildfire swept across Gran Canaria. No fatalities have been reported, so far, but the fire is not yet under control. Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said 1,100 firefighters are …
A number of U.S. business economists appear sufficiently concerned about the risks of some of President Donald Trump’s economic policies that they expect a recession in the U.S. by the end of 2021. Thirty-four percent of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics, in a report being released …
A general accused of war crimes by the UN was Monday appointed Sri Lanka army chief by the nation’s president despite international concerns about his human rights record. Major General Shavendra Silva, 55, was elevated to the army’s second-highest position of chief of staff in January before his latest promotion …
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that she would meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday evening to discuss Britain’s planned departure from the European Union, adding that Berlin was also prepared for a disorderly Brexit. Johnson is seeking to persuade European Union leaders to reopen Brexit talks …
Protesters rallied in Hong Kong again on Sunday, as anti-government demonstrations, now in their 11th week, continue. Mike O’Sullivan reports that the protests were first sparked by an extradition bill, but are now broadly aimed at maintaining Hong’s Kong’s special status within China. …
Last update: 1:45 p. m. Iran said its seized oil tanker was expected to leave Gibraltar on Sunday after authorities there rejected a U.S. bid to detain it, but it was unclear where the ship might be headed next. “The vessel is expected to leave tonight,” envoy Hamid Baeidinejad said …