More than 1,300 pilgrims died during the Hajj this year amid scorching heat, Saudi health minister says

Officials say more than 1,000 pilgrims amid scorching heat died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

For shrinking Mississippi River towns, frequent floods worsen fortunes

WEST ALTON, Mo. (AP) — Devastating flooding, driven in part by climate change, is taking an especially damaging toll on communities that once thrived along the banks of America's most storied river. Flooding has pushed people out of their homes near the Mississippi River at a...

The Latest | UN endorses US-backed cease-fire plan as Blinken holds talks on Gaza

The U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon overwhelmingly approved a U.S. resolution that welcomes a proposal for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The U.S. says Israel has accepted the three-phase plan announced by U.S. President Joe Biden, and Hamas welcomed it in a...

Blinken pushes Israel on postwar Gaza plans as pressure mounts on Hamas to accept cease-fire plan

TEL AVIV (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged top Israeli officials on Monday to accept and implement a plan for postwar Gaza as he pushed for more international pressure on Hamas to agree to a cease-fire proposal newly endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. On his...

Egypt and China deepen cooperation during el-Sissi's visit to Beijing

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt and China on Wednesday signed agreements deepening their cooperation during President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's visit to Beijing. El-Sissi, accompanied by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, witnessed the signing together with Chinese President Xi Jinping in...

An Egyptian court upholds a prison sentence for the activist who challenged the president

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian appeals court on Monday upheld a one-year prison sentence against a prominent political activist who attempted to challenge President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in last year’s election, a defense lawyer said. Former presidential hopeful Ahmed Altantawy was...

At least 10 Egyptian women and children die when bus slides off ferry and plunges into Nile River

CAIRO (AP) — At least 10 Egyptian women and children died Tuesday when a small bus carrying about two dozen people slid off a ferry and plunged into the Nile River just outside Cairo, health authorities said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Nine other...

Witness at Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial says meat-export monopoly made costs soar

NEW YORK (AP) — A witness at Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial testified Friday that the cost of certifying that meat sent to Egypt followed Islamic dietary requirements skyrocketed after a single U.S. company was given a monopoly in a cozy deal prosecutors say the Democrat arranged in return for...

Hamas announces it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal