AP-National

By DAVID CRARY, HOLLY MEYER and PETER SMITH Associated Press Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier this month,

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reaffirmed their “no-limits” partnership that has deepened as both countries face rising tensions with the West. They criticized U.S. military alliances in Asia and the Pacific region. Putin on Thursday thanked China’s proposals for

CANNES, France (AP) — “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” rolled into the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, returning George Miller’s dystopia-on-wheels to the French Riviera festival and lending Anya Taylor-Joy a fairy tale moment on the Cannes red carpet. Taylor-Joy brought classical movie-star glamour to one of the most anticipated premieres of the festival. Wearing

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A welding operation sparked a huge fire in February at a water park that was under construction at one of Sweden’s biggest amusement centers, causing the death of one person. A local daily quoting a police report, said Wednesday that when carrying out welding on the water slide “a fire started

MADRID (AP) — Organizers of Spain’s Princess of Asturias Awards have awarded the prize for the social sciences to Canadian historian and writer Michael Ignatieff. The jury said Wednesday that Ignatieff’s collected works form “critical reflections on the major conflicts of our time.” His books cover a range of topics including human rights, foreign policy,

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s military says it has successfully test-fired an indigenously developed rocket system with a range of 400 kilometers, or about 240 miles. A military statement says the rocket launched on Wednesday has a state-of-the-art navigation system, unique trajectory and maneuverable features. The Fatah-II rocket system can engage targets with high precision and

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization has authorized a second dengue vaccine, a move that could provide protection for millions worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease that has already sparked numerous outbreaks across the Americas this year. The U.N. health agency said it had approved the dengue vaccine made by the Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda, recommending

PARIS (AP) — Paris garbage collectors have lifted the strike notice that threatened to leave the French capital facing piles of rubbish during the Olympic Games. Paris City Hall said in a statement on Wednesday it had sealed a deal with the workers and that the strike notice covering several days in May and a

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s government approved a plan to build another nuclear reactor in a country that relies heavily on nuclear electricity generation. The government said Wednesday that a new reactor, with an expected output of 1,200 megawatts, is to be built at the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant, where the utility Slovenske Elektrarne currently

BERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany has convicted a man of murder and sentenced him to life in prison for carrying out a fatal stabbing on a train last year. The state court in Itzehoe on Wednesday convicted the 34-year-old of murder and attempted murder. It found that he fatally stabbed two teenagers and

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for armed assailants who ambushed a prison convoy, killing two prison officers, seriously injuring three others and springing the inmate they were escorting. The prime minister vowed the gang would be caught, saying, “They will pay.” “We are

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds Used Teslas aren’t as expensive as you might think, especially with the company’s recent price cuts on its new models. But if you’re not familiar with Teslas then you likely might not know the difference between the different models and trim levels, or know what kind of warranties they have and

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The Premier League’s fourth and final representative for next season’s Champions League will be Aston Villa after fifth-place Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City. Aston Villa’s players sprayed Champagne and received a congratulatory message from Prince William as they celebrated getting into Europe’s top competition to crown the club’s

By CLAIRE SAVAGE and MORIAH BALINGIT Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Nannies, housekeepers, and home care workers are excluded from many federal workplace protections in the United States, and the private, home-based nature of the work means abuse tends to happen behind closed doors. Domestic workers, who make less than half of what a

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer The stars seemingly have aligned for the WNBA with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese joining the ranks of A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi and others. The league is getting unparalleled attention. Now the challenge for the WNBA after opening its 28th season Tuesday night is translating the

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s prime minister offered his condolences to the family of a young activist who died in detention after a monthslong hunger strike, amid a public debate on the country’s justice system. Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, 28, died on Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest while she was being detained

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Natural gas producer CNX Resources says it plans to build a $1.5 billion facility at Pittsburgh’s airport to make hydrogen-based fuels. But, in its plan unveiled Wednesday, it says it will only build it if President Joe Biden’s administration allows coal mine methane to qualify for

By JAMEY KEATEN and ABDOULIE JOHN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s top criminal court on Wednesday convicted a former interior minister of Gambia for crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 20 years over his role in murder, torture and other repression committed by the West African country’s security forces under its longtime dictator.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say a military helicopter crashed in Ghor province in western Afghanistan, killing at least one person. A defense ministry statement says that the crash on Wednesday by the MI-17 was caused by a technical problem. The helicopter was on a rescue mission after a vehicle carrying civilians plunged into a

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of four senators led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is recommending that Congress spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and place safeguards around it, writing in a report released Wednesday that the