AP

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders have praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to allow U.S. military support for a force they are mustering to police any future peace in Ukraine — a move that vastly improves the chances of success for an operation that could prove essential for the country’s

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of anti-government protesters returned to the streets in Serbia on Thursday after two days of clashes with loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic and riot police that left dozens injured or detained. Police fired tear gas in at least two cities and numerous other incidents

By MICHELLE GUMEDE and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African is starting a “national dialogue” Friday that is meant to bring all sectors of society together to discuss the country’s most pressing issues and find solutions. The talks, initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa after calls from civil society, are expected to include

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban will shower Kabul with flowers from helicopters to mark the fourth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan, an official said Thursday. The Taliban seized control of the country on Aug. 15, 2021, weeks before the U.S. and NATO withdrew their forces after a costly, two-decade war. Defense Ministry

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution will draw to a close Friday, as nations remain deadlocked over whether to tackle the exponential growth of plastic production. A new draft of the treaty was expected Thursday, the last scheduled day of negotiations, and a meeting

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Fire crews in Greece, Spain and Portugal raced Thursday to contain wildfires, taking advantage of calmer winds that slowed the blazes’ advance. Much of southern Europe, however, remains at high risk under hot, dry conditions. A drop in wind speeds allowed firefighting aircraft in the three hard-hit countries to step up

By DAVID CRARY Associated Press The leader of the small Baha’i community in Qatar was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for social media posts that allegedly “cast doubt on the foundations of the Islamic religion,” according to court documents obtained by an international Baha’i organization monitoring the case. A three-judge panel of Qatar’s

By OHAD ZWIGENBERG and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank (AP) — Israel’s far-right finance minister said Thursday that a contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is going ahead — a project that Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a Palestinian state by effectively cutting the territory

By PAN PYLAS and JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal U.S.–Russia summit Friday in Alaska. Following a meeting Thursday

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAM METZ Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 100 nonprofit groups warned Thursday that Israel’s rules for aid groups working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank will block much-needed relief and replace independent organizations with those that serve Israel’s political and military agenda — charges

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BENXI, China (AP) — Eighty years after the end of World War II, Japan and China are marking the anniversary with major events, but on different dates and in different ways. Japan remembers the victims in a solemn ceremony on Aug. 15, the day then-Emperor Hirohito announced in a crackly