World

Pope cheered in Fatima to honor children who urged peace

Published on Fri, 05/12/2017 - 2:32pm

FATIMA, Portugal (AP) — Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to mark the 100th anniversary of one of the most unique events of the 20th-century Catholic Church: the visions of the Virgin Mary reported by three illiterate shepherd children and the "secrets" she told them.

Nearly $1 million verdict in sexual assault of girl in Laos

Published on Fri, 05/12/2017 - 2:31pm

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal jury has awarded a woman nearly $1 million in a case against a former Minnesota man who she says traveled to her native Laos and sexually assaulted her when she was 14 years old.

Civil cases involving allegations of child sex tourism are rare, and the jury's verdict holds the man accountable for violating child sex tourism and child sex trafficking laws. The Associated Press is not naming the man because he was never criminally charged.

Report paints harrowing picture of Central America migration

Published on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 4:09pm
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Migrants from Central America's violence-plagued Northern Triangle region endure harrowing abuses while trying to make their way through Mexico toward the United States, a report from an international medical group said Thursday.

Doctors Without Borders, or MSF for its initials in French, called the situation a "humanitarian crisis" that demands the U.S. and Mexican governments do more to process applications for asylum and humanitarian visas.

Not just a new president, new faces for France's parliament

Published on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 3:37pm

PARIS (AP) — A female fighter pilot, a farmer, a teacher, people out of work. They all applied for the job — and got it, among more than 19,000 people hoping to become candidates in June elections for the French parliament under the banner of President-elect Emmanuel Macron.

Renewing a political landscape long bogged down with out-of-touch parties and long-serving politicians was a central campaign promise and the eclectic mix of candidates speaks to Macron's desire to pull the plug on a system he deems broken.

Pentagon tries to ease Turkey's concerns with arming Kurds

Published on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 3:31pm

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made clear Thursday that America is committed to protecting Turkey after angering its NATO ally with a deal to arm anti-Islamic State fighters in Syria that Turkey considers terrorists.

Mattis stressed the enduring nature of the U.S.-Turkey relationship in a meeting with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the first face-to-face contact between officials from the two countries since the U.S. announcement about military support for the Syrian Kurds.

Attorney: At least 65 Venezuelan military members detained

Published on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 3:29pm

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuelan attorney says at least 65 members of the country's military have been detained, including officers and the captain of an important border region unit.

Alonso Medina, with the lawyers' cooperative Foro Penal, said Thursday that some of the officers have been charged with betraying the motherland and instigating rebellion while others are still awaiting a court hearing.

Russia opposition leader organizes rallies after eye surgery

Published on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 3:27pm

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny returned home Thursday after surgery in Spain to fix his eye that was damaged in an attack and immediately roused his supporters to action.

Navalny suffered a severe chemical burn in his right eye last month when an attacker doused him with green antiseptic. His supporters identified the attacker as a pro-government activist. Police have failed to track him down.

Turkey leader calls on US to reverse decision to arm Kurds

Published on Wed, 05/10/2017 - 2:42pm
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BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey slammed the Trump administration's decision to supply Syrian Kurdish fighters with weapons against the Islamic State group and demanded Wednesday that it be reversed, heightening tensions between the NATO allies days before the Turkish leader heads to Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump.

Brazil's ex-leader Silva faces corruption judge for 1st time

Published on Wed, 05/10/2017 - 2:37pm

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva testified Wednesday in a corruption case against him, coming face-to-face for the first time with the Brazilian federal judge overseeing a mammoth probe that has upended Latin America's largest nation.

Silva's hearing was closed to the press and not broadcast live, two of the many measures taken by Judge Sergio Moro and authorities in the southeastern city of Curitiba amid concerns of sparking violence. Authorities planned to release a recording of the hearing a few hours after it ended.

Mexico village bids farewell to 14 killed by fireworks blast

Published on Wed, 05/10/2017 - 2:33pm

SAN ISIDRO, Mexico (AP) — This remote mountain hamlet in central Mexico gave an emotional farewell Wednesday to the victims of a fireworks explosion that killed 14 people, including 11 children.

Residents of San Isidro wept beneath a tent where child-size coffins lay covered in flowers and crosses. In the kitchen of one cinderblock home, people paid their respects to a 6-year-old boy whose body was shrouded in white fabric.