Former U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to demonstrate his power over the Republican Party with more than 150 endorsements of candidates ahead of a midterm election on Nov. 8 that will determine control of Congress for 2023 and 2024.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance on Wednesday at allied headquarters, a decision spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but face objections from Turkey to an accession process that is expected to take only a few weeks.

Asia's stock markets eked out their fourth straight session of gains on Wednesday, but the recent rally lost momentum as nagging doubts about inflation and the drag from rate rises overshadowed bits and pieces of good news about the global growth outlook.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Investigators looking into the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet are examining whether it was due to intentional action on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a technical malfunction, two people briefed on the matter said.

It's noisy inside the Mamprobi clinic in Accra as kids clamber over their mothers while they wait to get their measles vaccines. Outside, an area reserved for COVID-19 shots is empty. A health worker leans back in his chair and scrolls on a tablet.

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) -Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and triggering one of the most significant changes in Europe's security architecture in decades.

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) -Health authorities in Shanghai faced "huge" pressure to keep China's most populous city free of COVID-19 as residents were counting down the days until June 1 and the end of their lockdown after almost two months of isolation.

The biggest factor that led to the collapse of the Afghan military in August last year was the U.S. decision to withdraw forces and contractors from Afghanistan through an agreement with the Taliban signed by the Trump administration and executed by the Biden administration, a U.S. watchdog report concluded.

Despite battling a wave of suspected COVID-19 infections, North Korea appears to be preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's first trip to South Korea, South Korean and U.S. officials said.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas toured the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas on Tuesday as he pushes a tougher message of restoring consequences for people crossing illegally, countering criticism from Republicans and some Democrats of President Joe Biden's approach.