AP-National

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Just a few days after the first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, two of the contenders will be hitting the same stage in front of the largest annual gathering of Republicans in early-voting South Carolina. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already been set as

BEIJING (AP) — China says it would welcome a visit by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo following the imposition of foreign investment controls by her agency that have stung numerous Chinese companies. Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting did not offer a date, but said the countries are in “close communication on arrangements.” Earlier reports

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has traveled to Saudi Arabia. The trip Thursday to the kingdom marks the first by Tehran’s top diplomat in years after the two nations reached a détente earlier this year with Chinese mediation. The visit by Hossein Amirabdollahian comes as both

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson stamped her name on the long, illustrious list of American sprint champions earlier this summer and also set the stakes for the year ahead of her and the rest of the fast pack of 100-meter runners she’s going against. She says “I’m not

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A small aircraft lost control and crashed Thursday on a highway in Malaysia’s central Selangor state, killing all eight people on board and two on the ground, authorities said. Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the six passengers and two crew members on the private chartered plane perished in

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Michael Parkinson, the renowned British broadcaster who interviewed some of the world’s most famous celebrities of the 20th century from Muhammad Ali to Miss Piggy, has died. He was 88. His family said in a statement to the BBC on Thursday that Parkinson died “peacefully at home

By ZANE IRWIN Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — More than 60 migrants are feared dead after a Spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off Cape Verde that originally had more than 100 people aboard. The International Organization for Migration says seven bodies were found on the boat and an estimated 56 people are missing

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian filmmaker and his producer reportedly face prison time and being barred from filmmaking after they showcased a movie at the Cannes Film Festival without government approval, drawing immediate criticism internationally from leading American director Martin Scorsese and others. Director Saeed Roustayi and

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy service has told lawmakers that North Korea is preparing for a new round of provocative weapons tests as it ramps up illicit activities to support its fragile economy. A lawmaker cited the National Intelligence Service as saying in a closed-door briefing that

By CIARÁN GILES and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spain’s newly elected Parliament has voted by a majority to elect a Socialist candidate as chamber speaker, breathing some life into acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez´s aspirations to form another leftist government. The crucial vote Thursday was won by Francina Armengol with 178

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s central bank says it’s raising its key interest rate by a quarter-percentage point to combat high inflation. Norges Bank is hiking the rate to 4%, the highest level since 2008. It said Thursday that inflation — which reached 5.4% in July — ”has edged down but remains high and markedly

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — West African defense chiefs are meeting to discuss the crisis in Niger after coup leaders there ignored their deadline to step down, leaving the region’s countries with few options in their effort to restore democratic rule. Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown in July

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for patience in a speech released as the ruling Communist Party tries to reverse a deepening economic slump and said the West’s pursuit of material wealth led to “spiritual poverty.” Xi’s speech was published by Qiushi, the party’s top theoretical

BERLIN (AP) — Heavy rain in parts of Germany caused flooding and led to dozens of flight cancelations at Frankfurt Airport, the country’s busiest and a major European hub, authorities said Thursday. The airport said large quantities of water accumulated on the tarmac Wednesday evening and ground handling was suspended for more than two hours,

By K.M. CHAUDHRY and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press JARANWALA, Pakistan (AP) — Police in eastern Pakistan have arrested 129 Muslims after a mob angered over an alleged desecration of a Quran by two men attacked more than a dozen churches and homes of minority Christians. Authorities sent in soldiers to restore order. Police have also

By CHONCHUI NGASHANGVA and SIBI ARASU Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Days of relentless rain in India’s Himalayan region have killed at least 72 people this week, a government official said Thursday, as a heavy monsoon triggered landslides and flash floods that have submerged roads, washed away buildings and left residents scrambling for safety.

By TAIWO ADEBAYO Associated Press OMO FOREST RESERVE, Nigeria (AP) — Sunday Abiodun, carrying a sword in one hand and balancing a musket over his other shoulder, cleared weeds on a footpath leading to a cluster of new trees. Until recently, it had been a spot to grow cocoa, one of several plots that Abiodun

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press JIFTLIK, West Bank (AP) — Across the dusty villages of the occupied West Bank, where Israeli water pipes don’t reach, date palms have been left to die. Greenhouses are empty and deserted. Palestinians say they can barely get enough water to bathe their children and wash their clothes — let

By TIA GOLDENBERG and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli forces raided a home above a bakery in a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank, killing a Palestinian militant in a gunbattle. The raid happened Thursday in Jenin, a city that has seen some of the worst bloodshed in the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan suffered a trade deficit last month as exports sank for the first time in two years and five months, dragged down by a slowdown overseas. The Finance Ministry says exports from the world’s third largest economy shrank most markedly for the rest of Asia, especially