Philippines, neighbors to jointly fight militants

MANILA - The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are planning to closely cooperate to halt the flow of militants, weapons, funds and extremist propaganda across their borders amid alarm over recent attacks in their region.

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Gunmen repelled after village raid

KIDAPAWAN, The Philippines - Muslim rebels withdrew from a southern Philippine village on Wednesday after security forces moved rapidly to prevent another crisis amid a monthlong militant siege in nearby Marawi city, officials said.

Modi hails unifying power of yoga

LUCKNOW, India - Yoga has connected the world with India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, as he rolled out his mat along with millions of others across the globe to celebrate the ancient practice.

Famous Tsukiji fish market will be remade, not destroyed

TOKYO - Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market - the world's biggest - won't be destroyed but will be closed for up to five years while it is modernized and turned into a "food theme park", the capital's governor said on Tuesday.

Giant iceberg to crack off Antarctica

OSLO - One of the biggest icebergs on record is like a "niggling tooth" about to snap off Antarctica and will be an extra hazard for ships around the frozen continent as it breaks up, scientists said on Wednesday.

Saudi king ousts nephew, names son as first heir

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - King Salman on Wednesday appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him first-in-line to the throne and removing his nephew, the country's counterterrorism chief and a figure well-known to Washington from the line of succession.

Iran-made drone downed in Syria

AMMAN - The US military said it had shot down an armed, Iranian-made drone that had been bearing down on its forces near a garrison in Syria's southeast on Tuesday, in the latest sign of increasingly frequent confrontation with Damascus and its allies.

Queen outlines UK government agenda

Queen Elizabeth opened an unusual two-year session of the Parliament on Wednesday which will be dominated if not overwhelmed by groundwork for negotiations for the United Kingdom's planned exit from the European Union.

Belgium avoided attack in station blast

BRUSSELS - Belgium has avoided a serious attack, its interior minister said on Wednesday, after a suspected suicide bomber planning to explode a large bomb caused only a minor explosion in Brussels' central station on Tuesday.

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PM Abe pledges to regain public trust

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his ratings battered by suspicion he helped a friend get favorable treatment for a business, and criticism that he used strong-arm tactics in parliament, has vowed to regain the people's trust.