News

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Riot police have used batons and tear gas to halt tens of thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king who attempted to march to the center of the capital to demand the restoration of the monarchy. The protesters, waving the national flag and chanting slogans supporting

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — New laws rushed through Australia’s Parliament last week to mandate curfews and electronic tracking bracelets on some foreigners with criminal records are facing their first High Court challenge. Lawyers for a Chinese refugee claim the tough new measures are unconstitutional. The man was placed in indefinite detention last year after serving

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A temporary cease-fire agreement to facilitate the release of dozens of people taken hostage during Hamas’ raid on Israel is expected to bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and a glimmer of hope to the families of the captives. After hitting a

By JAMEY KEATEN and MARIA CHENG Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. On Thursday, the U.N. health agency said Chinese officials told them they did not detect

By WAFAA SHURAFA and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag. A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian military officials say five soldiers and two suspected rebels were killed in gunbattles in disputed Kashmir. The fighting started Wednesday after Indian troops started searching for suspected militants in dense forests and intermittent firing continued all day. Troops continued searching on Thursday near the highly

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed on Thursday after a modest advance on Wall Street that kept the market on track for a fourth straight weekly gain. Markets in Japan and the U.S. are closed for holidays. Oil prices initially fell about $1 a barrel after OPEC postponed

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week. The South’s defense minister says it should be clear by early next week whether the satellite is functioning

By MIKE CORDER and RAF CASERT Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders said Thursday he is ready to join the next Dutch coalition government after he surged to a huge election victory that marked a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning following a formal ban on any activity by or in support of the militant group. The German government implemented the ban on Nov. 2 and dissolved Samidoun, a group that

By MIKE CORDER and RAF CASERT Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won a huge victory in Dutch elections, according to a near complete count of the vote early Thursday, in a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance. The result

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Four Indian soldiers and a suspected rebel were killed in a gunbattle in disputed Kashmir. The fighting started Wednesday after Indian troops started searching in the forests and intermittent firing continued all day. Troops continued their search Thursday in Rajouri district near the highly militarized Line

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a modest advance on Wall Street that kept the market on track for a fourth straight weekly gain. Markets in Japan and the U.S. are closed for holidays. Oil prices fell about $1 a barrel after OPEC postponed

NEW DELHI (AP) — The rescue of 41 construction workers trapped for nearly two weeks in a collapsed tunnel in India is in the final stretch of digging. The work was delayed for about six hours Thursday because the drill was damaged by a metal object in the debris, but the work has resumed. The

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A countrywide billboard campaign that flooded the streets of Hungary this week takes aim at the head of the European Union’s executive, Ursula von der Leyen. It’s the start of an election campaign that marks an escalation of tensions between the country’s right-wing government and the