AP National News

Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, a move that could threaten the delicate Gaza cease-fire talks. The visit was the latest act of defiance by an ultranationalist settler leader who has transformed himself over the decades from an outlaw and

Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The Vietnamese Communist Party says President To Lam on Thursday became the caretaker of the Party while its general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong focuses on receiving treatment for his health. Trong, who has been Vietnam’s most powerful politician since 2011, is an ideologue who views corruption as the biggest

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A special kind of iron curtain came down across central Paris on Thursday, with the beginning of an Olympic anti-terrorism perimeter along the banks of the River Seine sealing off a kilometers-long (miles-long) area to Parisians and tourists who hadn’t applied in advance for a pass. The words on many

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese investigators suspect construction work sparked a fire that caused 16 deaths in a shopping mall in the southwestern city of Zigong. The fire broke out Wednesday evening, state media reported. The 14-story commercial building was evacuated, with 75 people led to safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. Fire hazards

AP National Writer The iconic LZR Racer, the swimsuit that Michael Phelps wore while winning eight golds medals at the Beijing Olympics, is still revered around Speedo’s design center. It serves as a reminder of just how much a suit can push a swimmer to greater heights. “In so many ways, that was the golden

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan court has suspended a police ban on protests in the capital. The high court said Thursday that that citizens have a right to demonstrate peacefully. Police had barred protests in Nairobi indefinitely before the court decision. They said that the protests lacked leadership that would ensure peaceful

BERLIN (AP) — Police say an American man who made threats against Taylor Swift on social media was detained ahead of her first concert in the German city of Gelsenkirchen and will be kept in custody until her shows there are over. Local police said Thursday that the suspected stalker, a 34-year-old whose name wasn’t

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has restarted anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts across the border in response to North Korea’s resumption of trash-carrying balloon launches. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says its frontline loudspeaker broadcasts were conducted between Thursday evening and Friday morning in areas where North Korea floated the

HELSINKI (AP) — Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia has reported a double-digit fall in profit and sales in the second quarter due to a continuing weak market as clients are holding off investments in 5G technology. The Espoo, Finland-based company, reported Thursday a net profit of 328 million euros for the April-June period, down

Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police and government supporters clashed Thursday with student activists trying to shut down transportation across Bangladesh as part of dayslong protests over the allocation of government jobs, and media reports said 19 people died in the violence. The new casualties Thursday would bring the overall toll to 25 dead

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — State media say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country’s eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by next year. Kim’s visit to the Wonsan-Kalma zone earlier this week comes as North Korea continues to block

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s Interior Minister says a police officer has been killed and another wounded by an assailant who opened fire after being stopped by a patrol in a border town. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said the shooting happened just before 1 a.m. Thursday in the western town of Loznica near the border

AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank left its key interest rate benchmark unchanged Thursday as its rate-setting council and President Christine Lagarde take their time to make sure stubborn inflation is firmly under control before lowering rates again. The decision leaves the deposit rate at 3.75%, where it has stood

Associated Press STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Lawmakers at the European Parliament have reelected Ursula von der Leyen to a second 5-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission. The reelection ensures leadership continuity for the 27-nation bloc as it wrestles with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change, migration and

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party has ended a top-level meeting by endorsing policies aimed at building the country’s technological power and fortifying its national security. A statement released when the meeting ended provided only a broad-brush summary of any decisions. More details are likely to emerge days later. The meeting’s agenda

Associated Press An influential Philippine governor is the subject of controversy following an Associated Press investigation into his links to the expanding natural gas industry in his province. Articles in two leading newspapers called the connections unethical and said any wrongdoing must be corrected. An umbrella group that claims to have 150 environmental organizations as

AP Business Writer Asian shares retreated Friday after a broad washout across Wall Street dragged U.S. stocks lower, and Hong Kong’s benchmark fell more than 2% as investors remained wary over China’s plans for helping its ailing property sector. U.S. futures rose while oil prices declined. Chinese officials briefed reporters in Beijing on the outcome

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza on Thursday, saying it was essential that Israel keep control of a strip of territory along the territory’s border with Egypt, just days before he was set to give a speech to the U.S. Congress. In

Associated Press YEKATERINBURG, Russia (AP) — Closing arguments in the espionage trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich will be held Friday, a court said, as the proceedings in Russia’s highly politicized legal system picked up speed in a case that has seen the reporter held behind bars for over a year. Gershkovich attended a trial

Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — In crisis-ridden Venezuela, nothing has been spared the uncertainty that plagues everyday life. The country has seen several million people leave in the last decade or so, and that is wreaking havoc not only on the nation’s politics and economy but also its dating scene. As a presidential election