MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, officially began Monday. More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country, Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the Hajj passport forces, said Friday. The faithful have...
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology on Monday for the Holy See 's role in legitimizing slavery and for having failed to condemn it for centuries, calling the Vatican’s record a “wound in Christian memory.” Past popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement...
Newly elected Philippine Handball Federation president Dr. Ernesto Jay Adalem said his immediate priority is preparing the national women’s team for the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships in Croatia as the country continues its rise in the international scene following another successful...
CAIRO (AP) — A deal appears to be emerging between the United States and Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend said it had been “largely negotiated.” It is not clear when or how the deal might be finalized and when its various...
TOKYO (AP) — More than 20 people developed sore throats near a luxury department store in Tokyo’s posh Ginza shopping area on Monday after a person allegedly sprayed an unknown substance, Japanese fire department officials said. The Tokyo Fire Department said 26 people complained of suddenly...
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When landlocked Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan started fighting late last year and their border crossings closed, Afghans turned to their western neighbor, Iran, for an alternate to Pakistan’s major shipping hub of Karachi. They rerouted shipments through Iran...
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus ' exiled opposition leader visited Kyiv on Monday as the Ukrainian capital cleaned up after Russia’s biggest missile attack of the year, and world leaders kept a close eye on how much support the Belarusian government is ready to provide for Moscow’s all-out...
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan health authorities on Monday reported two new Ebola cases, bringing the number of infections to seven. All the cases are linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo, which appears to have started several days or weeks before Congolese authorities declared it on May...
TOKYO (AP) — Toshifumi Suzuki, the Japanese businessman credited with creating the 7-Eleven convenience-chain global retail empire, has died. He was 93. Suzuki, an honorary adviser at Seven & i Holdings, died on May 18 of heart failure at his Tokyo home, the company said Monday. Suzuki founded...
The University of Santo Tomas (UST), through the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of International Relations and Programs, partnered with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Manila for the fifth installment of World Lenses: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue with Students. The academic and...
A damaged chemical tank in Southern California has a crack — potentially lowering the risk of a cataclysmic explosion — though an evacuation order remains in effect for some 50,000 area residents with no timeline on when they can return, fire officials said Sunday. Orange County Fire Authority...
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s emerging deal to end the Iran war is drawing heavy criticism from some fellow Republicans who favor a harder line against the government in Tehran and fear a lost opportunity to finally rein in a longtime Mideast nemesis. The deal the Republican...
