Philippine troops kill 10 communist rebels in a clash, in the latest blow to decades-long insurgency

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops killed at least 10 suspected communist guerrillas in a clash in a remote northern area in the latest blow to a decades-old insurgency that has weakened considerably, with only about a thousand guerrillas remaining, military and security officials said...

China expels 2 former defense ministers from its ruling Communist Party over graft allegations

BEIJING (AP) — China has expelled two former defense ministers from the ruling Communist Party over accusations of corruption that are likely to lead to sentences of life in prison. The Defense Ministry on Thursday said Li Shangfu had abused his authority to enrich himself by...

China's former defense minister expelled from ruling Communist Party on graft accusations, setting up likely trial

Mongolia holds an election Friday. Its people see the government as benefiting the wealthy

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — A parliamentary election will be held in Mongolia on Friday for the first time since the body was expanded to 126 seats, adding some uncertainty to a system that has been monopolized by two political parties and plagued by corruption. The election in a...

A look at Yekaterinburg, the Russian city where US reporter has gone on trial

Facts about Yekaterinburg, the industrial city in Russia's Ural Mountains where U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial Wednesday on espionage charges that his employer denounced as a sham: Location and population Yekaterinburg is 880 miles (1,416 kilometers) east...

Washington warns of danger from China in remembering the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday said the ruling Chinese Communist Party that sent in tanks against peaceful student protesters 35 years ago in the heart of Beijing is as ruthless and suppressive today as it was in 1989, a stark warning as they commemorated the...

Vietnam’s top security official To Lam confirmed as president

BANGKOK (AP) — Vietnam’s top security official To Lam was confirmed Wednesday as the nation's new president. He oversaw police and intelligence operations over a period when rights groups say basic liberties have been systematically suppressed, and its secret service was accused of violating...

China is accelerating the forced urbanization of rural Tibetans, rights group says

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is accelerating the forced urbanization of Tibetan villagers and herders, Human Rights Watch said, in an extensive report that adds to state government and independent reports of efforts to assimilate rural Tibetans through control over their language and traditional...

Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba

HAVANA (AP) — The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans. But 65 years later, religion seems omnipresent in Cuba, in dazzling diversity. The bells...

A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country’s mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people. Wang...