World

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s new foreign minister has asked police to investigate an alleged attempt by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to stage a coup to stay in power when results showed he was losing last week’s election. Rajapaksa has denied the allegation. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on …

ATHENS, Greece – A police source says Greek police have detained four suspected terrorists, including one who could be the man wanted by Belgian authorities as an alleged ringleader of a jihadi cell. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not officially authorized to comment on …

TORONTO – Canadian special forces in northern Iraq have been helping Kurdish peshmerga fighters by directing coalition airstrikes against Islamic State extremists — work generally considered risky because it means they are close to the battle against the group. The Canadians’ efforts complement those of the United States, which has …

BEIJING – A man admitted on Wednesday that he set a fire that spread through a bus in eastern China and injured 33, entering his plea from a hospital bed wheeled into a courtroom because of his own injuries in the blaze, a court said. Bao Laixu said he started …

TOKYO – The Japanese government spokesman expressed “extreme indignation’ Sunday over a video purportedly from the Islamic State group that shows a militant beheading hostage Kenji Goto. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the Cabinet was convening an emergency meeting and was rushing to confirm the authenticity of the online …

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico – Gun battles between Mexican government forces and gunmen on roads between the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros have killed eight suspected criminals. The government of the border state of Tamaulipas said late Tuesday a ninth suspect apparently died in n area shootout with a rival …

MEXICO CITY – An orderly who was injured last week in a gas explosion that destroyed a hospital in Mexico’s capital has died, raising the death toll from the blast to five. Jorge Luis Tinoco was the third employee of the Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Cuajimalpa, in western Mexico …

MEXICO CITY – Mexican federal prosecutors have announced the arrest of the brother of former Guerrero state Gov. Angel Aguirre in a corruption case. Carlos Aguirre and at least five former state officials or relatives of Aguirre are accused of misappropriating 287 million pesos ($19 million) from government agencies, apparently …

BANGKOK – Representatives of the European Union have expressed concern over Thailand’s use of detention without charge and having civilians tried in military courts, adding to mounting criticism of justice under the Southeast Asian nation’s military rule. Their statement echoes an appeal Friday by Human Rights Watch calling for the …

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s president has replaced her point man on North Korea in a reshuffle that involved three other top officials. President Park Geun-hye’s office announced Tuesday that presidential adviser Hong Yong Pyo has been nominated as the country’s new unification minister in charge of relations with …