For his last time, Japan's Emperor Akihito addressed a memorial service Wednesday marking the end of World War II. Once again, he expressed "deep remorse" for the war.It was in keeping with what by all appearances has become a mission for Akihito over his 30-year reign: to make amends for a war fought in the name of his father, Hirohito. The 84-year-old monarch is set to abdicate next spring.“Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravag

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump escalated his messy clash with former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman on Tuesday, referring to the longtime colleague, who had been the top African-American in his White House, as “that dog!”　 　Trump tweeted a barrage of insults Tuesday morning as Manigault Newman continued promoting her White House tell-all and releasing secret audio recordings. Her book paints a damning picture of Trump, including her claim that he used racial slurs on the set of his rea

MILAN (AP) -- A bridge over an industrial area in the Italian city of Genova partially collapsed during a sudden and violent storm on Tuesday, leaving vehicles crushed in the rubble below.　Italian media reported that there were deaths, but Maria Luisa Catalano, a police official in Genoa, said that authorities were still involved in rescue efforts and did not yet know the number of victims or injured.　The disaster occurred on a highway that connects Italy to France and other vacation resorts on

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (AP) -- Aided by slightly cooler temperatures, firefighters made steady progress Sunday in battling a wildfire that destroyed 16 structures as it raged through Southern California’s Cleveland National Forest.The Holy Fire was 41 percent contained Sunday afternoon after burning across 35.5 square miles (92 kilometers) of dry timber and brush, said Lynne Tolmachoff of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.“The weather out here in California seems to be coo

SEATTLE (AP) -- He cracked jokes, complimented the professional demeanor of an air traffic controller and apologized for making a fuss.But the friendly tone of a 29-year-old airport worker who stole a commercial plane Friday night, performing acrobatic stunts before the fatal plunge into a thick island forest, belied his desperate actions.“I think I’m going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I’ll go nose down and call it a night,” Richard Russell said from the cockpit, according t

LONDON (AP) -- V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidad-born Nobel laureate whose celebrated writing and brittle, provocative personality drew admiration and revulsion in equal measures, died Saturday at his London home, his family said. He was 85.His wife, Nadira Naipaul, said he was “a giant in all that he achieved and he died surrounded by those he loved having lived a life which was full of wonderful creativity and endeavor.”Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001 “for having united per

A Korean man accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend around the world has been arrested in Connecticut.Bridgeport police officers say they arrested 61-year-old man surnamed Kwak on Wednesday while responding to a report of a woman screaming in a bank parking lot.The Connecticut Post reports the woman told authorities she was in an abusive relationship with Kwak and she fled. She says he tracked her down in Hawaii, Alaska and Bridgeport, where she has a friend. (Screen capture of Google map)Police

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- IOC President Thomas Bach says he is disappointed the United Nations will not allow sports equipment to be sent to North Korea.The International Olympic Committee's request was rejected by the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee.Bach says "this makes it more difficult for the IOC to accomplish its mission to bring athletes from all over the world together to promote understanding and friendship regardless of political background or any other differences."In a state

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Secretary-General Antonio Guterres selected Chile’s former President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday to be the next UN human rights chief, a high profile and often controversial job that has sparked criticism from governments targeted for rights abuses.Guterres sent a note to the General Assembly announcing his choice of Bachelet and urging approval by its 193 member states. Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak followed up, sending letters to all UN ambassadors saying a meeti

HELENA, Mont. (AP) --  “Superman” actress Margot Kidder’s death has been ruled a suicide, and her daughter said Wednesday it’s a relief to finally have the truth out.Kidder, who played Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve’s Superman in her most famous role, was found by a friend in her Montana home on May 13.At the time, Kidder’s manager, Camilla Fluxman Pines, said Kidder died peacefully in her sleep. In this Oct. 3, 2000 file photo, actress Margot Kidder, who dated former Prime Minister Pierre

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Brad Pitt said in court documents Wednesday that he has given estranged wife Angelina Jolie Pitt more than $1 million and lent her another $8 million since their separation two years ago, countering her assertion from a day earlier saying he has paid "no meaningful child support."Pitt's attorneys said in the two-page document filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that he "adamantly disputes the contention that he has not paid significant child support." The document added that

TOKYO -- Hiroshima has marked the 73rd anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing with a somber ceremony to remember the people killed and injured and a call to eliminate nuclear weapons amid hopes of denuclearizing North Korea.Mayor Kazumi Matsui raised concerns in his peace address Monday about the rise of egocentric policies in the world and warned against the idea of nuclear deterrence as a threat to global security. Matsui urged leaders to steadily work toward achieving a world without

MATARAM, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, killing at least 82 people and shaking neighboring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen.The latest quake, which triggered a brief tsunami warning, damaged buildings as far away as Denpasar on Bali, including a department store and the airport terminal, where ceiling panels were shaken loose, authorities said.Debris on top of a motorcycles after an earthquake in B

China’s top diplomat said Thursday that an initial draft of a proposed pact with Southeast Asia aimed at preventing fighting in the disputed South China Sea was a “breakthrough” in talks that can progress further without outside interference.China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes four rival claimants involved in the territorial rifts, have been holding sporadic talks for years to craft a “code of conduct,” a set of regional norms and rules aimed at preventing a shoo