Sasha Ingber

The "new wave of persecution" began when a social media group administrator's phone contacts were accessed by Chechen authorities, according to the Russian LGBT Network.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, had appealed a 15-year prison sentence for drug smuggling. Some experts say China is retaliating for the arrest of a Chinese tech executive in Canada.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is traveling through the Middle East as confusion mounts over U.S. policy in Syria.

The president didn't question the report, which said counterintelligence officials wondered if he was a national security threat. Instead, he said he was "FAR tougher on Russia" than other leaders.

The announcement, from Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry, comes after reports of massive repression of ethnic Muslim minorities in far western China.

The country has been holding Michael R. White in prison on unspecified charges for months. A former prisoner tells NPR that he met White, who was denied a lawyer and "suffering psychologically."

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun fled her family during an overseas trip and tried to fly to Australia, but was stopped in Thailand. The U.N. refugee committee has declared her a refugee. "I'm happy," she says.

The 18-year-old fled her family and was detained in Thailand en route to Australia. Australia's Department of Home Affairs says her application for a humanitarian visa will be "carefully considered."

Judge Christian Zerpa fled with his wife and daughter and denounced President Nicolás Maduro's re-election. Venezuela's highest court said Zerpa left to avoid an investigation into sexual misconduct.

Monday is the Defense Secretary's last day on the job. He urged people to "to support and defend the Constitution while protecting our way of life."

Russia says Paul Whelan was detained on Friday while on a spy mission. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on espionage charges.

Alan Naiman died nearly a year ago from cancer at age 63. As the anniversary of his death nears, charities say that he stunned them with his generous donations.

When he was about 11 years old, Braxton Moral started Harvard University's extension program. "I'm not any different; I just do a little thing on the side," he says.

Richard Overton enlisted in an all-black battalion, serving in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He loved ice cream, whiskey and cigars. "Today we mourn not just a hero, but a legend," the U.S. Army said.

"We must rush to elevate the sport to global levels," North Korea's official newspaper reportedly stated this week. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has a well-known love for the sport.

New figures from the government show that the estimated count of babies born in 2018 has dropped to a historic low. "We know we must address the birthrate," a Japanese official says.

The incident reportedly happened in Germany after the customer sent Amazon a request for his own data. "This unfortunate case was the result of a human error and an isolated single case," Amazon said.

The second-busiest airport in Britain had to cancel hundreds of flights and even had to get the military involved. Authorities say the perpetrator is still on the loose.

The agreement, negotiated over years, represents the first time since Cuba's revolution that baseball players can sign with U.S. teams without having to defect.

The amendment stirred controversy on the island. The National Assembly said this week that eliminating a definition of matrimony was "a way of respecting all opinions."