Thai king hands out diplomas at protest movement stronghold

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king presided over a university graduation ceremony Friday at a stronghold of a protest movement seeking to reduce the monarchy's powers, after activists issued a call for students to boycott the event. There was no way to confirm how many heeded the call, though videos of the...

Mexican president taps loyalist as new security chief

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed a former journalist and long-time Mexico City government bureaucrat to be the country’s new security chief Friday at a time when the country is on track to set a new annual homicide record. It was not immediately...

Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University, alleging the evangelical school founded by his late pastor father damaged his reputation in a series of public statements that followed his resignation as president and chancellor in August amid a series of scandals. The lawsuit filed in...

Thailand protesters take to street to mock fashion show

BANGKOK (AP) — Pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand returned Thursday to the capital’s business district, staging something akin to a street fair to bring attention to their contention that the country’s monarchy holds too much power and influence. Their rally on the city’s Silom...

Developer tied to Texas AG accused judge, others of fraud

DALLAS (AP) — An Austin real estate developer at the center of recent allegations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked for an investigation into his uncorroborated claims that other businessmen have an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million worth of his properties with the help of a federal...

Poles join strike as protests against abortion ruling expand

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — People across Poland stayed off their jobs and huge crowds poured onto the streets for a seventh straight day of protests Wednesday, enraged over a top court ruling that bans abortions in cases of fetal abnormalities. Tens of thousands of people, gathering in defiance of pandemic...

Thai student-protesters aim for ambitious political change

BANGKOK (AP) — He was only 7 when he saw his first military coup. He was 15 during the second. Now 21, he is among those at the front of Thailand's growing pro-democracy movement pushing for sweeping political reforms. And because of his activities, Bunkueanun Paothong has been charged with crimes that...

Barcelona president resigns in fallout from feud with Lionel Messi

AP PHOTOS: Kyrgyzstan village untouched by political unrest

TASH-BASHAT, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — The political turmoil that has gripped Kyrgyzstan hasn't reached the quiet village of Tash-Bashat in the mountains near the capital, where residents talk about the country's feuding elites with resignation and disdain. Kanat Kaliyev, a 57-year-old farmer, and his family said...

Thai protesters shun Parliament, ask Germany to probe king

BANGKOK (AP) — Pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand have expanded their protests internationally, marching to the German Embassy to appeal to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to investigate whether Thailand’s king has exercised political power during his extended stays in Bavaria. The...