What Crackdown? Migrant smuggling business adapts, thrives
HERMOSILLO, Mexico — The heavy-set man swept through a curtain into the reserved area of a nightclub as his bodyguard stood nearby. In the darkness, h...
Facebook to tackle efforts to interfere with 2020 US census
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook says it will clamp down on efforts to use its services to interfere with the 2020 U.S. census, including the posting of misle...
EU court boost for activist in Facebook data transfer fight
LONDON — EU regulators must block tech companies from transferring data outside the bloc in cases in which privacy rules are broken, an advisor to the...
Putin says Trump was impeached for ‘far-fetched’ reasons
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump was impeached for “far-fetched” reasons, calling the move by ...
Swedish central bank ends pioneering era of subzero rates
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Sweden's central bank has ended a five-year experiment of keeping its benchmark interest rate below zero, a policy that other co...
Xi Jinping visits Macao to celebrate 20 years of China rule
MACAO — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Thursday with Macao’s new chief executive amid celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the former Portuguese col...
Lawsuits allege hotel chains ignored human trafficking
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lawyers representing human trafficking victims want a single federal judge to oversee multiple lawsuits alleging that major hotel cha...
Spain rocked by rulings that renew questions over Catalonia
BRUSSELS — Spain was thrown into turmoil on Thursday by court rulings that could undermine Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s hopes of forming a new gover...
Algeria inaugurates new president rejected by protesters
ALGIERS, Algeria — After eight months without a leader, Algeria is inaugurating its new president Thursday — a ceremony that pro-democracy protesters ...
SUNDAYS AFTER: For survivor, routine brings some relief
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — It’s been nine years since the trial that nearly killed John Vai.
The Latest: Trump holds record-long rally on impeachment day
WASHINGTON — A sample of the sights and sounds across Washington and beyond on a momentous day in Washington on Wednesday as the House passed two arti...
Philippines convicts key clan members in 2009 massacre
MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine court has found key members of a powerful political clan guilty of the 2009 massacre in southern Maguindanao provin...
Review: Forget CGI. Dench is the special effect in ‘Cats’
There’s apparently enough groundbreaking technology used in “Cats” for NASA to send a rocket to unexplored parts of the universe — perhaps to a far-of...
Key dates in the House impeachment inquiry into Trump
WASHINGTON — Key dates in the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump:
Feds: Seattle barrel company used hidden drain to pollute
SEATTLE — A century-old Seattle barrel company has been indicted along with its third-generation owner in what prosecutors describe as a long-running ...
Police, protesters clash outside Barcelona-Real Madrid game
BARCELONA, Spain — Riot police clashed with protesters in the streets Wednesday night outside a soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid, as aut...
Trump speaks at swank GOP fundraiser, his DC hotel profits
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took the stage in the ballroom of his luxury hotel in Washington on Saturday night, just days before an impeachmen...
Study estimates that half of US adults will be obese by 2030
There's no way to sugarcoat this news: Nearly half of American adults will be obese within a decade and one-quarter will be severely so, a new report ...
Justice Dept. plans crackdown on violent crime in 7 cities
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced a crackdown Wednesday aimed at driving down violent crime in seven of the nation’s most violent cities.
Lebanon’s caretaker PM no longer candidate for post
BEIRUT — Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said Wednesday he's no longer a candidate for the post, eliminating himself from consideration with no cle...
Walk-in clinics for opioid addiction offer meds first, fast
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Every time she got out of jail, Jamie Cline started hustling again for heroin, driven by an addiction she didn’t understand.
Macron, under strike pressure, mulls changes to pension plan
PARIS — The French government launched negotiations with labor unions Wednesday on potential changes to a landmark pension reform bill that sparked cr...
What will Boris Johnson do? UK leader to unveil policy plans
LONDON — British voters have given Prime Minister Boris Johnson a commanding majority. But they have little idea what he plans to do with it, apart fr...
Twin Metals Minnesota files formal mine plan with regulators
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Twin Metals Minnesota formally submitted a plan to regulators Wednesday for an underground copper-nickel mine near Ely in northeaste...
Mahathir: Islamic conference in KL to tackle Islamophobia
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Wednesday an Islamic conference that includes leaders from Iran, Turkey and Qatar is aim...
Germany’s Merkel criticizes US gas pipeline sanctions threat
BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday criticized a U.S. move to impose sanctions related to a new Russian-German gas pipeline, signali...
Rights group slams Greek migrant camp conditions for minors
ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds of unaccompanied children are living in “inhuman and degrading” conditions in a migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, ...
Tokyo court awards damages to female journalist in rape case
TOKYO — A Tokyo court awarded damages to a freelance journalist on Wednesday in a high-profile rape case that had been dropped by Japanese prosecutors...
GOP Sen. Collins of Maine launches reelection bid for 2020
PORTLAND, Maine — Republican Sen. Susan Collins officially launched her bid for reelection Wednesday, setting up an expensive and closely watched batt...
EU claims better fishing rules; environmentalists disagree
BRUSSELS — European Union nations say the fish catch quotas they agreed upon for next year means they have made more headway in securing sustainable f...