AP National News

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis will travel to Bahrain in November, as the pope presses his message of dialogue with the Muslim world. He will be the first pope to visit Bahrain. The country is home to the Gulf’s first Catholic Church, located in the capital. Manama, as well as its

BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party says its national headquarters in Berlin have been searched by officials with the city prosecutor’s office. Six other locations in the German capital and the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia were also searched. The party said Wednesday that the search took place

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Wednesday, its neighbors said, a day before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is to visit South Korea. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North Korean

By LORNE COOK and JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union suspects that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and is warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy networks, a senior official said Wednesday, as energy companies began ramping up security. The episode underscored the vulnerability

By JON GAMBRELL and ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia stood poised Wednesday to formally annex parts of Ukraine after claiming that voters in areas where it has military control had overwhelmingly endorsed living under Moscow’s rule. Armed troops went door-to-door to collect ballots during five days of voting in Kremlin-organized referendums

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, a day before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is to visit the South. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North Korean missile launch but gave no further details, such as

By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is counting on a variety of private-sector partnerships to help fund and implement its ambitious goal of ending hunger in America by 2030. President Joe Biden is hosting a conference Wednesday on hunger, nutrition and health, the first by the White House since 1969.

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting Pacific Island leaders for a two-day summit as the U.S. looks to counter China’s influence in the region. Pacific Island leaders see a more pressing concern in addressing problems caused by climate change. The leaders kicked off the summit by meet with

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Yemen has warned that the risk of a return to fighting “is real,” urging warring parties to accept a longer extension of the current ceasefire due to expire next month. Hans Grundberg’s warning came after he met with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the

BERLIN (AP) — German federal prosecutors say they have charged a woman with crimes against humanity and aiding and abetting genocide for allegedly having joined the extremist Islamic State group in Syria where she had a Yazidi slave and committed other crimes. The suspect, only identified as German citizen Nadine K. in line with privacy

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is asking that parents of children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border undergo another round of psychological evaluations to measure how traumatized they were by the Trump administration policy. The request outlined in court documents comes in a lawsuit filed by migrants

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — World shares tumbled Wednesday after a wobbly day on Wall Street as markets churned over the prospect of a possible recession. U.S. futures and oil prices declined and China’s yuan weakened sharply. Trading has been volatile since the Dow Jones Industrial Average followed other major U.S.

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, MARI YAMAGUCHI and TONG-HYUNG KIM Associated Press YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has said her trip to Asia is intended to shore up American alliances with Japan and South Korea. However, tensions between the two nations have undermined the united front that the U.S. wants to show toward China.

By SALAR SALIM Associated Press KOYA, Iraq (AP) — An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed at least seven and wounded 28 others. The Kurdish Regional Government’s Health Ministry said the strikes Wednesday came as demonstrations continued to engulf the Islamic Republic after the

By DANICA KIRKA and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund has urged the U.K. government to “reevaluate” a package of unfunded tax cuts that it says may fuel inflation and are likely to increase economic inequality. The value of the pound sagged Wednesday morning after the rare IMF warning to

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union suspects that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and is warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy networks, a senior official said Wednesday. “All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” EU foreign policy

BEIJING (AP) — Authorities say a restaurant fire has killed 17 people in the city of Changchun in northeastern China. The fire was reported shortly after noon on Wednesday in a high-tech section of the Changchun New Area industrial zone. The zone’s management committee says three other people were injured and taken to a hospital

By FRANCES D’EMILIO and TRISHA THOMAS Associated Press ROME (AP) — Swept away by Italian elections that are expected to see Giorgia Meloni soon form the nation’s first far-right-led government since World War II were veterans of successful battles for civil rights, including divorce and abortion, as well as lawmakers still struggling for freedoms like

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s yuan has fallen to a 14-year low against the dollar despite central bank efforts to stem the slide. U.S. interest rate hikes had prompted traders to convert money into dollars in search of higher returns. A weaker yuan helps Chinese exporters by making their goods

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Typhoon Noru has weakened into a tropical storm over central Vietnam, causing blackouts and blowing off roofs and billboards with strong winds and putting Thailand on alert for more floods and downpours. There are no immediate reports of casualties after Noru made landfall south of Da Nang and quickly moved inland.