Category: World News

By MATTHEW LEE (AP Diplomatic Writer) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the sanctions waivers late last week, a month after U.S. and Iranian officials said an agreement in principle...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will deepen her outreach to Southeast Asia this week at an international summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she’ll try to erase doubts about U.S. commitment to the region stirred by President Joe Biden’s absence. It’s Harris’ third trip to Southeast Asia and fourth to Asia overall, and she’s touched down in more countries there than any other continent. The repeat visits, in addition to meetings that she’s hosted in Washington, have positioned Harris as a key interlocutor for the Democratic administration as it tries to bolster a network of partnerships...

By JULIA FRANKEL (Associated Press) JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces killed an 18-year-old Palestinian during a military raid into the northern West Bank on Friday, Palestinian health officials said, while another Palestinian was killed when Israeli settlers stormed a village and sparked fighting with residents. The deaths marked the latest bloodshed in a monthslong surge of violence that has gripped the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Mahmoud Abu Saan, 18, was shot in the head by Israeli forces in the city of Tulkarem. The raid drew protests from residents,...

By ANWARULLAH KHAN and RIAZ KHAN (Associated Press) KHAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a political rally in a former stronghold of militants in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 44 people and wounding nearly 200 in an attack that a senior leader said was meant to weaken Pakistani Islamists. The Bajur district near the Afghan border was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban — a close ally of Afghanistan’s Taliban government — before the Pakistani army drove the militants out of the area. Supporters of hardline Pakistani cleric and political...

By ISABEL DEBRE and JULIA FRANKEL (Associated Press) JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israeli doctors walked off their jobs, labor leaders threatened a general strike and senior justices rushed home from a trip abroad on Tuesday, a day after the government’s approval of a law that weakens the country’s Supreme Court. Critics say the legislation will erode the system of checks and balances. Four leading Israeli newspapers covered their front pages in black ink — an ominous image paid for by an alliance of high-tech companies. The only words on the pages were in a line at the bottom: “A black day...

By NICK PERRY and JENNA FRYER (Associated Press) AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — A gunman killed two people at a construction site in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday as the nation prepared to host games in the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament. The shooter was also dead, and authorities said a police officer and four civilians were injured. The shooting happened near hotels where Team Norway and other soccer teams have been staying. Police said the male officer was taken to a hospital in critical condition and had stabilized. The others had injuries ranging from moderate to critical, but it...

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, KIM TONG-HYUNG, TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier who had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison, fled across the heavily armed border into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years. Private 2nd Class Travis King had been held on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday, where he could have faced additional military disciplinary actions and discharge from...