BANGKOK – Thousands of cyclists are being led through the streets of Bangkok by Thailand’s crown prince on a 43-kilometer (26-mile) tribute to his mother, Queen Sirikit, to mark her 83rd birthday. Sunday’s event, led by 62-year-old Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, was also an exercise in palace public relations at a …

MOSCOW – Russian police say they have busted an international ring involved in producing contraband cheese worth about 2 billion rubles ($30 million), arresting six people. The Russian government a year ago banned imports of Western cheese and other agricultural products in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the U.S. and …

MEXICO CITY – Mexican officials say they have begun flying two drones over sea turtle nesting grounds on the Pacific coast to better monitor and protect the sensitive habitats. Federal prosecutor for environmental protection Guillermo Haro Belchez said Wednesday that the drones are watching over La Escobilla and Morro Ayuta …

BODRUM, Turkey – Turkey’s state-run news agency says a Syrian woman has drowned and nine other migrants were rescued after their boat sank off the Turkish coast as they tried to reach a Greek island. The Anadolu Agency say the fiberglass boat capsized early on Friday off the Bodrum peninsula, …

BEIJING – Chinese state media say China is planning harsher penalties for men who have sex with girls under 14, following public outrage over high-profile offenders including teachers. Under the new law, all such cases would be considered rape because another criminal charge that served as a loophole for some …

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A lion charged and killed a safari guide who was leading a group of tourists in the same national park in Zimbabwe that was the home of Cecil the lion who was controversially killed by an American bow hunter in July. Quinn Swales was leading a walking …

MADRID – A Spanish judge has ordered a Moroccan man to jail on provisional charges of coordinating a cell that recruited jihadi fighters from Spain and Morocco for the Islamic State group. National Court Judge Juan Pablo Gonzalez said in a statement Thursday that he jailed Abdeladim Achriaa because there …

BAMAKO, Mali – France’s defense ministry says a French soldier deployed in Mali has died after being accidentally shot by a fellow soldier at a military camp. In a statement Friday, the ministry said the 23-year-old soldier, Baptiste Truffaux, died on Thursday after being transported to the surgical unit in …

ORIENT, Maine – Maine state police issued a distracted driving summons to a man they say crashed into a tree while taking a “selfie” with his passengers — injuring several of them. Police say 29-year-old Jordan Toner of Hampden was driving in Orient when he leaned over to take a …

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia’s economy has grown by a slower-than-expected 0.2 percent in the three months through June, dragged down by waning Chinese demand for resources including iron ore and coal. Economists had forecast 0.4 percent growth in the April-June quarter. Australia’s resource-based economy grew by 0.9 percent in the …