Merkel meets pope and receives farewell tribute from Draghi
ROME (AP) — Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Thursday with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Mario Draghi, who paid tribute to her “calm, determined" leadership even during difficult years for Europe and the common currency.
Kuwaiti plane lands in Turkey following bomb threat
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Kuwaiti passenger plane made an emergency landing at Trabzon airport in northern Turkey on Thursday following a bomb threat reported to the airline's headquarters, an official said.
Haley, Scott, Rubio advising group pushing for GOP diversity
A group intent on expanding Republican power over state-level offices is rolling out a national effort to diversify and grow the GOP, led by an advisory council featuring several potential future presidential contenders.
US-China challenge: Easing tensions despite differences
BEIJING (AP) — In a relationship as fraught as America’s and China’s, just an agreement that talks were productive was a sign of progress.
Greek lawmakers ratify major defense pact with France
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s lawmakers Thursday ratified a landmark defense deal with France that includes a mutual assistance clause in case of an armed attack against either — a pact that has irked fellow NATO member Turkey.
Russia hits a new record for COVID-19 infections this year
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s daily coronavirus infections soared Thursday to their highest level so far this year, as authorities have struggled to control a surge in new cases amid a slow pace in vaccinations and with few restrictions in place.
Kosovo war veterans plead innocent to witness intimidation
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Prosecutors at a European Union-backed Kosovo war crimes court said that two leaders of a war veterans' association who went on trial Thursday deliberately tried to undermine investigations by intimidating witnesses and pu...
Moroccan police thwart migrants targeting Spanish enclave
MADRID (AP) — Moroccan police thwarted an attempt by several hundred migrants to force their way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the northern African coast, officials said Thursday.
Biden, a convert to vaccine mandates, champions compliance
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Il. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday championed COVID-19 vaccination requirements, determined that the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults must get the shot even as he acknowledged that mandates weren't his “first i...
Germany, Denmark bring children, women home from Syrian camp
BERLIN (AP) — Germany and Denmark have brought home 11 women and 37 children from a camp in northeastern Syria where suspected Islamic State group members have been held, the German foreign ministry said Thursday.