AP National News

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has affirmed his country’s commitment to invest in Pakistan despite a slowdown in recent years. Xi cited the “all-weather strategic partnership” between the countries during a meeting in Beijing with newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Beijing and Islamabad have ties dating from the Cold War, in

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s defense minister has told his Turkish counterpart that Moscow has agreed to return to a Turkish and U.N. brokered deal that allowed the shipment of millions of tons Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Turkey’s president says. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called Turkey’s Hulusi

By EILEEN NG Associated Press KLANG, Malaysia (AP) — Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has appealed to voters for another surprise victory when Malaysia goes to the polls later this month. Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, won a stunning victory in 2018 and aims to repeat its success on Nov. 19. It lost power

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s governing alliance is pledging to create a stable government that will be able to complete a full five-year term in the Himalayan nation that has had 13 different governments in the past 16 years. The alliance of four political parties is contesting Nov. 20 parliamentary

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Air raid sirens sounded on a South Korean island and residents there evacuated to underground shelters after North Korea fired more than 20 missiles Wednesday, at least one of them in its direction and landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. South Korea quickly responded

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday while Chinese benchmarks surged ahead of a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve on an interest rate increase to curb inflation. France’s CAC 40 added 0.5% in early trading to 6,360.80. Germany’s DAX edged up 0.2% to 13,365.98. Britain’s FTSE

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister says he has ordered the construction of a temporary barrier along the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The decision comes as Warsaw suspects that Russia plans to facilitate the illegal border crossing by Asian and African migrants at the border. The defense minister said Wednesday that

By MARI YAMGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has left for Seoul to meet with South Korean officials as the two countries try to improve ties that were badly strained by Japanese wartime atrocities. At the center of the disputes between the two countries are South Korean court rulings

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press The foreign fans flocking to Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will find an emirate where women have been driving for decades, hold public office and wield influence through other high-profile roles. Women in Qatar long have enjoyed greater freedoms than in Saudi Arabia, its more conservative neighbor. But

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say one more person from a migrant boat shipwreck has been found alive, bringing the total number of survivors to 11 from the sailboat that capsized and sank in rough seas east of Athens with reportedly 68 people on board. A search and rescue

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Severe tropical storm Nalgae is edging closer to Hong Kong, forcing businesses to close. But a major finance summit that’s meant to restore the city’s image as an international financial hub pressed ahead. The city’s observatory raised its No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Air raid sirens sounded on a South Korean island and residents there evacuated to underground shelters after North Korea fired at least 17 missiles Wednesday, at least one of them in its direction and landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. South Korea quickly responded

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s National Police Agency has raided local police departments in the capital, Seoul, and the city’s Yongsan district office as it investigates whether official ineptitude contributed to a deadly crowd surge that killed 156 people in the neighborhood of Itaewon. The raids came a

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Access to an industrial zone in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou has been suspended after the city reported 64 coronavirus cases and workers who assemble Apple Inc. iPhones left their factory in the zone following outbreaks. The announcement did not say if the isolation of the

By LEE KEATH and OMAR AKOUR Associated Press AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Sarah Asimrin still hears it from her uncles sometimes: “You’re a girl, it’s not right.” But on a recent evening, the 13-year-old Jordanian was on her club’s soccer field practicing alongside other girls and boys. “I fell in love with the game because

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press ROSETTA, Egypt (AP) — Sayed Abuel-Ezz has seen his crops wither from seawater before. As the Nile Delta farmer walks among his mango trees on his land not far from the Mediterranean Sea, he worries it will happen again despite spending the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars to

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Wednesday while Chinese benchmarks surged ahead of a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve on an interest rate increase to curb inflation. Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel and U.S. futures were also higher. Stocks ended lower on Wall Street

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese regulators have downplayed risks from the country’s real estate slump and slowing growth at a financial conference in Hong Kong. The gathering of 200 global banking executives carried on despite tropical storm warnings that led authorities to close schools. A top Chinese securities regulator, Fang