AP

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen was forced into a draw Monday by more than 143,000 people worldwide playing against him in a single, record-setting game. Billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs. The World,” the online match began April 4 on Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website, and was

By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The haka, a chanting dance of challenge, is sacred to New Zealand’s Māori people but it’s become a beloved cultural institution among New Zealanders of all races. Spine-tingling performances at sports events, funerals and graduations often go viral online, a non-partisan point of pride for

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — For two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released from 19 months of captivity in Gaza, he couldn’t eat anything. Despite periods of near starvation while being held by Hamas militants, Alexander just didn’t have an appetite. Then, his mother, Yael Alexander, put a

By GHAITH ALSAYED and OMAR SANADIKI Associated Press BARADA VALLEY, Syria (AP) — Inside a mountain above the Syrian capital, Hassan Bashi walked through tunnels that used to be filled with water from a spring famous for its pure waters. The spring rises inside the ruins of a Roman temple in the Barada Valley and

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world is facing the most turbulent times since World War II, Greece’s top diplomat says, pointing to a crossroads in democracy and saying Europe is facing a “political identity crisis.” In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis weighed in