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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers celebrated the fourth anniversary of their return to power in August, with Defense Ministry helicopters scattering flowers from the air to crowds below. Some 10,000 people gathered across the capital, Kabul, in six locations to watch the “flower shower.” The Taliban seized controlof Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as

By AMANUEL GEBREMEDHIN BIRHANE Associated Press ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The human ancestor fossil known as Lucy left Ethiopia for display in a European museum, Ethiopian national media reported Friday, citing Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa. Lucy’s skeleton, which is 40% complete, left Ethiopia on Friday and will be displayed at the Czech National Museum

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group on Friday vowed not to disarm, saying last week’s decision by the national government to remove the Iran-backed group’s weapons by the end of the year serves Israel’s interests. Naim Kassem said the government’s decision to remove “the defensive weapons

By RIAZ KHAN Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Flash floods triggered by heavy rains killed at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides. More than 360 people, mostly women

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan that India will punish its neighbor if there are future attacks on India as he marked 78 years of independence from British colonial rule. Modi’s remarks Friday come three months after nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan engaged in four

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Negotiations to reach a major treaty to end growing plastic pollution around the world fell apart on Friday, with delegates in Switzerland adjourning with no immediate plans to resume. The consequence of the failed talks is devastating, as it leaves no clear path for nations to collectively

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press DONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Days before the leaders of Russia and the U.S. hold a summit meeting in Alaska, Moscow’s forces breached Ukrainian lines in a series of infiltrations in the country’s industrial heartland of Donetsk. This week’s advances amount to only a limited success for Russia, analysts say,

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, said Friday he will seek to restore a 2018 military agreement with North Korea aimed at reducing border tensions and urged Pyongyang to respond to Seoul’s efforts to rebuild trust and revive dialogue. Speaking on the 80th

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is paying tribute to more than 3 million war dead as the country marks its surrender 80 years ago, ending World War II, as concern grows about the rapidly fading memories of the tragedy of war and the bitter lessons from the era of Japanese militarism.

By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird and feral. A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed paleontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale

By MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling 21 Jewish settlements and pulling out its forces. The Friday anniversary of the start of the landmark disengagement comes as Israel is mired in a nearly two-year war with Hamas that has devastated the Palestinian