UN: Taliban’s morality laws targeting women deepen Afghanistan’s isolation

Islamabad, Pakistan — The United Nations rights chief expressed his “abhorrence” Monday at the recent promulgation of “so-called morality laws” in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan that silence women or order them to cover their faces and bodies in publ[..]

Japan's economy is growing, but political uncertainty is among the risks

TOKYO — Japan's economy grew at an annual rate of 2

South Korea summit to target 'blueprint' for using AI in the military

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea convened an international summit on Monday seeking to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the military, though any agreement is not expected to have binding powers to enforce it[..]

Philippines 'not looking' to extradite pastor to US

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is not currently looking to extradite a Filipino pastor wanted for child sex trafficking in the United States, President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday after the suspect's arrest

Pope cheers East Timor's recovery while acknowledging a bishop's abuse scandal

DILI, East Timor — Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Pr[..]

Flooding sweeps away bus, bridge collapses in Vietnam as storm deaths rise to 59  

HANOI — A bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding Monday as more rain fell following a typhoon Vietnam that has caused at least 59 deaths in the Southeast Asian country and disrupted businesses and factories in the export-focused northe[..]

Attempts to keep up exchanges between Taiwanese, Chinese face obstacles

Taipei, Taiwan — Efforts to maintain exchanges between Taiwanese and Chinese citizens face new challenges after Beijing last month sentenced a Taiwanese activist to nine years in jail, a move that analysts say will create a chilling effect within Tai[..]

Under Yoon, calls for South Korean nukes 'normalized'

Seoul, South Korea — Less than two years after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his country would not seek nuclear weapons, his newly appointed defense minister is openly envisioning scenarios in which South Korea might reconsider that st[..]

Sudan rejects UN call for 'impartial force' to protect civilians

Port Sudan, Sudan — Sudan has rejected a call by U

Rubble and grief: Morocco’s High Atlas marks one year since record earthquake 

IMI N'TALA, Morocco — The rescue crews and bystanders are long gone but the remnants of homes still sit in piles off to the side of the jagged roads

Flooding in Morocco, Algeria kills more than a dozen people

RABAT, Morocco — Torrential downpours hit North Africa's normally arid mountains and deserts over the weekend, causing flooding that killed more than a dozen people in Morocco and Algeria and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure

4 migrants dead, others missing after boat capsizes off Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal — A boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Senegal over the weekend, leaving at least four people dead and several others missing, local authorities said Monday

HRW calls for stronger Sudan arms embargo as UN weighs sanctions

Nairobi, Kenya — The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to renew existing sanctions that prevent the transfer of military equipment to Sudan’s western Darfur region

Germany’s Scholz calls for faster progress ending Russia's war on Ukraine

FRANKFURT, Germany — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree that Russia should be included in a future peace conference aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine

'Bucha Witches' are keeping skies over Kyiv drone-free

They call themselves Bucha Witches – an all-female volunteer air defense unit near Kyiv targeting the Iranian Shahed drones that Russia fires at Ukraine