World

CAIRO -- The Egyptian pound tumbled on Wednesday in its largest single-day slide since the cash-strapped government agreed to a $3 billion International Monetary Fund deal in mid-December, authorities said. The pound fell from around 24.7 for $1 to just over 26.3 against the dollar, some three weeks after Egypt... Read more

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI held one of the world's highest-profile positions but in his final years expressed a desire to be “hidden to the world.” While his body had been on display this week for three days, his funeral Thursday will at least in part respect his wishes... Read more

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis praised Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s “acute and gentle thought” during a Wednesday general audience in the Vatican, as tens of thousands of admirers of the retired pontiff filed by his body lying in state in Peter’s Basilica on the final day of viewing.By the time... Read more

KYIV, Ukraine -- The Russian military’s top brass came under increasing scrutiny Wednesday as more details emerged of how at least 89 Russian soldiers, and possibly many more, were killed in a Ukrainian artillery attack on a single building.The scene last weekend in the Russian-held eastern Ukrainian town of Makiivka,... Read more

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s justice minister on Wednesday unveiled the new government’s long-promised overhaul of the judicial system that aims to weaken the country's Supreme Court.Critics accused the government of declaring war against the legal system, saying the plan will upend Israel's system of checks and balances... Read more

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran summoned the French ambassador on Wednesday to condemn the publication of offensive caricatures of the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.The magazine has a long history of publishing vulgar cartoons mocking Islamists, which critics say are deeply... Read more

BEIRUT -- The United Arab Emirates' top diplomat met with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday, his second visit to Damascus as relations continue to thaw between the two countries.According to a statement from Assad's office, he and UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed boosting economic... Read more

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A quest to select the first official flag and hymn for the French Caribbean island of Martinique was interrupted Wednesday by a cyberattack.The attack on government servers upended a nearly two-week online voting window that began on Jan. 2. Officials said the attack was not... Read more

BEIRUT -- Two rockets struck a base housing American troops in eastern Syria on Wednesday without causing any human or material losses, the U.S. military said.The morning attack on Mission Support Site Conoco came as Iran and its allies in the region marked the third anniversary of the killing of... Read more

LONDON -- European Union regulators on Wednesday hit Facebook parent Meta with hundreds of millions in fines for privacy violations and banned the company from forcing users in the 27-nation bloc to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.Ireland's Data Protection Commission imposed two fines totaling 390 million... Read more

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden Wednesday to "don’t even bother" with trying to join NATO as long as the European country allows protests desecrating Islam’s holy book. Erdogan made the remark in a speech to his ruling party’s legislators as Turkey remains infuriated by a series of demonstrations in Stockholm... Read more

Russia on Wednesday took aim at Israel and warned it not to get involved in the war in Ukraine by providing arms to Kyiv, claiming such a move would "lead to an escalation of this crisis.""We say that all countries that supply weapons should understand that we will consider these... Read more

A South Korean court ruled Wednesday that a 14th century Korean Buddhist statue should be sent back to a Japanese temple from where it was stolen in 2012.The statue’s return had been put on hold for years after a South Korean temple claimed ownership of it, insisting that it was... Read more

The leaders of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya have agreed on a joint "search and destroy" military campaign against the Somali al-Shabab Islamic militant group that has carried out attacks in the region — including firing mortars near the meeting venue in Mogadishu before officials gathered Wednesday.In a joint communique... Read more

A strong, shallow earthquake shook a mountainous region in the southeastern Philippines on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries, officials said.The 6.1 magnitude quake, which was triggered by a local fault, struck about 14 kilometers 8.7 miles northeast of New Bataan town in the... Read more

Militants fired a rocket into Israel's south on Wednesday, the army said, setting off sirens and raising already heightened tensions under the country's new ultranationalist government.The rocket from the Gaza Strip was intercepted, according to the military. Israel usually responds to rocket fire with airstrikes, raising the possibility of further... Read more

A top U.S. health official urged the World Health Organization to address allegations reported by The Associated Press that one of its doctors repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct."There are many of us who stand with survivors and stand with those who identify as victims and are truly committed, but also... Read more

The Polish ruling party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, has paid $11,500 for the needs of the Ukrainian army to settle a defamation case with a political rival.Kaczyński was ordered by a court in December to pay Radek Sikorski more than $162,000 to cover the costs of publishing an apology for calling... Read more

Two Polish skiers died in an avalanche at a Himalayan ski resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Wednesday and 21 people were rescued, police said.A total of 21 foreigners and their two Kashmiri guides were caught in a massive avalanche and buried under the snow as they were skiing high in... Read more

Latvia has threatened to boycott next year's Paris Olympics if Russian athletes are allowed to take part during the war in Ukraine and is calling on other countries to form a coalition to pressure international sports bodies.The Latvian Olympic Committee is the first national Olympic body other than Ukraine to... Read more