MAJURO, Marshall Islands (AP) – ATOLLS AT RISK Consisting of 29 atolls and five free-standing islands spread over vast distances in the Pacific Ocean, the Marshall Islands is home to 70,000 residents living on a total land area similar to that of Washington D.C. The highest point anywhere in the …

MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency is reporting that Russia has already deployed long-range air defense missiles at its base in Syria. Moscow announced the move on Wednesday, saying the missiles would help destroy any target that may threaten its warplanes there following the downing of a …

LISBON, Portugal (AP) – An anti-austerity alliance including radical leftist parties takes power. A shaky economy and huge debts menace the national economy. The rest of Europe watches with a wary eye. Sound familiar? It’s not Greece, but another eurozone country: Portugal. A nation that just months ago was hailed …

MOSCOW (AP) – Customs officials along the Russian border are scrutinizing Turkish goods due to “various reasons” including a possible terrorist threat, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Relations between the two countries soured after Turkey on Tuesday shot down a Russian warplane on a bombing mission …

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Marissa Mayer’s nearly four-year attempt to turn around Yahoo needs a turnaround itself, repeating a pattern of futility that has hobbled one of the Internet’s best-known companies for the past decade. Like her predecessors as Yahoo CEO, Mayer has been unable to snap the company out …

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Internet gambling is slowly growing – but not expanding – after 2 1/2 years of online betting in the United States. Online gambling revenue is increasing in at least two of the three states that currently offer it – New Jersey and Delaware. The third, …

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The latest on the war in Syria, including Russian warplane shot down by Turkey. All times local: 12:23 p.m. Syria’s army is confirming that it has rescued a Russian pilot whose plane was shot down by Turkey in an overnight “qualitative” joint operation with Russian forces. …

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Pope Francis wants to bring a message of peace and reconciliation to an Africa torn by extremist violence, but security concerns are so high that he might be forced to make changes to his itinerary for the final leg of the trip. Francis left Wednesday for …

BEIJING (AP) – The killings of Chinese citizens by Islamic militants in Syria and Mali place President Xi Jinping in a quandary: How can Beijing respond effectively without betraying its strict stance against intervention? The dilemma underscores the tension between China’s desire to be seen as a leading global power …

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is attending a summit of southeast European leaders on Wednesday that focuses on tensions and security concerns over a surge of asylum-seekers and migrants crossing the region. Biden’s trip comes amid a debate in the U.S. about whether to admit Syrian …