By SARAH EL DEEB and MALAK HARB Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Handcuffed and squatting on the floor, Abdullah Zahra saw smoke rising from his cellmate's flesh as his torturers gave him electric shocks. Then it was Zahra's turn. They hanged the 20-year-old university student from ...

By ZEKE MILLER and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan opposition leader who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year's presidential election met Monday with U.S. President Joe Biden just days ahead of Maduro's contested ...

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Mexico said Monday he anticipated "major changes" in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Mexico during the incoming Trump administration. "There's a lot of fear because of some of the ...

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas once again appear to be inching toward a ceasefire that could wind down the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage there. Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and Singapore leaders signed an agreement on Tuesday to create a special economic zone to attract global investment and ease the cross-border flow of goods and people. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the Johor-Singapore special economic ...

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation Monday after nearly a decade in power, bowing to rising discontent over his leadership and growing turmoil within his government signaled by the abrupt departure of his finance ...

By ZEKE MILLER and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan opposition leader who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year's presidential election will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday at the White House, a senior ...

By PHILIPP JENNE and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — The leader of Austria's Freedom Party received a mandate Monday to try to form a new government, which would be the first headed by the far right since World War II if he succeeds. The anti-immigration and euroskeptic ...

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops in eastern Ukraine have captured the stronghold of Kurakhove after a monthslong battle, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed Monday, adding the wrecked town to the Kremlin's list of conquests during the almost three-year ...

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church's religious orders. The appointment ...

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy goes on trial Monday over allegations he received millions from Libya for his 2007 successful presidential campaign, in the latest — and biggest — of a series of legal cases involving him. This ...

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Monday fired a ballistic missile that flew 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea's military said, extending its weapons testing weeks before ...

By NINIEK KARMINI and DITA ALANGKARA Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia's new government started an ambitious project on Monday to fight malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women that is expected to cost $28 billion through 2029, although ...

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The next presidential term in Venezuela is set to begin Friday, when the ruling party-controlled congress hosts a swearing-in ceremony for President Nicolás Maduro, despite serious doubts about the validity of last year's ...

By VOLODYMYR YURCHUK and ELISE MORTON Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will urge allies to boost Ukraine's air defenses at a meeting this week in Germany, while both sides said Kyiv's forces pressed new attacks Sunday in Russia's Kursk ...

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year while inside the militant group's war operations room, according to new details Sunday disclosed by a senior Hezbollah official. A series of Israeli airstrikes ...

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's new foreign minister met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar's prime minister in Doha on Sunday, as Syria's new de facto authorities under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, establish diplomatic ties with regional and global governments. Foreign Minister Asaad ...

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Koreans, bundled up against freezing temperatures and snow, rallied overnight into Sunday near the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, calling for his ouster and arrest, as authorities prepared to ...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who the United States recognized as the winner of last year's presidential election, kicked off a tour of Latin America on Saturday, just days before President Nicolás Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term ...

By ABBY SEWELL and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for over a month, even as its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon deadline. The deal struck on Nov. 27 to halt the war ...