The body of a U.S. activist and comedian was found with over a dozen stab wounds and dumped in a ravine after allegedly being kidnapped and held for ransom in Colombia.Tou Ger Xiong, 50, an Asian American man from Woodbury in Minnesota, was in the country on holiday and had…

Somalia on Wednesday secured a $4.5 billion debt relief deal with international creditors.The deal is part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative, a debt forgiveness program overseen by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.Somalia’s current national debt exceeds $5 billion.Somalia on Wednesday secured a $4.5 billion debt relief…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Somalia’s president says his son didn’t flee Turkey after he was involved in a fatal highway crash in Istanbul, and adds that he has advised his son to go back and present himself to court, which has issued an arrest warrant.President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in…

After nearly 200 years in a private collection, a pair of small portraits by 17th century Dutch Master Rembrandt van Rijn went on display Wednesday after a long-term loan to the Netherlands’ national art and history museum.The Rijksmuseum said the portraits of Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife…

Albania’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday blocked the ratification of a deal with Italy that would establish a joint-processing system for migrant arrivals.The controversial deal calls for Tirana to hold up to 36,000 migrants for a year, so Rome can expedite its processing of asylum requests.The deal has drawn criticism from…

The Netherlands and South Korea are stepping up cooperation in the field of semiconductor chips as part of a deepening “strategic partnership,” caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday.The Dutch leader spoke after a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during his two-day state visit. Their meeting came…

ZIKIM BASE, Israel-Gaza border: It was one of the deadliest clashes of Israel’s ground war in Gaza against Hamas. Nine soldiers killed, some top officers, along with several injured. It happened when Hamas terrorists ambushed troops Tuesday on a mission in the Shejaiya section of Gaza City. On the same day, another soldier was killed…

Pope Francis’ long-awaited trip to his native Argentina is in the works – not long after an invitation from one of his fiercest critics.The pontiff told Mexican broadcaster Televisa’s N+ news service that a visit to his native Argentina is “pending” – just weeks after an invitation from the newly…

Fresh sanctions against Hamas leaders, some of whom live in Turkey, again raises the concerns the U.S. has over a historically important NATO ally continuing to support a widely-recognized terrorist group. “Today’s Treasury announcement makes it clear, yet again, that Turkey is a state sponsor of Hamas,” Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice…

South Korea’s defense minister issued a stern warning to North Korea on Wednesday, after the rival and neighboring countries announced they would not abide by a military pact that reduced tensions in the region.”North Korea has only two choices – peace or destruction,” a statement from the South Korean defense…