Rains cause flash floods, landslides in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean rescue workers pulled seven bodies from a flooded tunnel where around 15 vehicles were trapped in muddy water, as days of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides and destroyed homes, leaving at least 33 people dead and forcing thousands to evacuate, officials said Sunday.

Protests swell in Tel Aviv, movement vows ‘days of disruption’

JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, marking the 28th straight week of demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary. Protest leaders promised further “days of disruption” lie ahead.

Some Republicans worry Trump may be unstoppable

NEW YORK — He’s been indictedtwice. Found liable for sexual abuse. And he’s viewed unfavorably by about a third of his party. But six months before Republicans begin to choose their next presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump remains the race’s dominant front-runner.

Why a single senator is blocking U.S. military promotions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, forcing less experienced leaders into top jobs and raising concerns at the Pentagon about military readiness.

Tens of millions across U.S. endure scorching temperatures

LAS VEGAS — Visitors to Las Vegas on Friday stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate — at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater.

Movie, TV stars join screenwriters in picket lines

LOS ANGELES — “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, Rosario Dawson and other top movie and TV actors joined picket lines alongside screenwriters Friday on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood’s biggest labor fight in decades.

Japan prepares to release radioactive water from Fukushima

FUTABA, Japan — At Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, giant blue pipes have been constructed to bring in torrents of seawater to dilute treated, radioactive water under a plan to discharge it gradually into the Pacific Ocean.

Political turbulence rolling through Central America

MEXICO CITY — Central America is experiencing a wave of unrest that is remarkable even for a region whose history is riddled with turbulence. The most recent example is a political upheaval in Guatemala as the country heads for a runoff presidential election in August.

Putin wants to attend an August economic summit

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to attend an economic summit in South Africa next month and the country is desperately trying to persuade him to stay away to avoid the legal and diplomatic fallout over his international arrest warrant, South Africa’s deputy president said in an interview with a news website on Friday.

France celebrates Bastille Day with parades, parties, extra police

PARIS — French fighter jets trailed red-white-and-blue smoke over Paris monuments, families held picnics and firefighters hosted holiday balls around France to celebrate Bastille Day on Friday, a moment of much-needed festivity after mass protests, riots and political divisions that have riven the country this year.

F-16 fighter jets to protect ships from Iranian seizures

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. is beefing up its use of fighter jets around the strategic Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from Iranian seizures, a senior defense official said Friday, adding that the U.S. is increasingly concerned about the growing ties between Iran, Russia and Syria across the Middle East.

Americans are widely pessimistic about U.S. democracy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults give high ratings to the way democracy is working in the United States or how well it represents the interests of most Americans, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

GOP hopefuls face pressure to stop Trump in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — As the six-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses begins, the sprawling field of Republican presidential candidates is facing growing pressure to prove they can become serious challengers to former President Donald Trump.

Judge urged to not postpone Trump’s document trial

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department urged a judge Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s efforts to postpone his classified documents trial, saying there was no basis for an “open-ended” delay sought by the former president’s lawyers.

New record set for the deadliest six months of mass killings

NEW YORK — Slain at the hands of strangers or gunned down by loved ones. Massacred in small towns, in big cities, inside their own homes or outside in broad daylight. This year’s unrelenting bloodshed across the U.S. has led to the grimmest of milestones: The deadliest six months of mass killings recorded since at least 2006.

Rice crops are being threatened by El Nino

NEW DELHI — Warmer, drier weather because of an earlier than usual El Nino is expected to hamper rice production across Asia, hitting global food security in a world still reeling from the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

A heat wave has southern Europe in its jaws

ATHENS, Greece — Tourists in central Athens huddled under mist machines and zoo animals in Madrid were fed fruit popsicles Thursday as southern Europeans suffered through a heat wave that was projected to get much worse heading into the weekend.