Washington / AFP President Barack Obama welcomes India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week in a low-key nod to the improved ties between the world’s biggest democracies. That the pair would get along was not a given: When Obama came to office in 2009, the Hindu nationalist was banned from entering the United States over …

  Xalapa / AFP Mexico’s ruling PRI party was trailing early Monday in key races for governor in elections considered as a test for its hopes of retaining the presidency in 2018. Results trickled in slowly late into the night in 12 states, out of 32, that voted on Sunday for new governors following an election day marked by incidents …

  Berlin / AFP German President Joachim Gauck was expected to reveal on Monday that he will not stand for a second term, creating a political headache for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of an election year. The popular Gauck, 76, who has held the largely ceremonial post of head of state since 2012, will give a statement at Berlin’s Bellevue …