World

UNITED NATIONS – U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power says the United States is trying to determine whether the commander of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard recently visited Russia in violation of a United Nations travel ban. Power said the travel ban requires all countries to prohibit Maj. Gen. …

BANGKOK – Thailand’s royal palace has announced that 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is recovering from several ailments, including excess fluid in the brain and difficult breathing due to congested lungs. The Royal Household said Monday that a scan performed earlier this year found an increased level of fluid in the …

ANKARA, Turkey – Officials and reports say police in Turkey have detained a would-be Kurdish rebel suicide bomber and rounded up 12 suspected Islamic State militants as it presses ahead with a crackdown on terror groups. The regional governor’s office said police on Wednesday detained a militant of the Kurdistan …

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni security officials say rebels have attacked pro-government forces for the second consecutive day after weeks of retreating. Qayed Nasser, a spokesman for the anti-rebel forces in the Lahj province, said Wednesday that the rebel attack on the Labouza military base was repelled. Independent security officials and …

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan security forces have rounded up hundreds of Colombians for deportation as part of a security offensive along the countries’ shared border. Gov. Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora of Tachira state said Sunday that 791 Colombians living in Venezuela illegally had been handed over to Colombia’s consulate general …

LISBON, Portugal – Portugal’s government has bowed to police demands for a shorter working week and early retirement, but some police labor groups aren’t happy and are promising street demonstrations. The government approved new labor regulations for the urban police force, called Policia de Seguranca Publica, on Thursday — the …

SEOUL, South Korea – North and South Korea have fixed a meeting to prepare for more reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Saturday that the first preparatory talk will be held on Sept. 7 at the border village of Panmunjom. The ministry …

UNITED NATIONS – A new United Nations report says Gaza could be “uninhabitable” in less than five years if current economic trends continue. The report released Tuesday by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development points to the eight years of economic blockade of Gaza as well as the three …

LISBON, Portugal – A Portuguese judge has released former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates from jail where he spent over nine months on suspicion of corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud. Socrates’ lawyers said Saturday that the decision to release him now to house detention was an indication the public prosecutor …

SYDNEY – A surfer says he’s lucky not to have lost an arm when a shark bit his board off Australia’s most populous state. Justin Daniels received a single tooth puncture wound to the back of his left hand on Tuesday when the shark clamped its jaws around the board’s …