AP National News

By NICOLE WINFIELD and FRANCESCO FEDELI Associated Press SAN MARINO (AP) — Pope Francis has repeated the Catholic stance that abortion is “murder,” a day after the tiny republic of San Marino became the latest Catholic state to legalize the procedure. The measure passed overwhelmingly, getting 77% of the 14,384 votes cast Sunday in the

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Millions of U.S. workers have changed jobs or are looking, often in pursuit of flexible hours, remote work and other nonmonetary benefits. But money is important, too. How can you be sure a different gig will improve your overall financial picture? Start by listing every benefit you use now or

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s Foreign Ministry says two Canadians detained in late 2019 who were allowed to return to Canada were released on bail for health reasons. A ministry spokesperson made the comment as Beijing sought to downplay the connection between their release and the return to China of

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has sought urgent clearance from the court’s judges to resume investigations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan. Prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday that under the country’s new Taliban rulers “there is no longer the prospect of

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Wildlife campaigners have called on the Albanian government to stop the construction of two hydropower plants in a protected nature area in the north of the country. The World Wide Fund for Nature Adria, on Sunday said that the investor has not respected a Supreme Court

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says two of its members died from injuries they suffered in an unexplained fire the day before. The Guard said on Monday the fire erupted in a warehouse at what it described as a “research self-sufficiency center” west of the capital, Tehran. Three Guard members

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Princess Mako’s fiancé has returned to Japan for their marriage, which was suspended for more than three years because of a financial dispute involving his mother. Kei Komuro arrived from New York, where he studied law and plans to work as a lawyer, with his hair

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Aboriginal man is taking Australia’s government to court to argue that Indigenous people should have access to their pensions earlier than other Australians because Indigenous life expectancy is years shorter. Dennis Fisher says he is taking the action to benefit other Indigenous Australians. The case

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Lines of cars formed at British gas stations for a fourth day, as the government mulled bringing in the army to help ease supply disruption triggered by a shortage of truck drivers. Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, said training has been taking place for

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Voters in Berlin have backed a proposal for the Berlin city government to take over about 240,000 apartments worth billions from corporate owners to curb sharply rising rents in the German capital. The count of Sunday’s referendum showed that 56.4% of voters were in favor of the

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s voters have delivered their verdict. Now it’s up to party leaders to thrash out who will succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after 16 years in office and with what political priorities. The shape of Germany’s new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, is now clear. But there

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia. Sullivan is to meet with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman as the U.S. presses for a cease-fire in the yearslong war between the kingdom and Houthi rebels in Yemen. That’s according to two senior

By DANIEL ROCA and ARITZ PARRA Associated Press LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — A Spanish island volcano that has buried more than 500 buildings and displaced over 6,000 people since last week lessened its activity on Monday, although scientists warned that it was too early to declare the eruption phase finished. The

By JOE McDONALD and ZEN SOO AP Business Writers BEIJING (AP) — Global shoppers face possible shortages of smartphones and other goods ahead of Christmas after power cuts to meet government targets forced Chinese factories to shut down and left some households in the dark. In the northeastern city of Liaoyang, 23 people were hospitalized

By RISHI LEKHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of Indian farmers are blocking major roads and railway tracks outside the capital of New Delhi, marking one year of protests against agricultural laws that they say will shatter their livelihoods. The mood on Monday was charged with determination to keep the anti-government demonstrations going

BANGKOK (AP) — Seasonal monsoon rains may worsen flooding that has already badly affected about a third of Thailand. A tropical storm swept through the upper part of the country over the weekend, causing flash floods that affected thousands. Disaster-prevention officials say 12 provinces along the Chao Phraya river, including Bangkok and the old capital

By ELENA BECATOROS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A strong earthquake has struck the Greek island of Crete. One person has been killed and 20 have been injured. Homes and churches were damaged and rock slides occurred near the country’s fourth-largest city. The quake on Monday had a preliminary magnitude of

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The party that narrowly beat outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc is pushing for a quick agreement on a coalition government, but Europe’s biggest economy could still be in for weeks of uncertainty after an election that failed to set a clear direction. Olaf Scholz of the

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks wound up a mixed bag on Wall Street Monday as losses for several Big Tech companies checked gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.5%. Microsoft fell 1.7% and Apple gave back 1.1%. The Dow Jones

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Electricity is a potent symbol of endemic corruption in Iraq, rooted in the country’s sectarian power-sharing system. It’s perpetuated after each election cycle: Once results are tallied, politicians jockey for appointments in a flurry of negotiations, based on the number of seats won. Ministry portfolios and state