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French government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot leaves the weekly cabinet meeting, Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called the snap election on June 9 after a stinging defeat at the hands of the National Rally in French voting for the European Parliament. The unpopular president gambled that the far right would not repeat that success when France's own fate was in the balance. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

France's government spokesperson is attacked on the campaign trail, days before decisive election

Several candidates have reported being attacked on the campaign trail in the final stretch before a high-stakes French legislative election. They include French government spokesperson Prisca … more

By DIANE JEANTET | 7/4/24

FILE - A man dressed as an independence fighter attends a political event with Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, June 13, 2024. No decision in Venezuela over the past 25 years has been as consequential as the choice voters will make on July 28. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

What to know about Venezuela's election as Maduro faces the toughest race of his decade in power

For the first time in decades, Venezuela’s self-described socialist government is facing a serious electoral challenge in a presidential election set for July 28. President Nicolás Maduro, now in … more

By REGINA GARCIA CANO | 7/4/24

FILE -Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a photo shaking hands prior to their talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. The Kremlin on Thursday said Modi will visit Russia on July 8-9 and hold talks with Putin. The visit was first announced by the Russian officials last month, but the dates have not been previously disclosed. (Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

The Kremlin says India's Modi will visit Russia on July 8-9, hold talks with Putin

The Kremlin says Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia on July 8-9 and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit was first announced by Russian officials last month, … more

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and ASHOK SHARMA | 7/4/24

A man leaves after casting his ballot at a polling station installed inside a launderette for the 2024 General Election, in Oxford, England, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

The Latest | The UK goes to the polls in a national election with results expected early Friday

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Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his … more

By The Associated Press | 7/4/24

Schoolgirl Aleshanee Westhoff shows a "Swiftkirchen" town sign in honor of musician Taylor Swift in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. The Swifties are about to take over the German city of Gelsenkirchen, where American superstar Taylor Swift is set to give three concerts of her Eras Tour later this month. In honor of the singer, the city renamed itself “Swiftkirchen" — at least temporarily to welcome the tens of thousands of fans who are expected to come for the Eras Tour shows on July 17, 18 and 19, German news agency dpa reported. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

With Taylor Swift heading to Germany, one city has taken her name — at least for a few weeks

The Swifties are about to take over the German city formerly known as Gelsenkirchen, where American superstar Taylor Swift is set to give three Eras Tour concerts later this month. In honor of the … more

7/4/24

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Russian soldiers fire from their 152-mm «Giatsint-B» howitzer from their position at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukraine’s army retreats from positions as Russia gets closer to seizing strategically important town

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military said its army has retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk region which has been … more

By HANNA ARHIROVA | 7/4/24

FILE - Bodyguards take Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car from the scene after he was shot and injured following the cabinet's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia, on May 15, 2024. Slovakia’s authorities started to investigate a suspect in an attempted assassination on populist Prime Minister Robert Fico as a terror attack, the country’s prosecutor general said on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Radovan Stoklasa/TASR via AP)

The suspect in the attempted assassination of Slovakia's prime minister now faces terror charges

Slovakia’s prosecutor general says the suspect in the attempted assassination on populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is now facing terror charges. The prosecutor said Thursday that the change is … more

7/4/24

This image made from video provided by AuBC shows a part of an area in Palumpa, Australia, Thursday, July 4, 2024, where a girl was reported missing Tuesday after she went swimming. Police on Thursday found the remains of the 12-year-old girl, two days after she was snatched by a crocodile while swimming in the creek in remote northern Australia. (AuBC via AP)

Police find remains of girl snatched by a crocodile while swimming in northern Australia

Police have found remains of a 12-year-old girl two days after she was snatched by a crocodile while swimming in a creek in remote northern Australia. Police say the remains were found on Thursday in … more

7/4/24

Nikki Hiltz celebrates after winning the women's 1500-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Transgender, nonbinary 1,500 runner Nikki Hiltz shines on and off track, earns spot at Paris Games

Nikki Hiltz is shining in two lanes these days. On the track, it's as a 1,500-meter runner who just earned a trip to the Paris Games. Away from it, the transgender and nonbinary runner serves as role … more

By PAT GRAHAM and EDDIE PELLS | 7/4/24

FILE - The BYD Qin L Dmi is unveiled during Auto China 2024 in Beijing, April 25, 2024. Chinese automaker BYD inaugurated its first electric vehicle plant in Thailand on Thursday, July 4, part of the company’s effort to expand into Southeast Asia while also tackling wealthier markets in the U.S. and Europe. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

China's BYD inaugurates first plant in Thailand as it expands reach into Southeast Asia

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Chinese automaker BYD has inaugurated its first electric vehicle plant in Thailand, part of the company's effort to expand into Southeast Asia while also tackling wealthier markets in the U.S. and … more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH | 7/4/24

Hezbollah fires over 200 rockets into Israel after killing of senior commander

The Lebanese Hezbollah group says it has launched over 200 rockets at several military bases in Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed one of its senior commanders. The attack by the … more

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB | 7/4/24

Pro-Palestinian protesters hang banners from the top of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Pro-Palestinian protesters breached security at Australia’s Parliament House to unfurl banners from the roof on Thursday as a senator quit the government over its direction on the Gaza war. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters breach security at Australia's Parliament House to unfurl banners

Pro-Palestinian protesters have breached security at Australia’s Parliament House to unfurl banners from the roof as a senator quit the government over its direction on the Gaza war. Tensions over … more

By ROD McGUIRK | 7/4/24

Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker, right, hits a three-run home run as Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Petersen, left, watches along with catcher Will Smith and home plate umpire Jordan Baker during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Christian Walker hits 16th and 17th career homers at Dodger Stadium, Diamondbacks rout Dodgers 12-4

Christian Walker hit a go-ahead homer in the fourth inning and a three-run blast in the ninth — his 16th and 17th career shots at Dodger Stadium — and the Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a rough … more

By BETH HARRIS | 7/4/24

Despite hardships brought by war, flowers fill Ukraine’s cities. Deep purple petunias and yellow rock roses burst out of planters that line Kyiv’s backroads and boulevards. (AP video shot by Anton Shtuka)

A precious moment in time of war: Flowers for a wife and daughter coming home to Ukraine

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Flowers have always been linked with Ukraine’s culture but since Russia’s 2022 invasion, their significance has only grown. Blooms and specifically sunflowers have become a symbol of both … more

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and ANTON SHTUKA | 7/4/24

FILE - A plane uses a fire retardant to extinguish a fire burning in an area near the border with Lebanon, in Safed, northern Israel, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Scores of rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Wednesday morning, hours after Israeli airstrikes killed four officials from the militant Hezbollah group including a senior military commander. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Fires have become the most visible sign of the conflict heating up on the Lebanon-Israel border

With cease-fire talks faltering in Gaza and no clear offramp for the conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border, the daily exchanges of strikes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have sparked fires that … more

By ABBY SEWELL and MELANIE LIDMAN | 7/4/24

In this undated photo provided to the Associated Press by Stellenbosch University researcher, Michele Francis, right, and other researchers, pose for a selfie, next to an ancient termite mound in Namaqualand, South Africa. Scientists have been stunned to discover that termite mounds that are still inhabited in an arid region of the country are more than 30,000 years old, meaning they are the oldest known active termite hills. (Photo/Michele Francis via AP)

These oldest inhabited termite mounds have been active for 34,000 years

Scientists in South Africa have been stunned to discover that termite mounds that are still inhabited in an arid region of the country are 34,000 years old, meaning they are the oldest known active … more

By GERALD IMRAY | 7/4/24

Reformist candidate for the Iran's presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian clenches his fists during a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who rose to power in parliament, runs to be Iran's next president

The stances of Iran's presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian reflect the dualities of being a reformist politician within Iran’s Shiite theocracy. They are always pushing for change but never … more

By JON GAMBRELL and AMIR VAHDAT | 7/4/24

People commute in their cars during an afternoon traffic jam in northern Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. Comments suggesting that Iran's reformist presidential candidate could increase government-set gasoline prices have raised fears of a repeat of nationwide protests. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Ahead of Iran's presidential runoff, a floated rise in gasoline prices may spark new protests

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Comments suggesting that Iran's reformist presidential candidate could increase government-set gasoline prices have raised fears of a repeat of nationwide protests. Economists long have warned Iran … more

By NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL | 7/4/24

Vehicles move slowly in south-bound lanes, left, of Interstate Route 93, in Boston, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, as people make their way out of the city. Boston roadways saw traffic delays Wednesday in many areas the day before the July Fourth Independence Day holiday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Americans to celebrate Fourth of July with parades, cookouts — and lots of fireworks

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All signs point to big celebrations for Americans this Fourth of July. Travel records are projected to fall as people gather for cookouts, parades and fireworks. Some unique celebrations are also … more

By DAVID SHARP | 7/4/24

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looks on as journalists ask him questions, during a visit to Braishfield primary school as part of a Conservative general election campaign event in Hampshire, England, Wednesday July 3, 2024. (Claudia Greco/Pool Photo via AP)

Labour is hopeful and Conservatives morose before voters deliver their verdict on UK's election day

British voters are picking a new government Thursday. They are voting in a parliamentary election that delivers a verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party. The Labour Party led by … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 7/4/24