AP National News

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to Beijing next week to discuss strategies for limiting global warming, amid a push by the world’s two largest economies to reengage on multiple issues following a sharp decline in contacts. Kerry’s office said he will arrive Sunday and depart July 19.

By ROBERT JABLON and JOHN ROGERS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — In 1969, Charles Manson dispatched a group of disaffected young followers on a two-night killing rampage that terrorized Los Angeles. The killings remain etched in the American consciousness. On Tuesday, Leslie Van Houten was released after spending more than 50 years in prison

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai media say police have arrested two Germans in connection with the abduction and slaying of another German, whose dismembered body was found in a freezer in a southern Thailand home. A report Wednesday in the Khaosod newspaper said a 52-year-old German man was apprehended Tuesday evening in Bangkok after a 47-year-old

By ILAN BEN ZION AND ARIEL SCHALIT Associated Press HERZLIYA, Israel (AP) — Over half a century, Nissim Kahlon has transformed a tiny cave on a Mediterranean beach into an elaborate underground labyrinth. He lives in the structure, which is filled with chiseled tunnels, detailed mosaic floors and a network of staircases and chambers. His

By LISA RATHKE Associated Press ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — Floodwaters receded in Vermont cities and towns pummeled by a storm that delivered two months of rain in two days, allowing officials to focus on recovering from a disaster that trapped residents in homes, closed roadways and choked streets and businesses with mud and debris. In

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — HBO may dominate Wednesday morning’s Emmy nominations with its elite trio of “ Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us,” but the dominant theme darkening the scene is the ongoing writers strike and the looming possibility that actors may soon join them. “Succession”

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher on Wednesday after stocks advanced on Wall Street as investors awaited an update on U.S. inflation that will hopefully show a smaller increase in pain for everyone. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 1.3% to 18,907.36 and the S&P/ASX 200 in

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A Romanian man who was part of an international human smuggling ring was sentenced Tuesday to more than 12 years in prison for the deaths of 39 migrants from Vietnam who suffocated in a truck trailer on their way to England in 2019. Marius Mihai Draghici was

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and ABDULRAHMAN ZEYAD Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — A multibillion-dollar agreement signed with France’s TotalEnergies could help resolve Iraq’s longstanding electricity crisis. It might also attract international investors and reduce Iraq’s reliance on gas imports from neighboring Iran. But that’s only if the parties implementing the agreement can overcome the corruption and

By TERRY TANG Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Even desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking the Southwest this week. Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California are getting hit with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings. To add insult to injury, the region has been

By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new ban on almost all abortions in Iowa after roughly six weeks of pregnancy prevailed with exclusively Republican support in one chamber of the Legislature late Tuesday night as tensions flared during a special session ordered by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. The marathon day

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — An employee has testified that she thought she might die when a Las Vegas police officer allegedly robbed the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. She said Tuesday the robber told her he had a gun and the casino’s cash wasn’t worth losing her life over. Caleb

By LISA RATHKE Associated Press ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — A storm that dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast brought more flooding Tuesday to communities that included the state capital, where officials said that river levels at a dam just upstream appeared to be

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has launched a long-range ballistic missile toward the North’s eastern waters. South Korea’s military detected the launch from the North’s capital region around 10 a.m. Wednesday and bolstered its surveillance posture in response. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu

By KEN RITTER and MARK ANDERSON Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor and agreed to pay medical costs for a man who was beaten into unconsciousness at a Las Vegas nightclub the weekend before the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl, authorities said.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A police officer in Portland, Oregon, has issued a video apology for hitting a photographer in the head with a baton during the 2020 racial justice protests over the killing of George Floyd. KGW-TV reports prosecutors dismissed a related misdemeanor assault charge against Portland Police Bureau officer Corey Budworth last week.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has launched a ballistic missile toward the North’s eastern waters. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made on Wednesday morning but gave no further details. The reported launch came a day after North Korea threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it

PARIS (AP) — A crane hoisted massive oak trusses from a barge and onto Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday in a spectacular operation to rebuild the fire-ravaged monument and bring it back to life by December 2024. With trusses weighing 7 to 7.5 tons, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine