BEIJING (AP) — China's loans to poor countries in Africa and Asia impose unusual secrecy and repayment terms that are hurting their ability to renegotiate debts after the pandemic, a group of U.S. and German researchers said in a report Wednesday. It adds to warnings about problems from ...

LONDON (AP) — Official figures show that the British economy ended 2020 on a stronger footing than previously thought but that it suffered a bigger than anticipated fall in output in the immediate aftermath of the first coronavirus lockdown. In its latest revisions for 2020 data, the Office ...

CAIRO (AP) — Experts dived under a colossal container ship that had been stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal before it was freed, to examine the vessel's underside, officials said Wednesday. The dives were part of a continuing investigation into what caused the grounding of the Ever ...

GENEVA (AP) — An international team behind a long-awaited study of the possible origins of COVID-19 with Chinese colleagues on Tuesday called it a "first start," while the United States and allies expressed concerns about the findings and China trumpeted its cooperation. Team leader Peter ...

CORINTO, Honduras (AP) — A few hundred Honduran migrants set out for the Guatemalan border before dawn Tuesday in hopes of eventually reaching the United States, but by afternoon they had largely dispersed. Other recent caravans have been broken up by Guatemalan authorities and this ...

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The leaders of all three branches of Brazil's armed forces jointly resigned Tuesday following President Jair Bolsonaro's replacement of the defense minister, causing widespread apprehension of a military shakeup to serve the president's political interests. The Defense ...

LONDON (AP) — The cobblestones are deserted at the Tower of London. A biting wind blows and there is no sign of life. Even the storied ravens are nowhere to be seen. England's top paid attraction, which normally draws more than 3 million visitors a year, has been closed for all but a dozen ...

NEW DELHI (AP) — The scavengers wait patiently for a dump truck to tip the trash on the summit of the landfill outside New Delhi. Armed with plastic bags, they plunge their bare hands into the garbage and start sorting it. Every day, more than 2,300 tons of garbage is dumped at the landfill ...

TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics open in under four months, and the torch relay has begun to crisscross Japan with 10,000 runners. Organizers say they are mitigating the risks, but some medical experts aren't convinced. "It is best to not hold the Olympics given the considerable risks," Dr. ...

LONDON (AP) — More than 20 heads of government and global agencies called in a commentary published Tuesday for an international treaty for pandemic preparedness that they say will protect future generations in the wake of COVID-19. But there were few details to explain how such an agreement ...

MAE SAM LAEP, Thailand (AP) — Thailand's prime minister denied Tuesday that his country's security forces forced villagers back to Myanmar who had fled from military airstrikes, saying they returned home on their own accord. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, nevertheless, said his country is ...

SUEZ, Egypt (AP) — Experts boarded the massive container ship Tuesday that had blocked Egypt's vital Suez Canal and disrupted global trade for nearly a week, seeking answers to a single question that could have billions of dollars in legal repercussions: What went wrong? As convoys of ships ...

BERLIN (AP) — The German state of Berlin has again suspended the use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for those aged under 60 due to new reports of unusual blood clots in people who have received the shots, officials said Tuesday. The decision was taken as a precaution ahead of a meeting ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass for a second time in the pandemic without crowds of faithful, Pope Francis said while shock dominated the first year of the COVID-19 health emergency, now people are more weary, with the economic crisis growing heavier. Traditionally, the pope ...

LONDON (AP) — Britain is taking another small step out of lockdown as it looks nervously at a new virus surge inundating its European neighbors. With U.K. coronavirus vaccination rates outstripping those of European Union nations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is easing the stark "stay at ...

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thai authorities along the country's northwestern border braced themselves Monday for a possible influx of more ethnic Karen villagers fleeing new airstrikes from the Myanmar military. Myanmar military aircraft carried out three strikes overnight Sunday into Monday, ...

MIAMI (AP) — Matthias Krull pulls up his pant leg and slides a gardening shear on the ankle monitor that for two years has been a constant reminder of his crimes. With a court order in hand, and a child's voice echoing from the next room, the former Swiss banker snips the hard plastic — ...

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — At least 500 people were being evacuated from a nearby village after a massive fire broke out at the Pertamina Balongan Refinery in Indonesia's West Java province. Residents of Balongan village were moving to two evacuation centers on Monday. Authorities urged ...

BEIJING (AP) — A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is "extremely unlikely," according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. The findings ...

BEIJING (AP) — China announced tax breaks Monday to spur growth of its semiconductor industry following U.S. sanctions that alarmed the ruling Communist Party by cutting off access to American processor chips for tech giant Huawei and some other companies. Leaders declared accelerating ...