World

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Denmark’s Parliament on Friday elected Pia Kjaersgaard, retired leader of the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, as its speaker, a largely ceremonial post. First elected to the 179-seat Folketing in 1984, Kjaersgaard became deputy speaker three years ago. In 1995, she co-founded the party that became Denmark’s second …

HELSINKI – Some 100 lawmakers, mainly from Europe, have condemned Russia’s actions in Crimea and Ukraine at a meeting honoring a 1975 accord seen as a milestone in reducing tensions between the East and West during the Cold War. Representing more than 50 countries, 96 lawmakers on Thursday condemned Russia’s …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian authorities are investigating allegations that 2 million ringgit ($529,000) were deposited into the accounts of the wife of embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak earlier this year. The allegation against Rosmah Mansor is another blow to Najib, who himself is being investigated on suspicion that hundreds …

MEDELLIN, Colombia – The last contact Margarita Restrepo had with her daughter was a hurried phone call on Oct. 25, 2002. The school day was over and 17-year-old Carol Vanesa was going to meet friends at a metro stop near the sprawling Comuna 13 hillside slum. Restrepo and her children …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates has slashed gasoline subsidies, raising the cost of a liter of regular gasoline by 24 percent amid globally low oil prices that have cut into the country’s revenues. The UAE announced Tuesday that starting Aug. 1 drivers will pay 2.14 dirhams …

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romanian authorities have seized 333 kilograms (733 pounds) of heroin that was headed to Western Europe. Authorities said Wednesday the drugs were found the day before stashed in two separate trucks, which each had a concealed gasoline tank. One truck was traveling toward Hungary and the other …

CAIRO – Egypt and Saudi Arabia say they aim to boost military, economic, and social ties and pursue their common interests. In a statement released after a meeting between President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, el-Sissi’s office says the two …

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – A local Cameroon leader says suspected Boko Haram fighters have killed at least 9 people and kidnapped dozens, including children and teenagers, from a village on the border with Nigeria. Tchakarmari village chief Kadzamare Amin said heavily armed attackers came from Nigeria into the villages of Tchakarmari …

VIENNA – A think tank says satellite imagery of a site that Iran may have used to work on nuclear arms shows new construction work — possibly a renewed attempt to clean up before an inspection by the U.N.’s nuclear monitor, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA has repeatedly …

FRANKFURT, Germany – Austrian police who stopped a small truck that appeared overloaded have found 86 refugees crammed inside during sweltering heat. The Austria Press Agency reported that the truck was halted Saturday at a rest area near the St. Poelten on the A1 highway. Among the refugees from Afghanistan, …