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PARIS (AP) — Two French politicians have kicked off their presidential campaigns to become France’s first female leader in next year’s spring election. The far-right National Rally party’s Marine Le Pen and Paris’ Socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, both launched their platforms Sunday.  Hidalgo, 62, mayor of the French capital since 2014, is the favorite to

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish officials say two troops died after being attacked during cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq. The casualties take the weekend toll to four deaths. One soldier was killed by fire from “separatist terrorists” as his unit was leaving a base in northern Iraq on Saturday, according to the Defense Ministry, in

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s health secretary says authorities have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England. That marks a reversal amid opposition from some of the Conservative government’s supporters in Parliament. Minister Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Congressional Democrats have set out to pass ambitious bills with historic expansions of the social safety net and long-sought new programs. But that’s not how many politically vulnerable Democrats are selling them at home. For them, Washington’s spending boom has become a chance to deliver

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish political leaders have attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic church in a Warsaw church. One is the cardinal who led the Polish church’s resistance to communism and the other is a nun who devoted her life to helping the blind. The

By SERGIO RODRÍG0 Associated Press JUBRIQUE, Spain (AP) — Soldiers have been deployed in southeastern Spain to join the battle against a major wildfire that is burning for a fourth day, invigorated by stray embers that sparked a new hot spot. The blaze in the Malaga province has destroyed nearly 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of

By NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The head of Iran’s civilian nuclear program says Tehran will allow U.N. inspectors to install new memory cards into surveillance cameras at its sensitive atomic sites and to continue filming there. Mohammad Eslami made the comment Sunday after a meeting he held with

BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri has appeared in a video marking the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, attacks, months after rumors spread that he was dead. The SITE Intelligence Group that monitors jihadist websites said the video was released Saturday. In it, al-Zawahri said that “Jerusalem Will Never be Judaized,” and praised

By HASSAN BARISE Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The woman who broke barriers as the first female foreign minister and deputy prime minister in culturally conservative Somalia now aims for the country’s top office as the Horn of Africa nation moves toward a long-delayed presidential election. Parliament member Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam is well

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The higher education minister in the new Taliban government says women can study in universities, including at post-graduate levels, but that classrooms will be gender-segregated and that Islamic dress is compulsory. The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid out the new policies at a news conference Sunday,

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s police are searching for members of a gang accused of abusing minors and making pornographic videos in a marriage hall in the eastern Punjab province. Police say four suspects from the group were already arrested in a raid late Friday in the Sahiwal district. The men were presented before a

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense ministry says it detected a submarine believed to be Chinese off a southern Japanese island. The submarine remained submerged, but the ministry believes the sub is Chinese because a Chinese warship is nearby. The submarine moved northwest off the eastern coast and was heading west

By JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press Never content to ply his wares on a regular runway, designer Thom Browne has long created theatrical productions instead for his fashion shows, building fantastical worlds peopled by other-worldly creatures. Returning to New York Fashion Week four years after he left to begin showing his clothes in Paris, Browne stayed