Israel’s embattled Netanyahu wins landslide in primary
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a landslide victory in a primary election for leadership of the ruling Likud party.
14 dead in Niger after Islamic extremists attack convoy
NIAMEY, Niger — Islamic extremists on motorcycles killed 14 security force members who were escorting election officials in the West African nation of...
Sudan’s Christians enjoy holiday amid hope for new freedoms
KHARTOUM, Sudan — The Sudanese Christian marchers weaved through bustling markets and traffic-clogged streets wearing “I Love Jesus” T-shirts or color...
Switzerland avalanche hits marked ski trail; 2 injured
FRANKFURT, Germany — An avalanche swept across a marked ski trail near the Swiss town of Andermatt on Thursday, injuring two people.
Reports: UK family drowned in Spain didn’t know how to swim
MADRID — Spanish news reports said Thursday that a member of the British family whose father and two children died in a swimming pool on Christmas Eve...
German opera singer, conductor Schreier dies at 84
FRANKFURT, Germany — German opera singer and conductor Peter Schreier, who won fame at the Salzburg festival and Milan's La Scala, has died in Dresden...
Russian authorities raid opposition leader Navalny’s offices
MOSCOW — Security officers in Moscow raided the offices of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent foe of President Vladimir Putin and the governing United...
Burundi’s president again says he won’t run for another term
NAIROBI, Kenya — Burundi’s president has again indicated he will not run for another term next year in the politically volatile East African nation.
Court rules Turkey violated freedoms by banning Wikipedia
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s highest court on Thursday ruled in favor of Wikipedia, saying the Turkish government's two-year ban on the online encycloped...
AP Explains: What is Boxing Day?
LONDON — In Britain and other countries like Australia and Canada, the day after Christmas is a secular national holiday known as Boxing Day. Here’s a...
Indonesia, Thailand mark 15th anniversary of massive tsunami
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Thousands of people knelt in prayer in Indonesia's Aceh province at ceremonies Thursday marking the 15th anniversary of the In...
Okinawa gov. renews demand to stop US base relocation plan
TOKYO — Okinawa's Gov. Denny Tamaki renewed demands Thursday that Japan's central government halt construction of a U.S. Marine Corps. base being relo...
Australia firefighters brace for extreme heatwave at weekend
PERTH, Australia — Firefighters battling wildfires in Australia’s most populous state attempted to make headway Thursday amid favorable conditions, be...
Gala Christmas Day in country for Queen Elizabeth II, family
SANDRINGHAM, England — Queen Elizabeth II and her close family spent a gala Christmas Day at her palatial countryside retreat, feasting on locally-rea...
Rwanda avoids US-style opioids crisis by making own morphine
BUSHEKELI, Rwanda — It was something, the silence. Nothing but the scuff of her slip-on shoes as Madeleine Mukantagara walked through the fields to he...
Pope offers hope against darkness in Christmas Day message
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis offered a Christmas message of hope Wednesday against darkness that cloaks conflicts and relationships in large parts of t...
Algeria buries military chief, de facto ruler amid protests
ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria is holding an elaborate military funeral for the general who was the de facto ruler of the gas-rich country amid political ...
Spanish police investigate British family’s pool deaths
MADRID — Spanish police are investigating the swimming pool deaths of a British man, his 9-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.
Notre Dame rector: Fragile cathedral might not be saved
PARIS — The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is still so fragile that there's a “50% chance” the structure might not be entirely...
Wildfire-ravaged areas of Australia get holiday relief
PERTH, Australia — Areas of Australia that have been ravaged by deadly wildfires experienced temporary relief on Wednesday, but oppressive conditions ...
Lebanese help each other as economic crisis crushes lives
BEIRUT — Panic set in on a WhatsApp group used to organize Lebanese protests when one member said he intended to kill himself because he can’t provide...
Pope marks joyful Christmas Eve after less-than-joyful year
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — “even the worst of us” — as he celebrated the joyous birth...
Putin rebuffs Western criticism of 1939 Stalin-Hitler pact
Russian President Vladimir Putin countered European criticism of a 1939 Soviet pact with Nazi Germany on Tuesday, charging that collusion with Adolf H...
AP PHOTOS: In despair, French hospital interns go on strike
MARSEILLE, France — Nestled in the cinderblock complex of Marseille’s sprawling La Timone hospital stands the intern residency building, home to a com...
Home for the holidays: Prince Philip leaves hospital
LONDON — Prince Philip was discharged from a London hospital Tuesday and immediately taken by helicopter to join other senior royals at Queen Elizabet...
Venice flood damage to St. Mark’s Cathedral totals millions
VENICE, Italy — “Every stone is a treasure,’’ says the technical director of St. Mark’s Basilica’s vestry board, indicating the prized gold-leaf mosai...
China, Japan, South Korea meet on North Korea, free trade
CHENGDU, China — Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea reiterated their commitment to ending North Korea's nuclear and missile programs at a trila...
Pentagon says New Jersey soldier killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — A 33-year-old American soldier was killed in combat Monday in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. The Taliban claimed they were ...
Saudis sentence 5 people to death for Khashoggi’s killing
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death Monday for the killing of Washington Post columnist and royal family cri...
France says it carries out first armed drone strike in Mali
PARIS — France's defense ministry announced Monday it had carried out its first armed drone strike, killing seven Islamic extremists in central Mali o...