AP International

Women’s voices and votes loom large as pope is to …

Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference Communication Officer Sheila Pires poses for a portrait at The Vatican, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Pires has been invited to take part in the next synod of bishops starting Oct. 4. “I think the church has just come to a point of realization that the church belongs to all of us, to all the baptized,” she says. Of the 365 voting members, only 54 are women and organizers insist the aim is to reach a consensus, not tally votes like a parliament. But the voting reform is nevertheless significant, tangible evidence of Francis’ vision of the Catholic Church as being more about its flock than its shepherds. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

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Nobel Prize announcements are getting underway with the …

FILE - A Nobel diploma and medal are displayed, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, during a ceremony in New York. The Nobel Prize winners of 2023 will be announced throughout the weeks of Oct. 2 and 9. (Angela Weiss/Pool Photo via AP, File)

5 conservative cardinals challenge pope to affirm church …

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2018 file photo, Cardinal Raymond Burke applauds during a news conference at the Italian Senate, in Rome. Five conservative cardinals are challenging Pope Francis to affirm Catholic teaching on homosexuality and female ordination. They've asked him to respond ahead of a big Vatican meeting where such hot-button issues are up for debate. The cardinals on Monday published five questions they submitted to Francis, known as “dubia.” (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Fire erupts in a police headquarters in Egypt, injuring …

Smokes raise from the burning building of police headquarters in Ismailia, northeastern Egypt following a fire Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. A huge fire broke out early Monday in the police headquarters, injuring multiple people, the health ministry said. (AP Photo/Mohammed Awad)

Indonesian president launches Southeast Asia’s first high-speed …

Indonesian President Joko widodo , center, delivers his speech during the opening ceremony for launching Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway at Halim station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. Indonesian President Joko Widodo launched Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway that will start its commercial operations on Monday, a key project under China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative that will cut travel time between two cities from the current three hours to about 40 minutes. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Church roof collapses in north Mexico, killing at least …

Rescue workers search for survivors amid debris after the roof of a church collapsed during a Sunday Mass in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the roof caved in while parishioners were receiving communion. (Alejando de Angel/El Sol de Tampico via AP)

At least 13 people were killed at a nightclub fire in …

In this photo provided by Bomberos/Ayuntamiento de Murcia, firefighters work outside a nightclub on fire in Murcia, south-eastern Spain in the early hours of Sunday Oct. 1, 2023. At least 9 people are believed to have died in the fire with Emergency services continuing to search for missing persons. (Bomberos/Ayuntamiento de Murcia via AP)

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Turkey strikes suspected Kurdish militant targets …

Turkish security forces cordon off an area after an explosion in Ankara, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, hours before parliament was scheduled to reopen after a summer recess. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police. (AP Photo/Ali Unal)

Serbia’s president denies troop buildup near Kosovo, …

Kosovo police members of Special Intervention Unit escort one of the arrested Serb gunmen out of the court after the Kosovo shootout in capital Pristina, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Azerbaijan issues warrant for former separatist leader …

Protesters march during a rally after Azerbaijan reclaimed control of the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a blitz offensive, and forced tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians flooded over its borders, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. Hundreds of Armenians who live in Greece gathered in front of the parliament and marched to the European Commission representation offices in the Greek capital. The banner reads: " Recognition of the independence of Artsakh, Say no to violence by Azerbaijan and Turkey ". (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

EU’s top diplomat urges US to reconsider dropping …

A woman reacts during the All-National minute of silence in commemoration of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the country's war against Russia on Independence square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. Ukraine commemorates veterans and fallen soldiers on Sunday. The date of the annual Day of the Defenders was moved from 14th October as part of the reforms of the church calendar introduced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Jailed Maldives’ ex-president transferred to house …

Maldivians stand in a queue ito cast their votes in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Maldivians are voting in the runoff presidential election that has turned into a virtual referendum on which regional power, India or China, will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sharuhaan)

Maldives opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz wins the …

Maldives' incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih greets the crowd after casting his vote in Male, Maldives, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Maldivians are voting in the runoff presidential election that has turned into a virtual referendum on which regional power, India or China, will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sharuhaan)

India’s devastating monsoon season is a sign of things …

FILE - Rescuers remove mud and debris as they search for people feared trapped after a landslide near a temple on the outskirts of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh state, Aug. 14, 2023. Human-caused climate change is making rain more extreme in the region and scientists warn states should expect more unpredictable and heavy monsoons like this one. (AP Photo/ Pradeep Kumar, File)