Politics

  KANDAHAR / AP At least nine civilian have been killed after an Afghanistan army commando unit detonated a cache of ordinance found in southern Helmand province. Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand, said on Sunday that soldiers conducted an operation in which they found explosive and ammunition caches and detonated them. Rasoul Zazia, spokesman for the ...

  WASHINGTON / AP Their reputations at risk, a coterie of President Donald Trump’s associates caught up in the swirling debate about Trump and Russia are turning to a similar if unusual playbook: volunteering to testify to Congress, before even being asked. They are eager to come forward despite not having been compelled by subpoena to appear before the two ...

  Colombia / AP An avalanche of water from an overflowing river swept through a city in Colombia while people slept, the wave quickly destroying homes and killing at least 24 unsuspecting residents, authorities said on Saturday. The incident triggered by intense rains happened around midnight in Mocoa, a city of about 350,000 located near Colombia’s border with Ecuador, tucked ...

  LONDON / AP Demonstrators from far-right groups clashed with anti-fascist protesters in central London on Saturday, as British police imposed restrictions to try to keep the opposing groups apart. Authorities arrested 14 people for various offenses. Protesters gathered at Trafalgar Square and spilled on to nearby roads. London’s Metropolitan Police imposed conditions on the march and rally on Saturday ...

  Denmark / AP Norway’s foreign minister says a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “is under pressure” as he left Oslo for a visit to the Middle East. Borge Brende says “only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace between the parties.” He says “a sustainable Palestinian economy and well-functioning institutions are essential preconditions for the two-state solution.” ...

  MOSCOW / AP President Vladimir Putin on Thursday emphatically denied allegations of Russian meddling in the US presidential election and said Moscow would maintain hopes of improving relations while waiting for political infighting in Washington to stop. Putin also said he is ready to meet with President Donald Trump in Finland if that country hosts an Arctic leaders’ summit, ...

ANKARA / AP The United States and Turkey struggled on Thursday to resolve a deep dispute over the Kurdish role in the fight against the IS group, but appeared no closer to a resolution as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrapped up his first trip to Turkey. As the US prepares an operation to retake the de facto IS ...

  BRUSSELS / AP NATO’s chief says the allies and Russia remain at loggerheads over the conflict in Ukraine but have exchanged briefings on their troop movements elsewhere in Europe to help ease tensions. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the “allies and Russia continue to have clear disagreements on the crisis in and around Ukraine.” Stoltenberg’s remarks came after ...

  GENEVA / AP The number of Syrians who have fled their country after six years of war has surpassed the 5 million mark, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. UNHCR announced the milestone a year after participating countries at a Geneva conference pledged to “resettle and facilitate pathways for 500,000 refugees” from Syria — but that only half ...

  LONDON / AP The United Kingdom filed for divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, overturning four decades of integration with its neighbors, demolishing the notion that EU expansion is inevitable and shaking the foundations of a bloc that is facing challenges to its identity and its place in the world. Britain’s top envoy to the EU, Tim Barrow, ...