Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque killed at...

Minnesota man arrested after allegedly threatening to 'shoot up' synagogue

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man was arrested after allegedly threatening to “shoot up” a Minneapolis synagogue, officials announced on Saturday. Staff at Temple Israel reported to the Minneapolis Police Department on Sept. 11 that they had received several phone calls from...

Pope names 21 new cardinals, significantly increasing the pool who will one day elect his successor

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor. They include a man who will be the oldest cardinal — Monsignor...

Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, significantly increasing the number who will one day elect his successor

A faith is on the edge of vanishing in Georgia after being exiled from Russia centuries ago

GORELOVKA, Georgia (AP) — A 10-year-old boy proudly stands beside his father and listens to the monotone chanting of elderly women clad in embroidered headscarves and long colorful skirts. It is Ilya's first time attending a night prayer meeting in Gorelovka, a tiny village in the South Caucasus...

Lebanese worldwide fear for their homeland and loved ones as violence escalates

It was a year ago when Jomana Siddiqui visited Lebanon, where her father was born — and is now buried. She planned to return there soon; this time, she thought, she would take her two teenage daughters. Instead, Siddiqui, who lives in California, now worries about relatives there....

Apparent Israeli airstrike kills at least 18 people at a mosque in central Gaza

Mormon church leaders encourage civility as Trump and Harris rally religious voters

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — As both presidential campaigns have stepped up efforts to win over voters in western swing states who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a top church official urged members on Saturday to “avoid what is harsh and hateful” in the heat of election...

Bibles that Oklahoma wants for schools match version backed by Trump

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's top education official is seeking to purchase 55,000 Bibles for public schools and specifying that each copy contain the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, which are not commonly found in Bibles but are included in one endorsed by former President...

Thousands of Jewish pilgrims come to Ukraine for Rosh Hashana despite official warnings

UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Prayer chants and the sounding of traditional ram's horns fill the air in the town of Uman, in central Ukraine, as thousands of pilgrims join an annual gathering to mark the Jewish new year, despite the war against Russia. Uman, 200 kilometers (125 miles)...