The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said Wednesday. The previously announced withdrawal, which marks the culmination of a yearlong process during which the group tried to avert an unprecedented disintegration, “has become effective…

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Lots of hair shedding, tons of fun and a constant invasion of your personal space. That’s what you’re going to get with a pug, according to Cheryl Gaw, who has seen more than a few of the squashed-nosed pups in her time. Gaw has rescued more than…

Former al Qaeda member Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been named as Syria’s president for a transitional period. “We announce the appointment of Commander Ahmad al-Sharaa as head of state during the transitional period. He will assume the duties of the president of the Syrian Arab…

Previously little-known Chinese startup DeepSeek has dominated headlines and app charts in recent days thanks to its new AI chatbot, which sparked a global tech sell-off that wiped billions off Silicon Valley’s biggest companies and shattered assumptions of America’s dominance of the tech race. But those signing up for the…

Editor’s Note: This report contains details of death and injury that some may find distressing. The stark testimony of their surviving colleagues, and the growing toll, portrays the obscure yet important role of American frontline fighters in a war President Donald Trump has called “ridiculous” and has pushed Russian President…

Six months ago Francisco Fortín was attacked by gangs wielding machetes in his home country of Honduras, he said, an act of violence that cemented a decision to quit his impoverished and trouble-plagued homeland. Last Sunday, with wounds on his chest, leg and back healing, he and his partner Annie…

A British bishop has announced his retirement days after he was accused of sexual assault and harassment. Channel 4 News reported on Tuesday that John Perumbalath, the Bishop of Liverpool, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and harassing a fellow bishop. “Since those allegations were made I have consistently…

Iman Helles, a displaced mother sheltering in a facility run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, fears that she will now be “thrown out to the streets” with her three children. Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) came into…

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi man who sparked outrage by staging Quran-burning protests in Sweden in 2023, has been shot dead, according to Swedish authorities. He said he had carried out the demonstrations because he believed the Quran “should be banned in the world because of the danger it causes to…