Rival Koreas agree to form 1st unified Olympic team

SEOUL, South Korea — The rival Koreas agreed Wednesday to form their first unified Olympic team and have their athletes parade together for the first time in 11 years during the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea, officials said.The agreements still require approval from the International Olympic Committee.

Twin bombings in Baghdad kill 38, shatter post-IS calm

BAGHDAD — Twin suicide bombings rocked Baghdad on Monday, killing 38 people in the deadliest attack since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group last month, and raising fears ahead of national elections planned for May.The bombers targeted the bustling Tayran Square, in the heart of the capital, setting off their explosive vests among laborers and street vendors during the morning rush hour.

5 Mexican states get highest US 'do not travel' warning

MEXICO CITY — Five states in Mexico now have the sternest "do not travel" advisories under a revamped U.S. State Department system unveiled Wednesday, putting them on the same level as war-torn countries like Syria, Yemen and Somalia.The five states are Tamaulipas on the U.S. border and Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero on the Pacific coast.

North Korea taking part in South Korean Olympics after talks

SEOUL, South Korea — The rival Koreas moved toward reducing their bitter animosity Tuesday during rare talks, with North Korea agreeing to take part in next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Seoul says both Koreas have agreed to hold talks on Tuesday

SEOUL, South Korea — The rival Koreas agreed Friday to revive their first formal dialogue in more than two years next week to find ways to cooperate on the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, a sign of easing animosities that followed a period of rising nuclear tension that saw fears of war on the Korean Peninsula.The announcement by Seoul's Unification Ministry came hours after the United States said it has agreed to delay annual joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics.

North Korea reopens cross-border communications with South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reopened a key cross-border communication channel with South Korea for the first time in nearly two years Wednesday as the rivals explored the possibility of sitting down and talking after months of acrimony and fears of war.The sudden signs of easing hostilities, however, came as President Donald Trump threatened Kim with nuclear war in response to his threat earlier this week.In his New Year's address Monday, Kim said he was willing to send a delegation to next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Top US commander wants more aggressive Afghan push this year, "keep the pressure on all the time"

WASHINGTON — The top American commander for the Middle East wants a more aggressive Afghan military pressuring Taliban and other insurgents over the normally quieter months of Afghanistan's winter, and then quickly going on the offensive in the spring.

Israel minister plans train station at Western Wall named after President Donald Trump

JERUSALEM — Israel's transportation minister is pushing ahead with a plan to dig a railway tunnel under Jerusalem's Old City, passing near sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims — and ending at the Western Wall with a station named after President Donald Trump.Yisrael Katz's plan, currently in the initial stages, involves constructing two underground stations and excavating over 2 miles (3 kilometers) of tunnel beneath downtown Jerusalem and under the politically sensitive Old City.

Vice President Mike Pence makes surprise visit to Afghanistan for war meetings

KABUL, Afghanistan — Cloaked in secrecy, Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Thursday to meet with Afghan leaders and visit U.S. troops, arriving four months after President Donald Trump outlined a new strategy to break the stalemate in America's longest war.Pence's surprise pre-Christmas visit was the first to the war-torn country by either Pres.

UN denounces US recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to denounce President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, largely ignoring President Trump's threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him.The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem "null and void" was approved 128-9 — a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted.

8 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Canadian dead in Mexican bus crash

CANCUN, Mexico — Driver negligence and speed caused a bus crash in southern Mexico that killed eight Americans, two Swedes, one Canadian and a Mexican tour guide as they traveled from cruise ships to visit nearby Mayan ruins, officials said Wednesday.Quintana Roo state prosecutors said a preliminary manslaughter investigation indicated the driver lost control of the bus and when he tried to get back on the narrow highway, the bus flipped, struck a tree and landed in vegetation along the roadside."Due to a lack of care the driver lost control of the bus' steering to the right, leaving the asphalt," state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen said at a news conference.

Pres. Trump declares Jerusalem Israeli capital, smashing US policy

WASHINGTON — Defying dire, worldwide warnings, President Donald Trump on Wednesday broke with decades of U.S. and international policy and formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital.Despite urgent appeals from Arab and European leaders and the risk of anti-American protests and violence, President Trump declared it was time for a new approach to Mideast peace after decades of failure.

Pres. Trump will recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that would upend decades of U.S. policy and risk potentially violent protests.President Trump will instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

IOC: Russians can compete at Olympics, but without flag

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Russian athletes will be allowed to stand on the medal podium at the Winter Olympics — just not with their anthem playing or their nation's flag rising above them.The International Olympic Committee barred Russia and its sports leaders from the upcoming games in South Korea after its lead investigator concluded members of the Russian government concocted a doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Games that "caused unprecedented damage to Olympism and to sports."Not welcome in Pyeongchang next year will be any sign of the Russian Olympic Committee or any member of its sports ministry, which was responsible for what investigators concluded was a top-to-bottom scheme of "manipulation and cheating" to ensure Russians could dope at the Olympics on their home turf and not get caught.The IOC punishment did leave room for many Russians to compete under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" or OAR.

Pres. Trump scraps surprise visit to Korean DMZ due to weather

SEOUL -- Softening his aggressive rhetoric, at least for the moment, President Donald Trump stood on South Korean soil Tuesday and urged North Korea to come to the negotiating table.

US B-1B bombers conduct exercise over Korean Peninsula

SEOUL, South Korea — Two U.S. supersonic bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula for bombing exercises that are also a show of force against North Korea ahead of President Donald Trump's first official visit to Asia.A South Korean military official said Friday the B-1B bombers based in Guam were escorted by two South Korean F-16 fighter jets during the drills Thursday at a field near the South's eastern coast.

President Trump plans to help with Russia legal bills

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump intends to spend at least $430,000 of his own money to help pay the legal bills of White House staff and campaign aides related to the investigations into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election, a White House official said Saturday.It's the first such commitment by President Trump, who has dismissed the ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia as a "witch hunt" invented by Democrats to explain Hillary Clinton's loss.It wasn't immediately clear exactly how the payouts would be structured or which aides would be receiving them.

Twitter turns over 'handles' of 201 Russia-linked accounts

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Twitter has handed over to Senate investigators the profile names, or "handles," of 201 accounts linked to Russian attempts at influencing the 2016 presidential election.

Ties threatened: US orders 15 Cuban diplomats to leave

WASHINGTON — The United States expelled 15 of Cuba's diplomats Tuesday to protest its failure to protect Americans from unexplained attacks in Havana, plunging diplomatic ties between the countries to levels unseen in years.Only days ago, the U.S. and Cuba maintained dozens of diplomats in newly re-opened embassies in Havana and Washington, powerful symbols of a warming relationship between longtime foes.