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ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader is urging his officials to set aside their differences. Public dissent within the Taliban is rare, but some senior figures have expressed their disagreement with the leadership’s decision making, especially the ban on female education. Saturday’s written statement from Hibatullah Akhundzada was published ahead of the Eid

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Ever since the Federal Reserve signaled last fall that it was likely done raising interest rates, Wall Street traders, economists, car buyers, would-be homeowners — pretty much everyone — began obsessing over a single question: When will the Fed start cutting rates? But now, with the

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico has defeated a pro-Western career diplomat to become Slovakia’s new president, and succeed Zuzana Čaputová, the country’s first female head of state. Parliamentary speaker Peter Pellegrini received 53.26% of the vote with the ballots from almost all polling stations counted by the

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian space capsule with two women and one man safely landed in a steppe in Kazakhstan on Saturday after their missions aboard the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-24 carrying Russia’s Oleg Novitsky, NASA’s Loral O’Hara and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan at

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are struggling to overcome political divisions that have prevented their state’s residents from seeing major income tax cuts over the past two years even as other states have slashed income tax rates. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bill early Saturday morning that would

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles overnight, and more strikes followed on Saturday afternoon, killing eight people and wounding 12 more. Seven people were killed and 12 were wounded in Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, and one more person was killed in the southern Odesa

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines will hold their first joint naval exercises, including anti-submarine warfare training, in a show of force Sunday in the South China Sea where Beijing’s aggressive actions to assert its territorial claims have caused alarm. The exercises are to

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA and IGNATIUS SSUUNA Associated Press KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of the East African nation’s most horrific period in history — the genocide against its minority Tutsi. To this day, new mass graves are still being discovered across the country of 14 million people, a

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited a new semiconductor plant for which his government has pledged more than $7 billion of support to secure a steady supply of chips. The new plant on the southwestern island of Kyushu, majority owned by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., is

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The now-aging hippies who took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen more than 50 years ago and turned it into a freewheeling community known as Christiania want to boot out criminals who control the community’s lucrative market for hashish by ripping up the cobblestoned

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Muslims around the world will soon bid farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is marked with congregational prayers and festivities that typically include family visits, gatherings and new clothes. This year, Eid will come just after

By LEE KEATH Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Two basic mistakes, according to the Israeli military. First, officers overlooked a message detailing the vehicles in the convoy. Second, a spotter saw someone boarding one car, carrying something – possibly a bag – that he thought was a weapon. Officials say the result was the series

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — It’s the last wish of a dying mother, to be with her daughter once more. But six months into Israel’s war against Hamas, time is running out for Liora Argamani, who hopes to stay alive long enough to see her kidnapped daughter come home. “I want to

By SARA ESPAÑA Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — As two women candidates lead the polls in the race toward Mexico’s June 2 presidential election, one question has been splashed across polls, debates, media and conversations across Mexico. Are Mexicans ready for a woman president? Political analysts said the question is a sample of the

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Israeli military’s killing of seven aid workers in Gaza has triggered unprecedented criticism from European leaders. They have used words like “appalled” and “outraged” while stepping up calls for a cease-fire. Some are even halting arms sales to Israel as the war’s toll mounts. Julie Norman

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In a story published April 6, 2024, The Associated Press did not include a statement from TikTok regarding efforts underway in states to ban the app. The story should have included the following statement: “Bans on state government devices and networks prevent state agencies from reaching a wider audience. Bills like

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players will have another shot Saturday night at a Powerball jackpot that has grown to an estimated $1.3 billion after more than three months without a winner. There have been 40 consecutive drawings since the last time someone won Powerball’s top prize on New Year’s Day. The 41st drawing

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Almost 25 years after suing the firearms industry for failing to prevent illegal gun sales, the northwestern Indiana city of Gary won a critical victory last fall when a judge ordered gun manufacturers to hand over years of production and sales records. But in March, Gov. Eric

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Like his lightning-quick jabs, word of Muhammad Ali’s death spread swiftly around the globe. An outpouring of emotions flowed to his beloved Kentucky hometown. For one remarkable week in June 2016, Louisville was the focus of ceremonies honoring the three-time heavyweight boxing champion and humanitarian known

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign said it raised $50.5 million on Saturday when major donors gather for his biggest fundraiser yet. The reported haul from the event at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson tops the single-event fundraising record recently set by Democratic