AP

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A prominent activist who organized Hong Kong’s decades-old vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown on democracy protesters said Friday that her group’s demand for “ending one-party rule” was a call for democratization, not for an end to the Communist Party’s leadership in China. Chow

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Friday, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election. The move is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but will delay

By JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Modern cities with sleek high-rises, a pristine coastline that attracts tourists and a state-of-the-art port that jut into the Mediterranean. This is what Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, says Gaza could become, according to a presentation he gave at an economic forum

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Deep in the Ecuadorian Andes, an ancient forest stands as a final sanctuary against the encroachment of human activity. This is the Yanacocha Reserve, the last refuge for the Black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), a tiny hummingbird teetering on the edge of extinction. Measuring just 9 centimeters (3.5 inches), this emblematic bird

By KAMILA HRABCHUK and KOSTYA MANENKOV Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal. The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3 a.m. Friday, came hours

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The toll in Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has reached at least 5,002 people killed, activists said Friday, warning many more were feared dead as the most comprehensive internet blackout in the country’s history crossed the two-week mark. The challenge in getting information

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to U.S. President Donald Trump comment that “Canada lives because of the United States” on Thursday by saying Canada thrives because of Canadian values. Carney said Canada can show the world that the future doesn’t have to be autocratic after returning

By TOQA EZZIDIN and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Desperate Palestinians at a garbage dump in a Gaza neighborhood dug with their bare hands for plastic items to burn to fend off the cold and damp winter in the enclave, battered by two years of the Israel-Hamas war. The scene in the Muwasi