BUDAPEST, Hungary – U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos says the organization is trying to increase aid activities in Ukraine to help more than 5 million people affected by the conflict between the government and Russia-backed rebels. Amos told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the U.N. has been able to …

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s government has accused students who are protesting state educational policies of being manipulated by groups seeking to destabilize the country. A special announcement broadcast Thursday night on state television warned that some political organizations are behind recent student protests, but did not identify them. It called …

WARSAW, Poland – Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak says Poland will not send lethal weapons to Ukraine but says there is little optimism in the west about the outcome of peace negotiations. In interviews for Polish media Tuesday, Siemoniak said Poland has supplied the military in neighboring Ukraine with some 17 …

VATICAN CITY – The top aide to retired Pope Benedict XVI is insisting he resigned freely, amid conspiracy theories that Benedict’s resignation was forced and the election of Pope Francis was thus invalid. Monsignor Georg Gaenswein gave an interview to Italian daily Corriere della Sera on the second anniversary of …

VATICAN CITY – Homeless men and women are lining up outside the public restrooms off St. Peter’s Square to take advantage of Pope Francis’ new charitable initiative: a free shave and shower for the least fortunate. The Vatican’s barber shop for the homeless opened Monday and 49-year-old Mauro Casubolo was …

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The winner of a Powerball ticket in Puerto Rico has appeared a week after hitting the $564 million jackpot but has opted to remain anonymous. The person stopped by the Puerto Rico Lottery office on Thursday with their ticket and has 60 days to decide …

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan court says seven sections of a contentious law the government says will help Kenya curb a wave of extremist attacks are unconstitutional. Opposition leaders and human rights activist have spoken out about these sections and others, saying they would be used to crack down on …

MADRID – Spain says it plans to deport 34 top members of violent Latin American street gangs operating in the Spanish capital. The Interior Ministry delegate for Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, said the expulsions aim to prevent gangs like the Netas or the Latin Kings from getting a foothold in the …

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – President Ernest Bai Koroma reinstated restrictions in Sierra Leone in response to the rise in confirmed cases of Ebola. Sierra Leone recorded 18 new cases of Ebola in the week ending Saturday, up from 16 new cases last week. This breaks the trend of declining cases …

JERUSALEM – An official Israeli analysis of the nuclear framework deal that world powers reached with Iran has drawn up a list of alleged shortcomings, providing a basis for what is expected to be months of furious lobbying by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel or amend the pact. The …