News

By LIUDAS DAPKUS and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Officials say that two Polish citizens have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Russian activist Leonid Volkov, an ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Volkov was attacked in March outside his home in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, where he

BEIRUT (AP) — An opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say an attack on pro-government fighters by suspected members of the Islamic State group in central Syria killed 22 pro-government fighters. Gunmen attacked a bus carrying members of the Quds Brigade, a government and Russian-backed faction of mostly Palestinian fighters in Syria, near

BEIJING (AP) — San Francisco is the latest U.S. city preparing to receive a pair of pandas from China, in a continuation of Beijing’s famed “panda diplomacy.” San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the panda loan in Beijing on Friday, alongside officials from China Wildlife Conservation Association, or CWCA. It will be San Francisco’s first

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press VENICE, Italy (AP) — A pair of nude feet — dirty, wounded and vulnerable — are painted on the façade of the Venice women’s prison chapel. It is the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and part of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale in an innovative collaboration between

By MARK BAKER and KEIRAN SMITH Associated Press SYDNEY (AP) — Shoppers and workers returned to a “really quiet” Sydney mall Friday, where six days earlier an assailant stabbed six people to death and wounded more than a dozen others in an attack that police believe targeted women. Westfield Bondi Junction mall near world-famous Bondi

By The Associated Press Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quotes a military statement as saying Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in its south, causing material damage. Iran meanwhile has fired air defense batteries after reports of explosions and drones near a major airbase and nuclear site. Group of Seven

By ZIMO ZHONG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks tumbled Friday, with Japan’s Nikkei slumping 2.4% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares and other market heavyweights. Tensions in the Middle East were weighing on sentiment across the region, and U.S. futures were sharply lower. Oil prices jumped as the state-run IRNA news agency

By BABA AHMED and CARLOS MUREITHI Associated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Street vendors in Mali’s capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths and experts warn of more scorching weather ahead as

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-haul carrier Emirates says it is halting local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week. Emirates said the order would go through the entire day into early Saturday. Low-cost carrier FlyDubai also saw some disruptions.

By ASHOK SHARMA and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians are voting in a six-week election that’s a referendum on Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first round of voting was held across parts of 21 states on Friday. Modi is seeking a rare third term in office. He

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far