DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – The Syrian government and the main umbrella for Syrian opposition and rebel groups announced Tuesday their conditional acceptance of a proposed U.S.-Russian cease fire that the international community hopes will bring them back to the negotiating table in Geneva for talks to end the war. The …

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) – Burundi’s president promises to release 2,000 people detained during months of violent unrest, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday while visiting the violence-plagued country. Ban spoke after meeting with President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday, as well as meetings with officials from Burundi’s ruling party, government, …

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Talks in Kabul Tuesday between representatives of four countries trying to end Afghanistan’s war with the Taliban are likely to set a date for a face-to-face meeting between the two sides, an Afghan official said. Representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are meeting …

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Move over, Apple and Samsung. The next big smartphone might be from little-known Chinese brands such as TCL and OPPO. Along with other Chinese phone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, Chinese brands have surpassed Samsung in China and are encroaching on Apple’s turf. In …

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – Tensions after Uganda’s elections, criticized by international observers as being undemocratic, ratcheted up on Monday when police arrested President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger. Kizza Besigye was arrested as he tried to leave his home where he had been confined under house arrest. Associated Press journalists saw …

BERLIN (AP) – Alaa Ammar fled Syria to escape not just civil war but also the threat of persecution as a gay man. Yet when he arrived in The Netherlands last spring, he did not find the safe haven he craved. He and four other gay travelers had to face …

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – This is what the Zika outbreak looks like in Venezuela, a country whose medical system has teetered for months on the brink of collapse: There’s a lack of bug spray to prevent mosquito bites, scant contraceptives to avert pregnancies, little medicine to treat Zika-linked maladies. There …

ROME (AP) – Italy’s prime minister says he’s rooting for Hillary Clinton to be elected president of the United States. Matteo Renzi said Monday that as a citizen and leader of Italy’s Democratic party, “in all respect for the great American democracy, I’m rooting for Hillary Clinton.” However, he said …

WASHINGTON (AP) – Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said in an early Monday morning email to employees that the U.S. government should withdraw its demand that Apple help the FBI hack a locked iPhone used by a shooter in the San Bernardino attack. The message, subject-lined “Thank you for your …

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Two Serbian embassy staffers held hostage since November are believed to have been killed in Friday’s U.S. airstrikes on an Islamic State camp in western Libya, Serbia’s foreign minister said Saturday. Minister Ivica Dacic identified the two as Sladjana Stankovic, a communications officer, and Jovica Stepic, …