News

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a tough test in an upper house election later this month as his minority government struggles after its major defeat in last year’s snap election. Ishiba has survived so far, though he had to make some concessions to the opposition —

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A relentless European heat wave helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union presented plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under scorching temperatures on Wednesday. The blaze that broke out late on Tuesday created an enormous thick plume of ash and smoke that

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade

By FATMA KHALED, SAMY MAGDY and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Hamas and Israel staked out their positions Wednesday ahead of expected talks on a Washington-backed ceasefire proposal, with the militant group suggesting it was open to an agreement while the Israeli prime minister vowed that “there will be no Hamas” in postwar

By STEFANIE DAZIO and FANNY BRODERSEN Associated Press POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — Generations of Germans believe Frederick the Great brought the beloved potato to Germany. The legend is this: King Frederick II of Prussia wanted his subjects to eat potatoes, introduced to Europe in the 16th century from South America. But the people of Prussia,

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role. Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Koreans swam, rode water park slides and enjoyed other water activities at a newly opened mammoth beach resort, state media reported Wednesday, as the country largely maintains a ban on the entry of foreign tourists. The Wonsan-Kalma eastern coastal tourist zone, which North Korea