Kosovo set to hold third election in 18 months as frustration grows

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) – Kosovo will hold its third parliamentary election in 18 months this weekend as frustration grows over a continued political impasse in the small Balkan country that is aspiring to move closer to the European Union and NATO.

What to know about Pope Leo's trip to Spain, from political scandal to Barcelona's architectural gem

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Leo XIV’s weeklong visit to Spain will bring him to a once-staunchly Catholic country that has long been in the throes of waning religious practice and, recently, a political crisis for the ruling Socialist Party.

Senior British royals gather as King Charles' nephew marries

King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla were among senior members of Britain’s royal family who donned elegant hats, tailcoats and dresses to attend the wedding of Charles’ nephew Peter Phillips on Saturday.

Bernadette Chirac, formidable French first lady dies at 93

PARIS (AP) – Bernadette Chirac, the steel-willed former first lady of France who spent 12 years at the Élysée Palace from 1995 to 2007 beside President Jacques Chirac – weathering his notorious infidelities with dry humor while building her own political power base in rural France – has died. She was 93.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to claim first Grand Slam

PARIS (AP) – Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15. At 19, she’s a Grand Slam champion. The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday.

Wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, gets maiden India call-up

MUMBAI, India (AP) – Wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was called up by India for the first time on Saturday as he was named in the T20 squad for the tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games.

Putin rejects Zelenskyy's offer to meet, saying he sees 'no point' in it

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the 4-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it. Thursday’s letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022,

British PM criticizes Vance over comments about UK teen's stabbing death

LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘s office on Friday condemned comments by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who blamed immigration for the death of a university student who was handcuffed as he lay dying from a stab wound.

Armenia prepares for an election that could reshape ties with Moscow and the West

Armenia’s parliamentary elections Sunday will be a vote on its geopolitical future as incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan seeks closer relations with the European Union and the United States despite longstanding ties with Russia that have been championed by his critics.