KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday rejected U.S. allegations that it detains foreigners to obtain leverage over other countries, saying Afghan authorities arrest people for violating laws not to make a deal. The U.S. State Department on Monday announced the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter observed tests of strategic cruise missiles fired from a warship, state media reported Wednesday, as North Korea threatened responses to U.S.-South Korean military drills.

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) – Two more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team were granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed the country, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday, but one of the woman later changed her mind and will return to Iran.

TORONTO (AP) – Another opposition lawmaker in Canada has defected to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s governing Liberals, all but assuring he will soon have a majority government.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The war with Iran is doing collateral damage to the world economy. The conflict is driving up energy and fertilizer prices; threatening food shortages in poor countries; destabilizing fragile states such as Pakistan; and complicating options for the inflation fighters at central banks like the Federal Reserve.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israel says Iran has been firing cluster munitions throughout their 10-day war – adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s already-stretched air defenses. The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area and have proven lethal.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Monday he won’t sign any other legislation into law until Congress passes a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill that he says also must end Americans’ ability to vote by mail, a startling demand months before the midterm elections.

NEW YORK (AP) – As the price of crude oil surpassed $110 a barrel Monday, reaching heights not seen since 2022, consumers were feeling the effects of the Iran war and its damage to worldwide energy production. Gasoline prices are climbing, and many people will find some of the most immediate economic pain at the pump.