AP

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican Museums on Thursday unveiled the last and most important of the restored Raphael Rooms, the spectacularly frescoed reception rooms of the Apostolic Palace that in some ways rival the Sistine Chapel as the peak of high Renaissance artistry. A decadelong project to clean and

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces have halted Russia’s recent advance into the northern Sumy region and have stabilized the front line near the border with Russia, Ukraine’s top military commander said Thursday. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said that Ukrainian successes in Sumy

By DIDI TANG and SAM McNEIL Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Jilted, betrayed, dumped, or defiant. It’s hard to describe the European Union after relentless attacks from its once-dependable ally, the United States. The threat from Donald Trump’s second administration against Greenland, its sweeping tariff plans and courtship of Moscow have firmed up some

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and DAVID RISING Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that his country had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire agreement with

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the country is pulling its support from the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the organization has “ignored the science” and “lost the public trust.” A video of Kennedy’s short speech was shown to a Gavi meeting in Brussels on

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There have been many memorable moments in the 80-year history of the United Nations, both at its headquarters in New York and at its far-flung global operations. Here are photos of some of the U.N.’s history-making events as the world body marks the anniversary of

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s planned dispatch of thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk region will likely take place as early as July or August, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Thursday. After a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang

By THEIN ZAW Associated Press YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Officials in Myanmar’s major cities destroyed about $300 million worth of confiscated illegal drugs Thursday. The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine and the stimulant known as ice, or crystal meth, Yangon Police Brig. Gen. Sein Lwin said in a speech at a drug-burning

By SOPHENG CHEANG and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen and Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on Thursday made separate visits to border areas as the two countries remain locked in an ongoing dispute that has resulted in strict land crossing restrictions and several economic boycotts.

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press OR AKIVA, Israel (AP) — Liran Berman hasn’t had much to keep hopeful over the 629 days of his twin brothers’ captivity in Gaza. Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on, and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian enclave. But the war between Israel and Iran, and

By HAU DINH Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has lifted the death penalty for eight crimes in legal reforms that may spare the life of a real estate tycoon imprisoned in the country’s largest financial fraud case. The legal reforms in Vietnam ended the death penalty for eight crimes, including trying to overthrow

By KWIYEON HA Associated Press NUUK, Greenland (AP) — For most of the year, Greenland is covered in ice and snow and its locals retreat indoors. But for three short months beginning in June, everyone heads outside — day and night — to watch or play soccer, the island’s favorite sport. On an island of

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea next week will open a signature coastal tourist site that it says will usher in a new era in its tourism industry, though there is no word on when the country will fully reopen to foreign visitors. The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone has

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed into law on Wednesday a controversial labor overhaul with the potential to profoundly shift the balance of power from employers to workers, a key victory for the left-wing leader even as Congress compelled him to scale back his more radical ambitions. The enactment of the law

By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY and MARK BAKER Associated Press PORT STEPHENS, Australia (AP) — The ferry was late, but not because of the usual traffic. Sydney commuters watched from an idling boat this month as humpback whales the size of buses surfaced nearby, halting the vessel’s passage across the harbor. The curious mammals seemed to be