AP National News

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians on Sunday cast their ballots in a general election marked by a raging war nearby, political instability, and economic hardships in the European Union’s poorest member. It’s the fourth such election in 18 months. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local. First exit poll results

BERLIN (AP) — Swiss police have used rubber bullets to disperse protesters in front of the Iranian Embassy in Bern after two men climbed over the embassy’s fence and pulled down the Iranian flag from a flag pole in the yard. Police said late Saturday that nobody was injured and that the “large crowd” of

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, imploring him to “stop this spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine and denounced the “absurd” risk to humanity of catastrophic nuclear war as tensions escalate. Francis uttered his strongest plea yet on the seventh-month war

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister has welcomed a U.S. proposal for setting the maritime border with Lebanon, saying the American plan for resolving a long-running dispute between the neighboring countries would lift Israel’s economy and boost regional security. Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the proposal was delivered over the

HELSINKI (AP) — Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’ ruling center-right party has won the most votes in Latvia’s general election and centrist parties were runners-up. Pro-Moscow parties crashed in a vote Saturday that was shaped by neighboring Russia’s war in Ukraine and divisions among the Baltic country’s sizable ethnic Russian minority. More than 97% of the

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked the Ukrainian president’s hometown and other targets with suicide drones on Sunday, and Ukraine took back full control of a strategic eastern city in a counteroffensive that has reshaped the war. Russia’s loss of Lyman, which it had been using as a transport and

By EDNA TARIGAN and EILEEN NG Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Violence, tear gas and a deadly crush that erupted following a domestic league soccer match Saturday night marked another tragedy in Indonesian football. Here’s a look at how the chaos occurred and what is being done to prevent future incidents: ___ HOW DID

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Associated Press KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A famed extreme skier from the United States who was killed after falling from one of the world’s tallest mountains was on Sunday given a traditional funeral at a Sherpa cremation ground as Buddhist monks officiated over a ceremony attended by family, friends and government officials.

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press NYIRAGONGO, Congo (AP) — The last thing Pasika Bagerimana remembers before her sons died were their cries of hunger. But the 25-year-old mother had nothing to feed them. “’Mom, I need to eat. Can you give me food?’” they pleaded with her. Daniel, 2, and Bonane, 5, died just weeks

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean activists say they clashed with police while launching balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda materials across the North Korean border, ignoring their government’s plea to stop such activities since the North has threatened to respond with “deadly” retaliation. Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector-turned-activist, said

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Polls opened in Bosnia on Sunday for a general election that is unlikely to bring any structural change despite palpable disappointment in the small, ethnically divided Balkan country’s political leaders. The election includes races for various levels of government. Bosnians of all ethnic stripes say they want representatives who will improve

By AGOES BASOEKI and NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Panic at an Indonesian soccer match Saturday left 130 dead, most of whom were trampled to death after police fired tear gas to dispel riots, making it one of the deadliest sports events in the world. Riots broke out after the game ended