An explosion at an apartment building in Harbin, China, kills at least 1 and injures 3

BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at an apartment building in northeastern China killed one person and injured at least three others Thursday, state media reported. Parts of the five-story apartment building in Harbin were damaged, with one apartment’s balcony completely blown off,...

Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week for the first time since 2019

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet next week in Seoul for their first trilateral talks in more than four years, South Korea’s presidential office announced Thursday. The trilateral summit among South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol,...

Three little piggies at a yoga class = maximum happiness

SPENCER, Mass. (AP) — Three little piggies went to a yoga class. Their human companions had a blast. Wilbur, Charlotte and Bluey fit right into a growing trend of yoga with animals, adding some fun to the usual physical and mental wellness exercises at a class in...

Taiwan scrambles jets and puts missile, naval and land units on alert over China's military drills

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan scrambled jets and put missile, naval and land units on alert Thursday over Chinese military exercises being conducted around the self-governing island democracy where a new president took office this week. China’s military said its two-day exercises...

Strong winds topple stage at a campaign rally in northern Mexico, killing at least 9 people

SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, Mexico (AP) — A strong gust of wind toppled the stage at a campaign rally Wednesday evening in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, killing at least nine people — including a child — and injuring 63, the state's governor said. The collapse occurred...

Iran prepares to bury late president, foreign minister and others killed in helicopter crash

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Thursday prepared to inter its late president at the holiest site for Shiite Muslims in the Islamic Republic, a final sign of respect for a protégé of Iran's supreme leader killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week. President...

From schools to the Olympics, how France's staunch secularism affects religion in public life

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Walk around multicultural metropolises like Paris or Marseille, or any small village in the French countryside, and signs of faith are everywhere. Many Muslim women wear headscarves and historical Catholic churches anchor nearly every neighborhood. But...

France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Brought into the international spotlight by the ban on hijabs for French athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics, France’s unique approach to “laïcité” — loosely translated as “secularism” — has been increasingly stirring controversy from schools to sports...

Yonhap news agency says leaders of South Korea, China and Japan will meet in Seoul next week

UN will vote on commemorating the 1995 Srebrenica genocide annually — which Serbs vehemently oppose

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. is scheduled to vote Thursday on establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs, a prospect that has sparked vehement opposition from Serbs who fear it will brand them all as “genocidal” supporters...