WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sarah Leslie thought she was witnessing a stunt when she saw an American soldier start sprinting toward North Korea.

Leslie and her father, tourists from New Zealand, were part of a group that left Tuesday morning from Seoul to visit the Demilitarized Zone that divides South and North Korea.

Private 2nd Class Travis King was among the group of 43 tourists, Leslie told The Associated Press, although he was casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and she had no idea at the time that he was a soldier, or in legal trouble.

NEW DELHI, July 19 (Reuters) - India has an opportunity to cash in on global companies' efforts to build factories outside China, the new World Bank president said on Wednesday, as firms seek to diversify their supply chains.

His comments follow recent investment announcements by U.S. firms, including chipmaker Micron Technology, in India and come as the United States looks for a strong counterweight to China in Asia amid growing tensions in ties.

KYIV, July 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of damaging grain export infrastructure in "hellish" overnight strikes focused on two of its Black Sea ports, vowing not to be intimidated from working to keep grain exports moving out of them.

Russia attacked the Odesa region for the second consecutive night after quitting a year-old deal allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea on Monday. Ukraine said it was setting up a temporary shipping route to Romania.

BUDAPEST, July 19. /TASS/:  Hungary will not allow the European Union to use funds from the European Peace Fund to finance arms supplies to Ukraine until OTP Bank is removed from Ukraine’s list of "international sponsors of the war," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference in Budapest after a meeting with his Yemeni counterpart.

Answering questions from reporters, he noted that the position of the Hungarian government on this issue has not changed.

NEW YORK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The economic and trade ties between China and the United States connect both sides of the Pacific and are as inseparable as "threads and needles," Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping said here Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) is set to take delivery of its first brand new Boeing 737-8 aircraft in August 2023.

In a statement Wednesday, the national carrier said it will gradually grow its 737-8 fleet to 25 by 2026.

“The introduction of our new 737-8 aircraft in August 2023 sets a new standard in air travel.

BANGKOK (AP) — The bitter battle to name Thailand’s next prime minister took a major turn Wednesday as Parliament voted to deny Pita Limjaroenrat, whose progressive Move Forward Party won a surprise victory in May’s election, a second chance to be confirmed for the post.

Pita had assembled a coalition of parties holding a majority in the House of Representatives. But his nomination for prime minister was defeated in a joint vote of the House and Senate last week, with conservative military-appointed senators mostly refusing their support.

PRAGUE, July 19 (Reuters) - The head of Britain's MI6 foreign spy service said on Wednesday last month's mutiny by Russian mercenaries showed there were 'deep fractures' surrounding the Kremlin, and invited Russians appalled by the war in Ukraine to come spy for Britain.

In just his second public speech since becoming chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 2020, Richard Moore said there appeared to be little prospect of Russia regaining momentum in Ukraine.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Wednesday in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades.

The launches came as the U.S. and the U.S.-led United Nations Command worked to resolve the highly unusual situation involving a U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea while on a tour of a border village Tuesday afternoon.

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/: Fake news about Moscow and Washington allegedly discussing Ukraine continue to circulate, including, among other means, as a way of destabilizing Russia from within, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Channel One television on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia dismissed as fake allegations purporting that, in April, US officials held secretive talks on Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

KABUL, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's central bank Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) sold 14 million U.S. dollars via auction on Wednesday, in an effort to keep the country's national currency the afghani stable against foreign currencies, a statement of the bank said.

The afghani was tumbling against foreign currencies, especially the U.S. dollar, over the past couple of weeks, as the exchange rate of 1 U.S. dollar stands currently at 86.5 afghanis, compared to 85.5 afghanis last week.

RABAT, Jul 19 (NNN-MAP) – The Moroccan navy rescued 854 illegal immigrants from Jul 10 to 17, off the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.

Some 400 people were rescued in the waters, off the southern Moroccan coast, while heading to Spanish Canary Islands, in the Atlantic.

The illegal immigrants, mostly from sub-Saharan countries, experienced difficulties in makeshift boats, kayaks, and jet skies. They were transferred to the nearest Moroccan ports and handed over to the competent security authorities, the report said.