AP National News

GENEVA (AP) — The World Economic Forum reports that a cost-of-living crisis sparked in part by higher fuel and food prices is expected to hit women the hardest. The think tank behind the annual gathering of elites in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos says a hoped-for recovery from a ballooning gender gap hasn’t materialized

BEIJING (AP) — Flooding and extreme high temperatures have caused multiple deaths in eastern China as summer heat descends earlier than usual. Record-high temperatures have been reported in Zhejiang province, just east of the global business hub of Shanghai, topping out above 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. The neighboring coastal provinces of

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government says a group of 181 Afghans has arrived in the Netherlands on a chartered flight from Pakistan. The group is the latest to fly to safety in the aftermath of last year’s takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Most of the new arrivals left Afghanistan by crossing

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police say they have found what they believe are several bullet marks on a building near the site of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination last week in western Japan, apparently from the first shot fired from a suspect’s powerful homemade gun that narrowly missed Abe.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman interrupted an uninvited guest in her bathroom on Saturday night. Michelle Reynolds told WSVN that she went downstairs to make herself a snack. She says after putting her popcorn in the microwave she went to use the bathroom and “opened the door and did a quick turnaround because

By AYSE WIETING and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Military officials from Russia and Ukraine were set to hold their governments’ first face-to-face talks in months Wednesday during a session in Istanbul devoted to a United Nations plan to export blocked Ukrainian grain to world markets through the Black Sea. Turkish military officials

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s monthly trade surplus soared to a record $97.9 billion in June as export growth accelerated following the easing of anti-virus controls that shut down Shanghai and disrupted trade. Customs data showed exports rose 17.9% to $331.2 billion, up from May’s 16.9% growth. Imports edged up

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president fled the country early Wednesday, slipping away only hours before he promised to resign under pressure from protesters enraged by a devastating economic crisis. But the crowds quickly trained their ire on the prime minster, storming his office and

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Six people have been treated for injuries but initial reports say there were no gorings in the second-last running of the bulls at Spain´s San Fermín festival. There were many hairy moments in the 2-minute run. Shortly into the race, one bull head-butted a runner in the lower back and then

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. Navy has sailed a destroyer close to islands in the South China Sea controlled by China. Washington says it’s a patrol aimed at asserting freedom of navigation through the strategic seaway. The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed past the Paracel Islands and continued with operations in the South China Sea.

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Protesters stormed the Sri Lankan prime minster’s office after the president fled the country only hours before he was to step down amid a devastating economic crisis that has triggered severe shortages of food and fuel. In recent days, protesters have occupied

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — President Joe Biden’s dash through Israel and the occupied West Bank this week is expected to cut across some of the region’s most iconic places. Both luxurious and grueling, Biden’s visit starts with a VIP arrival at Israel’s main commercial airport — an on-and-off nightmare for regular

By WANJOHI KABUKURU Associated Press MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Countries on Africa’s west coast are increasingly turning to climate funding initiatives to boost livelihoods of oceanside communities, aid biodiversity and take climate action. On the margins of the high-level political forum on sustainable development currently underway at the United Nations headquarters in New York, African

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president, who had announced he would resign Wednesday, has fled the country after months of turmoil culminated in protesters converging on the presidential palace. Here’s what’s happening in Sri Lanka: — The country is hurtling toward bankruptcy — Daily essentials including food and medicine are scarce — Political

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — After years of addiction, Matthew Hirsch was sober. He landed a stable job working overnight shifts at a 7-Eleven in Southern California, lived with his girlfriend in a nearby apartment and spoke to his father every day. Around 4:15 a.m. Monday, a masked shooter gunned down

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s central bank has lifted its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 2.5% as it attempts to curb inflation. Wednesday was the third time this year that the Central Bank of New Zealand has lifted the cash rate by 50 basis points, following hikes in April

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation likely reached a new 40-year high in June, driven up by a spike in gas costs, more expensive food and rent, and pricier cars and hotel rooms. A government report Wednesday is expected to show that consumer prices soared 8.8% in June compared with