AP-National

By NASSER KARIMI Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhber has addressed the country’s new parliament for the first time since last week’s helicopter crash that killed his predecessor and seven others. Mokhber’s speech on Monday comes as Iran prepares for a presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi in

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Protesters demanding the resignation of Armenia’s prime minister have blocked main streets in the capital city and other parts of the country, sporadically clashing with police. Police on Monday said 196 people have been detained in Yerevan. Protests have roiled the country for weeks, sparked by the government’s return of four

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization is beginning its annual meeting with government ministers and other top envoys hoping to reinforce global preparedness for the next pandemic in the devastating wake of COVID-19. But the most ambitious project, to adopt a pandemic “treaty,” has been shelved after years of

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Defense officials in NATO member Poland have presented a plan to strengthen surveillance and defense along its eastern border with Russia and Russian ally Belarus. The government says Poland, which supports Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s aggression, is being targeted by hostile actions from Russia

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A rising political newcomer in Hungary is seeking to capitalize on a scandal that rocked the party of the country’s long-serving prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and a slumping economy to challenge the leader in upcoming European Union elections and beyond. Former Fidesz party member, Péter Magyar,

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has secured a second five-year term as Lithuanian president in a landslide victory over Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė. Preliminary figures showed that Nausėda won 74.5% of the votes and Šimonytė 24.1%. Nausėda is a moderate conservative and has been a strong backer of Ukraine, a position shared across most

By BABAR DOGAR AND MUNIR AHMED Associated Press LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Officials in eastern Pakistan say they have arrested more than 100 Muslim men and charged them with attacking a Christian father and son over allegations they desecrated pages of Islam’s holy book. Police said Monday the mob went on a rampage after locals

BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany made gains but failed to secure outright victories in local elections in an eastern state where the party is strong and its regional leader, one of the party’s best-known figures, was recently convicted of knowingly using a Nazi slogan in a speech. Sunday’s elections at county and

By JOHNSON LAI and KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A U.S. congressional delegation met Taiwan’s new leader on Monday in a show of support days after China held drills around the self-governing island in response to his inauguration. Rep. Andy Barr, the co-chair of the Taiwan caucus in the U.S. Congress, said

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court has sentenced a lawmaker from a progressive opposition party to two years in prison after finding her guilty of defaming the monarchy in a speech she made during a protest rally three years ago. Charges against Chonthicha Jangrew of the Move Forward Party stemmed

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — Reports in Japan are saying vehicle manufacturer Toyota will end its massive sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee after this year’s Paris Olympics. Toyota has a contract through the 2024 Paris Games, which was reported to be valued at $835 million when it was announced

By KEMO CHAM Associated Press FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — In Sierra Leone, a cheap, synthetic drug is ravaging youth. Trash-strewn alleys are lined with boys and young men slumped in addiction. Healthcare services are severely limited. One frustrated community has set up what it calls a treatment center, run by volunteers. But harsh measures

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africans will vote Wednesday to decide whether their country takes its most significant political step since it brought down apartheid and achieved democracy 30 years ago. This national election will not be as momentous as the one South Africa held in 1994. Then,

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — Generations of American families have grown up not knowing exactly what happened to their loved ones who died while serving their country in World War II and other conflicts. But a federal lab tucked away above the bowling alley at Offutt Air Force

By BRUCE SCHREINER and JULIO CORTEZ Associated Press A series of powerful storms swept over the central and southern U.S. over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, killing at least 22 people and leaving a wide trail of destroyed homes, businesses and power outages. The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Some 2.5 million Mexicans — mostly women — are domestic workers, a profession that has come to encapsulate gender and class divisions long permeating Mexico. These women play a fundamental role in Mexican society, picking up the burden of domestic labor as a growing number of

By DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Business is good at “the firm.” The eight-person team at the State Department is leading Washington’s efforts to ease the economic blowback for countries targeted by China. It emerged in the scramble to help Lithuania during a spat with China over Taiwan two years ago. Today, “the

By DANICA COTO Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — For 12-year-old Juliana St. Vil, life begins every afternoon. She bounds out of the crowded shelter where she’s been sleeping on the concrete floor for 10 months, a smile on her face despite harsh surroundings. Not yet a teenager, Juliana must navigate a Haiti oppressed by

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Concepción Alejo is used to being invisible. Alejo, 43, touches her face up with makeup on a Tuesday morning, and steps out of her tiny apartment on the fringes of Mexico City. She walks until the cracked gravel outside her home turns into cobblestones, and the

By LORI HINNANT and VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press FAR WESTERN UKRAINE (AP) — Precious few choices are available to Alexander, a 26-year-old Russian soldier, since his capture: Clothes, meals and the hours of his day are rigidly accounted for in the camp for prisoners of war. But Ukraine allows Alexander to call home to his