World

LISBON, Portugal – Another former senior member of Portugal’s Socialist Party is the latest ex-government official to be arrested in a corruption investigation that has seen a former prime minister held in prison. The attorney general’s office said Armando Vara, a deputy minister in two Socialist governments between 1995-99, was …

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea on Wednesday selected a Chinese-led consortium as a preferred bidder to salvage a ferry that sunk and killed more than 300 people in April last year in one of the country’s deadliest disasters in decades. South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it …

SEOUL, South Korea – Samsung Electronics reported Thursday a fifth straight quarterly profit drop as the Galaxy S6 series of smartphones failed to reverse its declining fortune in the smartphone industry. Samsung’s April-June net income was 5.8 trillion won ($5 billion), down 8 percent from 6.3 trillion won a year …

BEIJING – Chinese state media say police have rescued a newborn baby who was stuck face down in a public toilet in Beijing. She is in stable condition at a hospital in the capital. The police station responsible for the rescue confirmed it Tuesday after it was reported by the …

BANGKOK – Thailand’s military courts have issued the harshest sentences in recent decades for two people convicted of insulting the monarchy on Facebook. A man in Bangkok was sentenced to prison for 30 years, and a mother of two young girls was sentenced in northern Thailand for 28 years. The …

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romanian authorities have mobilized more than 1,000 rescuers in a massive search operation for a missing pilot and his glider now in its fifth day. Mircea Craciun, one of Romania’s most experienced gliders, went missing on Thursday after taking off on a private flight from the town …

TOKYO – Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, says recent moves by China to allow its currency to depreciate are a concern and could pose problems for Tokyo. The Nikkei newspaper and other local media quoted Aso as saying that China is a big factor behind the recent decline in share …

ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani army says rockets fired by militants from across the Afghan border have hit a military post, killing four soldiers and wounding four others. An army statement says troops at the post in Akhandwala Pass in the Khyber tribal region killed the militants behind the attack Sunday. …

DAMATURU, Nigeria – Two suicide bombers carried out separate attacks Tuesday that killed five people in Damaturu, a town in northeastern Nigeria, police and witnesses said. In one attack, a girl bomber died in an explosion that killed five people at the crowded entrance to the main bus station, said …

MINSK, Belarus – Two prominent potential candidates in Belarus’ presidential election are pulling out, alleging that a free and fair vote is impossible under longtime authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Anatoly Lebedko and Sergei Kalyakin were among eight aspirants, including Lukashenko, who were authorized to try to collect enough signatures to …