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PARIS (AP) — A new global study says the widening gap between haves and have-nots in much of the developed world not only raises concerns about the fraying social fabric — it's also dramatically holding back economic growth. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a global watchdog, says income inequality is especially acute in the U.S. It says between 2008 and 2013, average disposable income for households in the top 10 percent of earners rose 10.6 percent, but for the bottom 10 percent it fell 3.2 percent.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's prime minister says he's ordering his navy and coast guard to comb the sea to look for stranded migrants. Malaysia is the first country to announce it will search for refugees in desperate need of help instead of waiting for them to wash up on Southeast Asia's shores. Myanmar also says it'll attend a regional meeting in Bangkok tomorrow to discuss long-term solutions for the migrant crisis.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's parliament has voted today to suspend military cooperation with Russia. It's a long-anticipated move signaling a further break in relations between the once-close partners. Relations between Russia and Ukraine plummeted after the overthrow in February 2014 of Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (yah-noo-KOH'-vich). Russia has annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has confirmed three cases of a respiratory virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Middle East. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a 76-year-old man was diagnosed today with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The patient shared a hospital room with a man who was South Korea's first confirmed case of MERS. The center says both patients and a third person are being treated in hospitals and are not in critical condition.
GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — The cleanup of an oil spill stretching 9 miles off California's coast is now going on 24 hours a day. Up to 105,000 gallons of oil may have leaked when a pipeline broke this week, and up to a fifth of that is estimated to have reached the sea. A little more than 6,000 gallons has been cleaned up off the Santa Barbara coast.
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