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LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Police in Portugal are carrying out searches across the country following a tip-off that troops stationed with a United Nations force in Africa have smuggled diamonds, drugs and gold back into Europe. Military authorities say soldiers are suspected of smuggling the illicit material on military cargo planes traveling between Central African

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s Apostolic Library is opening its doors to the general public with a small new exhibition space aimed at bridging its artistic treasures with contemporary art.  The inaugural exhibit “Tutti” (All) takes its inspiration from Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical “Brothers All.” The document combines his appeals for environmental sustainability, greater

By LEE KEATH Associated Press KABUL (AP) — A growing number of near-starving children are brought every day to the main children’s hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Hunger is increasing dramatically in Afghanistan, fueled by an economic crisis that has only gotten worse since the Taliban seized power in the country nearly three months

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chairman of a foundation that represents families of people killed when a passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 has told a Dutch court of his grief at losing his brother — no trace of whom was ever found. He also

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s top general has promised he won’t hold a government position after planned elections in 2023. His comments come two weeks after he toppled a transitional government in a widely condemned coup. The military leader behind the takeover has repeatedly promised to hand over power to an elected civilian government and

By DARIA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russians have gone back to work after a nine-day break that was ordered by authorities to tame a record-breaking surge of coronavirus infections and deaths. Still, daily numbers of new cases and deaths have remained high throughout the non-working period. Officials in the Kremlin said on Monday

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — A day after questioned elections, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government has set about painting as a historic democratic victory what many of the world’s democracies condemned as a sham. Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Council said that with nearly all the ballots counted, Ortega had won more than 75% of the vote. The

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Barack Obama is expressing confidence that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress. In prepared remarks ahead of comments at the U.N. climate talks Monday, he’s also faulting U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he calls a “dangerous absence

By ANNABELLE LIANG Associated Press SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore’s High Court has suspended the scheduled execution of a Malaysian man believed to have a mental disability until an appeal is heard, amid pleas from the international community and rights groups. The 33-year-old Malaysian man was due to be executed by hanging on Wednesday for trying

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s military says that members of the M23 rebellion group have attacked a base in eastern Congo’s Rutshuru area and fighting is underway.  The attacks took place in villages on the hills between Rwanda and Uganda. The M23 group, however, denied that they

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Two Iraqi politicians say a top Iranian general visited Baghdad after the assassination attempt against Iraq’s prime minister. He said Tehran and its allies had nothing to do with the drone attack that lightly injured the Iraqi leader. An Iraqi general, meanwhile, says the investigation into the