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By WILL WEISSERT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. “Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, “Their message to us was, ‘Do something.’ How many times did we hear that? ‘Just do something. For God’s sake, just do something.’ Today we did.” The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe. “Today we say, ‘More than enough,’” Biden said. “It’s time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.” The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep ...

By MARIA CHENG LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency. In a statement Saturday, a WHO emergency committee said many aspects of the outbreak were “unusual” and acknowledged that monkeypox — which is endemic in some African countries — has been neglected for years. “While a few members expressed differing views, the committee resolved by consensus to advise the WHO director-general that at this stage the outbreak should be determined to not constitute” a global health emergency, WHO said in a statement. WHO nevertheless pointed to the “emergency nature” of the outbreak and said controlling its spread requires an “intense” response. The committee said the outbreak should be “closely monitored and reviewed after a few weeks.” But it would recommend a re-assessment before then if certain new developments emerge — such as cases among ...

By EBRAHIM NOROOZI GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s deadly earthquake this week struck one of the poorest corners of a country that has been hollowed out by increasing poverty. Even as more aid arrived Saturday, many residents have no idea how they will rebuild the thousands of homes destroyed in villages strung through the mountains. The quake, which state media says killed at least 1,150 people, hit hardest in a region of high mountains where Paktika and Khost provinces meet by the Pakistani border. There is little fertile land, so residents eke out what they can while largely relying on money sent by relatives who have migrated to Pakistan, Iran or further abroad for jobs. Every one of the nearly two dozen homes in one village, Miradin, were reduced to rubble by Wednesday’s quake. In the rainy nights since, its several hundred residents have been sleeping in nearby woods and had still not received the aid that was slowly making its way into quake-hit areas. Miradin residents ...

 BY ZOE CHRISTEN JONES The international community is speaking out after Friday's landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, marking a major change in abortion rights in the United States.  In the dissenting opinion, the court's three liberal justices, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, wrote the U.S. "will become international outliers after today." Below is a look at the reactions of some of the world's highest leaders.  United Nations UN Secretary General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Friday reiterated the organization's position on abortion: "That sexual and reproductive health and rights are the foundation of a life of choice, empowerment and equality for the world's women and girls."  "It's also important to note that restricting access to abortion does not prevent people from seeking abortion; it only makes it more deadly," Dujarric added. "UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund...

By MARK SHERMAN WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, a fundamental and deeply personal change for Americans’ lives after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. The court’s overturning of the landmark court ruling is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals, in Washington and at the ballot box. Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday’s majority, urged colleagues to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, gay sex and the use of contraceptives. Pregnant women considering abortions already had been dealing with a near-complete ban in Oklahoma and a prohibition after rough...

By John Bett - Audience Writer A Christian pastor believes that the cost of living crisis is a sign that the world is about to end - and that God is about reunited with his followers. Pastor Thomas Hughes claims the economic issues gripping the world are no mistake and are being deliberately destroyed for a greater purpose, as the Daily Star reports. He shares his views with his followers on YouTube, and his most recent video had more than 36,000 views. He said that people should 'prepare or get crushed' and that soon believers will be called up to 'meet the Lord in the air'. In the clip, he said: "The controlled demolition of food and energy infrastructure is now underway, prepare or get crushed. "I think that's strong advice and good advice. You know, people are upset over hearing words coming from Mike Adams or myself, or some of my other friends and colleagues saying, 'Hey, you better get ready for what's coming.' "Listen, we don't...

By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO (AP) — An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone. Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March. It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco. Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route. “I just crossed the finish line. I’m tired,” he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan in the early hours of Saturday. He said that his sailing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was to be toed after the sunrise for an expected arrival at his home port of Shin Nishinomiya yacht harbor in the evening. Local media said a welcome ceremony will be held Sunday. His ac...