MOSCOW – Russian investigators say they are considering whether to charge former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky with ordering the 1998 killing of a Siberian mayor. At the time when Nefteyugansk Mayor Vladimir Petukhov was shot dead, he was in conflict with Khodorkovsky’s oil company, Yukos, over alleged tax arrears. Khodorkovsky …

DES MOINES, Iowa – A man who created a nonprofit organization credited with helping more than 150 million people out of poverty is this year’s recipient of the World Food Prize. Fazle Hasan Abed (FAHZ’-lee hah-SAHN’ AH’-bed) is the founder of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, now known as BRAC. …

LONDON – A bizarre plan to relocate the entire population of Hong Kong to Northern Ireland was considered an option in the uncertain years before Britain handed back the former British colony to Chinese rule, formerly classified government files showed. Britain’s National Archives on Friday released a 1983 government file …

At least 10 people were injured when a boat exploded off the coast of Maryland Saturday. The Maryland Natural Resources Police Public Information Officer Candy Thompson said the explosion occurred at around 6 p.m. at the Spring Cover Marina in Solomons Island. All of the injured were transported by ambulance …

BERLIN – The United Nations’ human rights chief says he is worried by the breadth and vagueness of new national security legislation approved last week by China’s legislature. Zeid Raad al-Hussein said Tuesday that the National Security Law “raises many concerns due to its extraordinarily broad scope coupled with the …

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s foreign ministry says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will meet with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of a summit in Russia. It’s a rare meeting for top officials from the rival countries. Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Thursday that Sharif will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi …

BRUSSELS – The United Nations’ refugee agency says Greece is facing an “unprecedented” emergency as people fleeing war and poverty at home continue to stream into the country’s islands in huge numbers. The UNHCR said Friday that 77,100 people have arrived to Greece by sea at an average of 1,000 …

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – A spokesman for Burundi’s military says government troops killed 31 suspected rebels and captured 170 others in fighting that has raised fears of a return to civil war in this central African country. Col. Gaspard Baratuza told a news conference in northwestern Cibitoke province that six soldiers …

MADRID – The two main parties wanting Spain’s Catalonia region to break away from the rest of the country say they will run joint candidates in regional elections scheduled for September to avoid splitting the pro-independence vote, strengthening their chances of winning power. Convergence and Union, the party which has …

Florida residents reportedly are being urged to stay away from armadillos, which are being blamed for the unusually high number of leprosy cases across the state. According to WFOX-TV, there have already been nine cases of the disease reported across the state this year. Florida averages about 10 cases for …