TOKYO — Japan on Friday approved a contentious plan to send its naval troops to the Middle East to ensure the safety of Japanese ships transporting oil to the energy-poor country that heavily depends on imports from the region. The Cabinet's decision reflects tensions that have escalated between Iran and...
Trump Lashes out as Impeachment Trial Stuck in Limbo
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday as his Senate impeachment trial remains at an impasse, with Republican and Democratic leaders at odds over its format and whether witnesses should be called. Speaking at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, after a teleconference call with troops...
Mormons Pulling 400,000 Youths out of Struggling Boy Scouts
KAYSVILLE, Utah — For decades, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of Boy Scouts of America’s greatest allies and the largest sponsor of troops. But on Jan. 1, the Utah-based faith will deliver the latest blow to the struggling organization when it pulls out more than...
Putin Sits Down With New Ukraine Leader for First Time
PARIS — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met for the first time Monday at a summit in Paris to try to end five years of war between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists. Both leaders sat down at the French presidential palace along with the leaders of...
US Role in Syria Grows More Complex With Trump Claim to Oil
WASHINGTON — By claiming a right to Syria's oil, President Donald Trump has added more complexity — as well as additional U.S. forces and time — to an American military mission he has twice declared he was ending so the troops could come home. Extending the mission to secure eastern...
Trump Lifts Sanctions on Turkey, Says Cease-Fire Permanent
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will lift sanctions on Turkey after the NATO ally agreed to permanently stop fighting Kurdish forces in Syria and he defended his decision to withdraw American troops. “We’re getting out,” Trump said at the White House, asserting that tens of thousands of Kurdish lives...
AP FACT CHECK: Dems Flub Details on Guns, Syria in Debate
WASHINGTON — A dozen Democrats seeking the presidency tussled in a debate packed with policy, flubbing some details in the process. Several gave an iffy explanation Tuesday of why they're not swinging behind a bold proposal to make people turn over their assault-style weapons. Sloppiness also crept in during robust exchanges over...
Russia Moves to Fill Void Left by US in Northern Syria
CEYLANPINAR, Turkey — Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria on Tuesday, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government and Turkish forces. At the same time, tensions grew within NATO as Turkey defied growing condemnation of its invasion from its Western allies....
Turkey Launches Offensive Against Kurdish Fighters in Syria
AKCAKALE, Turkey — Turkey launched a military operation Wednesday against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria after U.S. forces pulled back from the area, with a series of airstrikes hitting a town on Syria's northern border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the campaign, which followed an abrupt...
Israel Blamed for Hit on Iran-Backed Militia Depot in Iraq
BAGHDAD — An Israeli airstrike on an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq, confirmed by U.S. officials, is threatening to destabilize security in the volatile country that has struggled to remain neutral in the conflict between Washington and Tehran. It would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981,...