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ISTANBUL (AP) — A deadly fire that spread through an Istanbul nightclub during renovations was likely caused by welding sparks coming into contact with combustible material, Turkish news reports say. The fire engulfed the popular Masquerade nightclub on Tuesday, trapping workers and club employees inside and killing 29 people. One other person was hospitalized with

By SIMINA MISTREANU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan was struck Wednesday by its most powerful earthquake in a quarter of a century. At least nine people were killed and hundreds injured, buildings and highways damaged and dozens of workers at quarries stranded. Taiwan is no stranger to powerful earthquakes yet their toll on

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A series of missteps during the women’s NCAA Tournament — topped by a mistakenly lined court in Portland — has been a backdrop to what has been a great moment for women’s basketball. This season’s tournament has been a showcase for players like Iowa’s

By RISDEL KASASIRA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s constitutional court has upheld an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” President Yoweri Museveni signed the bill into law in May last year, and it has been widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad. The law is supported by many

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thai wildlife officials laid out a plan on Wednesday to bring peace to a central Thai city after at least a decade of human-monkey conflict. The macaques that roam Lopburi are a symbol of local culture, and a major tourist draw. But after years of dangerous encounters

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has led thousands of people in a moment of silence to pray for the aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza. At the end of his general audience Wednesday, Francis also showed tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square the rosary and New Testament book that a 23-year-old Ukrainian

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation has fallen again in Europe, to 2.4% in March. It’s welcome news for consumers since spikes in food prices have eased. The annual figure for the 20 countries that use the euro currency has come in below what financial markets expected and marks a

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares mostly declined Wednesday after Wall Street broke its record-breaking bull run with its worst day in weeks. France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.1% in early trading to 8,139.15, while Germany’s DAX rose 0.3% to 18,331.04. Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped 0.6% to 7,887.60. U.S. shares

LONDON (AP) — British counterterrorism police investigating the stabbing of a journalist who works for a TV channel critical of the Iranian government say three suspects fled the country within hours of the attack. Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at London-based Iran International, was stabbed in the leg Friday afternoon outside his home in London. Police say

BEIJING (AP) — Violent rain and hailstorms have killed seven people in eastern China’s Jiangxi province, where three people fell from their apartments in a high-rise building. State broadcaster CCTV said Wednesday that dozens of homes had been severely damaged by the storms this week. A grandmother and her 11-year-old grandson fell to their deaths

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Mourners gathered outside a southern Finland school Wednesday, a day after a 12-year-old student shot and killed a boy and seriously wounded two girls the same age with a handgun. The suspect, a sixth grader who attended the school, was apprehended less than an hour later. The

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, damaging buildings and highways and leaving seven people dead. In the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from older buildings as the earthquake shook the city, and schools evacuated their students to

By SAM MEDNICK Associated Press BOUAR, Central African Republic (AP) — Nearly 5,000 fighters have put down their arms in Central African Republic since a disarmament program launched nearly a decade ago. Yet former rebels, communities and conflict experts say it’s hard to halt fighting in a country still in conflict and where little other

By HANNA ARHIROVA and SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Wednesday lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to replenish its depleted ranks after more than two years of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. The new mobilization law came into force a day after Ukraine President

By SAM METZ Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A show at Morocco’s Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is one of the first exhibitions of Cuban art at an African museum. Morocco is among countries that have shown new interest in Cuban art since the United States restored diplomatic ties with Cuba