Associated Press
Latest stories
Dutch court orders Netherlands to stop exports of F-35 parts to Israel

An appeals court ordered the Dutch government on Monday to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a clear risk of violations of international law.

A trio of human rights organizations brought a civil suit against the Netherlands in December, arguing authorities needed to reevaluate the export license in light of Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.

W140 Full Story
Egypt threatened to void peace treaty with Israel. What does that mean?

It was a warm handshake between the unlikeliest of statesmen, conducted under the beaming gaze of President Jimmy Carter. Sunlight streamed through the trees at Camp David, Maryland, as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin solidified a landmark agreement that has allowed over 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt. It has served as an important source of stability in a volatile region.

That peace has held through two Palestinian uprisings and a series of wars between Israel and Hamas. But now, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to send Israeli troops into Rafah, a city in Gaza on the border with Egypt, the Egyptian government is threatening to void the agreement.

W140 Full Story
Israeli forces rescue 2 hostages in dramatic Gaza raid that killed at least 50 Palestinians

Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in the southern Gaza Strip and extracting the captives under fire in a dramatic raid that was a small but symbolically significant success for Israel. The operation killed at least 50 Palestinians, including women and children, according to Palestinian health officials in the beleaguered territory.

The raid was celebrated in Israel, which has been seeking the release of more than 100 captives held by Hamas and other militant groups.

W140 Full Story
1 dead, children wounded as Israel strikes outside Houla mosque

Israeli forces overnight shelled the southern Lebanese border village of Houla, killing one person and wounding nine as they left a mosque after prayers, state-run National News Agency reported.

The agency said that in addition to the artillery shelling, a drone fired a missile toward the mosque.

W140 Full Story
28 killed in Rafah strikes after Netanyahu says invasion there inevitable

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in Rafah early Saturday, hours after Israel's prime minister said he asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the southern Gaza city ahead of a ground invasion.

Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline, but the announcement set off widespread panic. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after being uprooted repeatedly by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of Gaza's territory. It's not clear where they could run next.

W140 Full Story
Iran vows to keep backing Hezbollah during regional tensions linked to Israel-Hamas war

Iran's foreign minister vowed after arriving in Beirut on Friday to keep supporting Hezbollah, saying Lebanon's security affects that of Iran and the region.

Hossein Amirabdollahian was welcomed by representatives of Lebanon's Hezbollah as well as the militant Palestinian group Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran, a main backer of the militant groups, has been calling on the U.S. to pressure Israel to stop its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

W140 Full Story
Rio de Janeiro declares a dengue health emergency days ahead of Carnival

Rio de Janeiro on Monday has declared a public health emergency because of an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever, the city announced Monday, just days before Carnival celebrations kick off across Brazil.

The outbreak wasn't expected to derail Carnival, which officially starts Friday evening and runs until Feb. 14, but it has prompted a slew of special measures by the city in hopes of containing the illness.

W140 Full Story
Disney to invest $1.5 billion in 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games to create games, entertainment

The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday it is paying $1.5 billion for a stake in "Fortnite" maker Epic Games, working with the game developer to create a "games and entertainment universe" that will feature games, shows and characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.

"This marks Disney's biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

W140 Full Story
Berlin's zoo is mourning Ingo the Flamingo, who died at what's believed to be the age of 75

The Berlin Zoo is mourning Ingo the Flamingo, its oldest resident, who died at what is believed to be at least 75 years of age and had lived there since the mid-1950s.

His place of origin is unclear. The zoo announced Ingo's death at an "imposing" age in social media posts on Wednesday. It said that a ring on the bird's leg with the inscription "Cairo, 23.6.1948" indicated what is believed to have been "his minimum age."

W140 Full Story
Christian Bale breaks ground on foster homes he's fought for 16 years to see built

Christian Bale broke ground Wednesday on a project he's been pursuing for 16 years -- the building of a dozen homes and a community center in Los Angeles County intended to keep siblings in foster care together.

The Oscar winner stood with a grin and a shovel full of dirt alongside local politicians and donors in the decidedly non-Hollywood city of Palmdale, 60 miles (80 kilometers) north and across the San Gabriel Mountains from Los Angeles.

W140 Full Story