CHARLOTTE, N. C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates are heading into the homestretch of their first legislative gathering in five years — one that appears on track to make historic changes in lifting their church's longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy. After a day off on Sunday, delegates to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church resumed their work Monday and will be meeting all this week before wrapping up their 11-day session on already...

NEW YORK (AP) — Former president Donald Trump met privately with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the weekend, according to three people familiar with the discussion, marking a detente between the former rivals after a brutal primary contest marked by insults and bruised egos. The meeting, which lasted three hours, was organized to help the men bury the hatchet and discuss potential joint fundraising efforts, according to one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details...

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — From trees felled in protected national parks to massive swaths of jungle razed for palm oil and paper plantations, Indonesia had a 27% uptick in primary forest loss in 2023 from the previous year, according to a World Resources Institute analysis of deforestation data. But the loss is still seen as historically low compared to the 2010s, it said. “Deforestation has been declining from six or so years ago, when there were peak rates,” said Rod Taylor, global of...