NEW YORK (AP) — Under financial pressure from sex-abuse litigation, the Boy Scouts of America are seeking to bolster their abuse-prevention efforts with a new awareness program featuring cartoon-style videos that will be provided to more than 1.2 million Cub Scouts across the …

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With a name that sounds like futuristic fiction, Rapid DNA machines roughly the size of an office printer have helped solve rape cases in Kentucky, identified California wildfire victims and verified family connections of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.Now a state …

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials have launched an operation to release nearly 100 illegally captured whales whose confinement in Russia's far east has become a rallying cry for environmentalists.A state TV reporter made the announcement during President Vladimir Putin's live Q&A show on …

PARIS (AP) — Boeing's post-crash business slump may be coming to an end.The plane maker said Thursday that it's in negotiations with several customers interested in buying the 737 Max jet, as it tries to rebuild trust in the plane and its own reputation after two Max crashes that killed 346 …

LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian officials say 11 tourists are safe after their hot air balloon drifted away, forcing them to land in the country's southern desert.The officials say the tourists — five Indians, four Chinese, a British and an Egyptian — were ballooning over ancient …

BEIJING (AP) — China warned Thursday that threats and tariffs will not resolve trade tensions between the two biggest economies and blasted Republican Sen. Marco Rubio for his criticism of technology giant Huawei over patents.Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said Thursday that its "core concern" …

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident.The Guard …

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main interest rate on hold at 0.75% on Thursday as rate-setters said a combination of Brexit worries and global trade tensions were weighing heavily on growth.All nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee backed the decision to not change …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A series of attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf has ratcheted up tensions between the U.S. and Iran — and raised fears over the safety of one of Asia's most vital energy trade routes, where about a fifth of the world's oil passes through …

BEIJING (AP) — Former Interpol President Meng Hongwei confessed to accepting more than $2 million in bribes and expressed regret for his crime, a Chinese court said Thursday.The No. 1 Intermediate Court in the northeastern port city of Tianjin said Meng read a statement containing the …

MILAN (AP) — Italian firefighters say three people were killed by an explosion in an apartment building that appears to have been caused by a gas leak.The explosion Thursday morning in the northeastern city of Gorizia near the Slovenian border completely leveled the building, leaving just …

JERUSALEM (AP) — Four political parties representing Israel's Arab minority have announced they will unite for the upcoming parliamentary elections.After last spring's disappointing showing, the move looks to boost turnout and improve Arab representation in parliament.The four factions first …

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin faced a litany of complaints about low living standards during a marathon call-in show Thursday, promising to boost wages and pensions and boost social programs.More than 1.5 million people have sent their questions by phone, video calls or email.For …

MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Putin's annual call-in show (all times local):1:45 p.m.President Vladimir Putin says that Russia will not compromise on its core interests to win a respite from Western sanctions.Putin admitted that the U.S. and the European Union sanctions have cost Russia an …

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Asian nations are scrambling to contain the spread of highly contagious African swine fever, with Vietnam culling 2.5 million pigs and China reporting more than a million dead in an unprecedentedly huge epidemic some fear is out of control.Smaller outbreaks have been …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. (all times local):2:20 p.m.Iran's foreign ministry has warned the United States over violating Iranian airspace after the Revolutionary Guard shot down a …

LONDON (AP) — A British court has ruled that the U.K. government must reconsider its decision to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia for use in the Yemen war.The Court of Appeal ruled Thursday in favor of anti-weapons campaigners, who argued that the sales should not have been allowed because there …

MOSCOW (AP) — An American man kept behind bars in Russia on spying charges on Thursday appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump for help.Paul Whelan was arrested in a hotel room in Moscow at the end of December and charged with espionage, which carries up to 20 years in prison in Russia.The …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento police on Thursday were trying to negotiate the surrender of a gunman suspected of killing a police officer during a domestic dispute.Tara O'Sullivan, 26, died at UC Davis Medical Center hours after the gunman opened fire on her Wednesday, Deputy Chief …

HONG KONG (AP) — A deadline imposed by activist groups for Hong Kong's government to meet demands including the scrapping of controversial extradition legislation passed Thursday without an official response.The groups have said they would call on supporters to surround government …