5.4 quake jolts West Texas, one of state’s strongest ever

Comment on this story Comment MIDLAND, Texas — One of the strongest earthquakes in Texas history struck Friday evening in a western region of the state that’s home to oil and fracking activity. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor had a magnitude of 5.4 and […]

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Japan boosts defense capabilities in new strategy document

Comment on this story Comment TOKYO — Japan on Friday unveiled sweeping changes to its national security strategy and a major ramp-up of its defense budget, a dramatic shift to shed its longtime postwar pacifist constraints as it grapples with increasing security threats and risk of war in the Indo-Pacific. Wary of the growing military […]

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Ukraine air defenses counter Russian barrage, but missiles hit energy targets

Comment on this story Comment KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched another ferocious barrage of missiles at Ukraine on Friday, again pummeling critical infrastructure. At least three people were killed and more than a dozen were injured when a residential building was hit in Kryvyi Rih, one of seven cities targeted in the attack. Damaged cities […]

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Prominent Mexican journalist survives shooting attack

Comment on this story Comment MEXICO CITY — One of Mexico’s best-known journalists said Friday that two gunmen on a motorcycle tried to kill him in a late-night attack on a Mexico City street, raising even further safety fears for reporters in a country dangerous for the profession. The attack on Ciro Gómez Leyva drew […]

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Mexico president insists relations with Spain still ‘paused’

Comment on this story Comment MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president insisted Friday that his country’s relations with Spain are still “on pause,” one day after Mexico’s top diplomat met with his Spanish counterpart and said relations were being “relaunched.” The confusing about-face involves years-old complaints by President Andrés Manuel López about Spanish companies operating in […]

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No alien life discovered on Earth, Pentagon says, but search deepens

Comment on this story Comment A new office at the Pentagon is scrutinizing hundreds of reports of unidentified objects in air, sea, space and beyond, senior U.S. defense officials said Friday, and while it has discovered no signs of alien life, the search is set to expand. The issue has taken on increasing seriousness as […]

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UN envoy: Signs of Libya’s partition grow, election needed

Comment on this story Comment UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. special envoy for Libya warned Friday that signs of partition are already evident in the troubled North African nation and urged influential nations to pressure Libya’s rival leaders to urgently finalize the constitutional basis for elections. The first anniversary of the vote’s postponement is coming […]

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Angelina Jolie parts ways with UNHCR, citing desire to ‘work differently’

Comment on this story Comment Angelina Jolie, perhaps the world’s most high-profile advocate for refugees, is stepping away from her role as a special envoy to the United Nations refugee agency, citing a desire to “work differently” — outside the United Nations. “After 20 years working within the UN system I feel it is time […]

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A hippo partially swallowed a 2-year-old in Uganda. The boy survived.

Comment on this story Comment Iga Paul was doing what most 2-year-olds do on Sunday afternoons — he was playing outside his home. But just over 800 yards away from the toddler’s Uganda home was Lake Edward, one of the smallest bodies of water in the Great Rift Valley, where big hungry creatures reside. On […]

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