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By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press God’s message didn’t immediately make sense to pastor José Luis Orozco. But when U.S. efforts resulted in his release from a Nicaraguan prison a few months later, everything became clear. “The Lord had told me: ‘Don’t be afraid, José Luis. A wind will blow from the north, your chains

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia poses a direct threat to the European Union through acts of sabotage and cyberattacks, but its massive military spending suggests that President Vladimir Putin also plans to use his armed forces elsewhere in the future, the EU’s top diplomat warned on Wednesday. “Russia is already a

By JAMES JORDAN and HARRIET MORRIS Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns. Speaking to

By SOPHENG CHEANG and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on Wednesday for a march to show their solidarity with the government and military, amid soaring tensions with neighboring Thailand following a border row that erupted last month. Here’s what to

By HANDRIANUS BELUTOWE and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press LEMBATA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted with giant ash and smoke plumes again Wednesday after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, KIM TONG-HYUNG and KATIE MARIE DAVIES Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia’s Kursk region, a top Russian official said Tuesday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied

By The Associated Press Explosions were heard in Tehran early Wednesday as Israeli warplanes pounded Iran’s capital overnight and into Wednesday. Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage” to them. The country launched a small barrage of missiles at