KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) – Nepal’s prime minister announced on Monday the start of reconstruction of key heritage sites in and around the capital that were damaged by an earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people and devastated the country one year ago. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli offered prayers at the …

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) – Last year’s massive earthquake in Nepal killed nearly 9,000 people, yet could have been much deadlier. It was spared not by disaster preparedness, but by the calendar. It hit on a Saturday. Most children were out of school, and most adults were working in their fields, …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Oil exporting countries in the Middle East lost a staggering $390 billion in revenue due to lower oil prices last year, and should brace for even deeper losses of around $500 billion this year, the International Monetary Fund said Monday. The fund had projected …

LEVEQUE, Haiti (AP) – The three friends had spent the day stocking up on food in the Haitian capital when they left for their village, setting off on the 20-mile trip home by foot because the minibuses known as tap-taps weren’t running after a bridge collapse. Their bodies were found …

Tensions in the South China Sea are rising, pitting China against smaller and weaker neighbors that all lay claim to islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters rich in fish and potential gas and oil reserves. China’s recent construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, complete with airstrips and …