17 hours ago

Venezuela's interim leader angrily defends earthquake response

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's U.S.-backed acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday issued a fiery defense of her government's response to last week's devastating earthquakes, lashing out at critics who say authorities reacted too slowly, pushing back on suggestions that the true death toll is far higher than the government has acknowledged and rejecting accusations that the nation's shoddily constructed social housing exacerbated the disaster.

5 hours ago

Steam railway that travels through the Swiss Alps celebrates its 100th anniversary

REALP, Switzerland (AP) — Train enthusiasts will celebrate the 100th anniversary of a historic Swiss railway this weekend as vintage steam locomotives ferry tourists through the stunning Alpine scenery as part of the celebration.

5 hours ago

Putin shrugs off fuel shortages in Russia as he ramps up attacks on Ukraine

Despite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine’s increasing attacks on his country’s oil refineries.

19 hours ago

Albanian police use tear gas and pepper spray as Tirana protest turns violent

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian police clashed with protesters Thursday as an anti-government demonstration — part of protests triggered by plans for a luxury development linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — turned violent.

1 day ago

UK formally apologizes for state's role in forcing unwed mothers to give up babies for adoption

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally apologized Thursday for the British state's role in separating tens of thousands of unmarried mothers from their babies, a practice that lasted for decades until the 1970s.

10 hours ago

Rare copy of Declaration of Independence found by UK National Archives in papers of captured US ship

LONDON (AP) — Michael Scurr has been volunteering at Britain’s National Archives for the last 11 years, spending his Thursday mornings painstakingly cataloging documents for the benefit of future researchers.

2 days ago

Defying Pope Leo XIV, traditionalists go ahead with bishop consecrations in Switzerland

ECONE, Switzerland (AP) — A group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by consecrating four bishops without his consent, dismissing the resulting excommunications and break with the Holy See by saying it was necessary to defend the Catholic faith.

1 day ago

Helping Venezuela: A week after quakes, reports of hurdles abound

A week after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela, the Global Empowerment Mission had dispatched more than $1 million in aid, according to the Doral-based nonprofit’s representatives.

1 day ago

Helping Venezuela: Doral-based nonprofit dispatches over $1 million in aid from community

A week after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela, the Global Empowerment Mission had dispatched more than $1 million in aid, according to the Doral-based nonprofit’s representatives.

2 days ago

Spotless uniforms, stalled cranes: Inside Venezuela’s faltering quake rescue effort

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — Angélica Mundrain wants the bodies of her son, niece and nephew to be pulled from the rubble of her flattened beachfront apartment. She has spent every minute of the past six days waiting for the heavy machinery needed to remove the slabs of concrete and twisted metal that trapped them.

2 days ago

As the Pentagon stays quiet, AP reconstructs a US strike that killed over 100 Iranian children

JERUSALEM (AP) — It was the deadliest reported strike in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Most of the victims were children.

1 day ago

Monaco authorities detain then release a person in their probe of this week's explosion

MONACO (AP) — Monaco authorities said a person was arrested but later released Wednesday as they “very actively” pursue their probe of an explosion that reportedly wounded a Ukrainian tycoon with ties to Russia and two other people.

1 day ago

In Mideast and around the world, everyone's talking 'ceasefire.' But what does it really mean?

LONDON (AP) — A ceasefire sounds straightforward: Fighting stops. Negotiations ensue. Ordinary citizens get a break from fighting — and some time to rebuild.

1 day ago

Zelenskyy says Ukraine has hit a Russian oil refinery for the second time in a week

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces struck Russia's major Ufa oil refinery for the second time in a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

1 day ago

Fire in Belgian apartment block leaves at least 6 people dead, many injured

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — At least six people were killed and many others injured on Wednesday in a fire at an apartment block on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Antwerp, police said.

2 days ago

Hospitals in Europe are gearing up for the next heat wave armed with lessons from this one

ORSAY, France (AP) — Ice. Urgently and in large quantities.

2 days ago

Turkey tightens security and showcases strength and commitment ahead of NATO summit

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is rolling out sweeping security measures for the upcoming NATO summit, deploying tens of thousands of police and placing air defenses on high alert, while banning public gatherings and imposing controversial restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.

3 days ago

Explosion in Monaco reportedly wounds Ukrainian tycoon with ties to Russia

MONACO (AP) — An explosion at an apartment building entrance in Monaco reportedly wounded a Ukrainian tycoon with ties to Russia and two other people, the chief prosecutor in the exclusive Mediterranean country said Tuesday.

2 days ago

This grieving father and ex-general could test the grip of Israel's longest serving prime minister

JERUSALEM (AP) — A leading Israeli general who quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war Cabinet after accusing him of lacking a strategy in Gaza has emerged as one of the premier’s most serious challengers in elections scheduled for the fall.

2 days ago

Cuban official says talks with the US are at a standstill, announces UN debate on US oil embargo

HAVANA (AP) — Talks between Cuba and the U.S. are at a standstill, despite the island recently approving a series of free-market reforms, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez announced Tuesday.

2 days ago

Inter Miami, Marlins, Dolphins join relief efforts to help Venezuela earthquake victims

South Florida professional sports teams are stepping up to help communities in Venezuela after two back-to-back earthquakes recently left nearly 1,500 people dead and thousands more impacted.

2 days ago

Donations pour in at South Florida mission center to help Venezuela earthquake victims

People from across the United States are coming together in South Florida to send help to Venezuela, with donations pouring into the Global Empowerment Mission.

2 days ago

Rights lawyers sue Ghana over third-country deportation deal with the US

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — An international coalition of human rights lawyers and advocates sued Ghana on Tuesday, accusing the government of forcing deportees from the U.S. back to the home countries they had fled in violation of their rights.

3 days ago

Pope issues plea to breakaway traditionalist group to back off bishop consecrations

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday issued a plea to a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics to call off its plan to consecrate new bishops without his consent, describing the move as a schismatic act and a “sin of extreme gravity.”

3 days ago

UK boosts military spending by $20 billion but critics say it's not enough

LONDON (AP) — Self-flying fighter jets, uncrewed submarines and drones will be at the center of Britain’s future military under a defense plan announced Tuesday that includes a 15 billion pound ($20 billion) spending boost.

2 days ago

US envoys arrive in Qatar for meetings on Iran, with tensions high over Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for talks with mediators about the implementation of an initial deal to end the war in Iran, an official said.

2 days ago

Congo bans gatherings in areas far from Ebola outbreak. Some say it limits dissent

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Opposition and civil society groups are protesting Congo’s new ban on public demonstrations and mass gatherings in the capital and other areas far from the country’s deadly Ebola outbreak, alleging that the decision aims to limit freedom of speech.

2 days ago

Gojek co-founder sentenced to 10 years in Indonesia over school laptops corruption case

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's anti-graft court on Tuesday sentenced one of the co-founders of ride-hailing and payments giant Gojek to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty in a high-profile corruption case stemming from his time as education minister.

3 days ago

He survived 2 natural disasters in Venezuela's La Guaira. Now he vows never to return

Venezuelan merchant Grian Serrano has survived two of the country's worst natural disasters: the devastating 1999 mudslides that ravaged the coastal state of La Guaira and, 26 years later, two powerful earthquakes that struck the same region.

3 days ago

How some in Palestinian diaspora find connection, identity and resilience in traditional embroidery

Decades later, Samar Kabouli still fondly recalls gathering with women in her family and sipping cardamom-spiced coffee as they embroidered fabric with colorful threads in traditional Palestinian patterns.

A Chinese dissident recounts his perilous dinghy escape to South Korea and how he got to Canada

HONG KONG (AP) — A roughly 40-hour sea journey on a dinghy with a dying phone. Detention in South Korea. That’s just part of what Chinese dissident Dong Guangping endured to escape his native country. He arrived late last week in Canada, a destination he had eyed for more than a decade.

3 days ago

Warming climate, pollution and unplanned growth push Kashmir’s lakes toward disappearance

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Every morning, long, narrow wooden boats called shikaras move elegantly across expansive Dal Lake in a postcard-perfect scene framed by the Himalayan mountains.

1 day ago

Helping Venezuela: Doral-based Global Empowerment Mission runs distribution center in Valencia

After they stopped accepting donations on Monday afternoon in Doral, dozens of Global Empowerment Mission volunteers clapped because more help was on the way to the devastated coastal towns of Venezuela.

3 days ago

Venezuelans search more earthquake ruins as attention turns to humanitarian crisis

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — With the window for finding survivors shrinking fast, Venezuelans combed Monday through more ruins of buildings toppled by last week’s powerful back-to-back earthquakes, and attention turned to the country's humanitarian crisis that could persist for years.

3 days ago

After an earthquake, how long can trapped victims survive?

NEW YORK (AP) — For those trapped in rubble after an earthquake, survival depends on many factors, including weather and access to water and air.

3 days ago

Helping Venezuela: Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction