BEIJING (AP) – The new Chinese year is the one to go bananas over. On Feb. 8, the zodiac calendar enters the Year of the Monkey – the ninth of 12 animal signs. Plastic monkeys are adorning shopping centers and office buildings, and government departments have been giving out toy …

WASHINGTON (AP) – Twitter is now using spam-fighting technology to seek out accounts that might be promoting terrorist activity and is examining other accounts related to those flagged for possible removal, the company announced Friday. The announcement demonstrated efforts by Twitter to automatically identify tweets supporting terrorism, reflecting increased pressure …

LONDON (AP) – A United Nations human rights panel has sided with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his long-running battle with Swedish and British authorities, saying he should be freed immediately and compensated for the years he has lost. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which falls under the …

LONDON (AP) – Brazilian officials say they’re sending a set of samples related to the Zika outbreak to the United States, a move which follows complaints that the country was hoarding disease data and biological material. The announcement came hours after The Associated Press revealed that international health officials were …

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazilian Carnival could be called a hungry mosquito’s dream – five days of non-stop street parties that bring together millions of revelers in an inviting mass of bare ankles, uncovered legs and denuded torsos. So the mosquito-borne Zika virus might be expected to dampen this …

BEIRUT (AP) – The Syrian military and allied fighters, backed by Russian airstrikes, on Friday pushed ahead with a major offensive in the north of the country, capturing another village and moving a step closer to encircling contested Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. The offensive near the Turkish border, which began …

TOKYO (AP) – Japan has deployed PAC-3 missile batteries in the heart of Tokyo to shoot down any incoming rocket debris. South Korea is reportedly mobilizing two Aegis-equipped destroyers. The U.S. is already gunning to punish Pyongyang for what it says will be a ballistic missile test in the guise …

LONDON (AP) – Leaders and diplomats from 70 countries met London Thursday to pledge billions to help millions of Syrians displaced by war – and try to slow the chaotic exodus of refugees to Europe. The one-day meeting, held under tight security near the British Parliament, is aimed at gathering …

KAWERGOSK CAMP, Iraq (AP) – Perwin Shamsaddeen Ali, a Syrian refugee living in a tent camp in northern Iraq, has been reduced to cooking one meal a day for her family of four. “I cook at 11 o’clock and we eat the leftovers in the evening. Why? Because we have …

CAIRO (AP) – The body of a missing Italian student was found with signs of torture, including multiple stab wounds and cigarette burns, by the side of a highway on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, an investigating prosecutor told The Associated Press on Thursday. Giulio Regeni, A 28-year-old graduate …