BAMAKO, Mali – A Mali army official says at least two soldiers were killed in an ambush in the country’s north. Col. Souleymane Maiga said Monday that three more troops were wounded during the attack Sunday near Douekire, 30 miles (45 kilometers) west of the city of Timbuktu. The troops …

MOSCOW – A Russian court has arrested a mother of seven on treason charges for providing Ukraine with information on Russian troop movements. Moscow’s Lefortovsky court put Svetlana Davydova in custody last week on the charges, which carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years. The court didn’t provide …

BERLIN – A former leader of German group anti-Islam group PEGIDA says she’s starting a new organization to campaign for more referendums in politics. Kathrin Oertel said Monday that she and several others are founding “Direct Democracy for Europe,” which she said would stand for conservative values and position itself …

ATHENS, Greece – Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Greece’s new prime minister to Moscow in May, as Athens and Berlin publicly traded barbs over European Union policy on Ukraine. Alexis Tsipras expressed his intention to attend May 9 celebrations for the World War II victory over Nazism, his office …

Environmental extremists are exploiting the Sept. 11 attacks in their latest attempt to destroy the chemical industry.Sen. John Corzine (search), D-N.J., is aiding and abetting the eco-scoundrels under the guise of improving homeland security. The battleground is the debate over the security of chemical facilities, a controversy stoked by the …

SEOUL, South Korea – A zoo in South Korea’s capital says an animal keeper has died after apparently being attacked by two lions. Seoul Children’s Grand Park official Jisun Lee said a colleague found the man unconscious and bleeding heavily from his neck and legs in the animals’ enclosure, as …

LONDON – Scandal-hit HSBC, Britain’s largest bank, has issued a public apology, saying that the media firestorm that followed allegations it had helped rich clients dodge taxes had been a painful experience. Chief executive Stuart Gulliver says the allegations deal with historical practices that are no longer in place. He …

PARIS – Dozens of gravesites in a small-town cemetery in northern France have been vandalized, days after massive destruction at a Jewish cemetery in the country. France’s Interior Ministry said crucifixes were overturned and gravesites disturbed. The vandalism in Tracy-sur-Mer, a tiny town next to the D-Day landing beaches, was …

TOKYO – North Korean authorities are barring foreigners from this year’s Pyongyang marathon, a popular tourist event, due to ongoing Ebola travel restrictions. Nick Bonner, co-founder of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, a tour agency that specializes in North Korea travel, said more than 400 foreign runners had signed up with his …

BERLIN – German judges are seeking a European Union court’s advice on whether a teacher at a Greek school in Germany can claim back pay cuts caused by Greece’s austerity drive. The Greek citizen, who worked at a Greek government-backed school in Nuremberg, has claimed compensation of more than 20,000 …