AP-National

MIAMI (AP) — The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Nigel has strengthened into a Category 2 storm far out over the Atlantic Ocean. The Miami-based center said Tuesday afternoon that Nigel’s top sustained winds rose to 100 mph, up from 90 mph earlier in the day when it was a Category 1 hurricane. The system

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Ray Epps, a former Marine who became the center of a Jan. 6, 2021, conspiracy theory, has been charged with a misdemeanor offense in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot, according to court papers filed Tuesday. Epps, who claimed in a

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian state media have reported that 48 children from Ukraine arrived in Belarus from Ukrainian regions which Moscow says it has annexed. The group of children from the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions includes children from towns which were captured by the Russian army in

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has imposed sanctions on seven people and four companies in China, Russia and Turkey who officials allege are connected with the development of Iran’s drone program. Tuesday’s sanctions come after Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday denied his country had sent drones to Russia for

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The caretaker Dutch government says it will spend an extra 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) per year to tackle poverty. The budget announcement Tuesday comes as the gap between rich and poor is shaping up as a major campaign theme ahead of a November general election. The announcement came on

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Three former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executives engaged in a pattern of corrupt activity that cost the facility more than $2.2 million. That’s according to an indictment made public Monday by the Ohio attorney general. It alleges that Tom Stalf, who was the zoo’s president and chief executive officer; Peter Fingerhut,

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Welcome to the United Nations. Over the course of the next week, leaders from scores of countries will take the marbled dais that, despite being geographically located in midtown Manhattan, belongs to the world. It’s part of the U.N. General Assembly’s General Debate, in which a parade of speakers will cycle

PALM CITY, Fla. (AP) — An Amazon driver is in serious condition after being bitten by a rattlesnake while making a delivery to a Florida home. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the woman placed a box next to the home’s front door Monday evening when the eastern diamondback snake

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and VANESSA GERA Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German government officials have held talks with their Polish counterparts asking them to clarify how many visas were issued in an illegal program in which some Polish consulates issued visas in Africa and Asia in exchange for bribes. Poland has been shaken for weeks

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is urging defense leaders to “dig deep” and provide more air defense systems for Ukraine, to help the country block increasing barrages of Russian missiles. Although allies say they will discuss how they can best help Ukraine’s counteroffensive, they

By GHAITH AL-SAYED Associated Press BAB Al-HAWA, Syria (AP) — A United Nations aid convoy has reached rebel-held northwest Syria after a vital border crossing from Turkey reopened following an agreement with the Syrian government. The 17-truck convoy carrying among other things, medicine, food supplements, stationery supplies and medical equipment crossed through the strategic border

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Hopes were always high for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” The studio knew the film was great, and commercial. But no one in the industry expected that a long, talky, R-rated drama released at the height of the summer movie season would earn over $900 million at the box office. After

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays have put the finishing touches on plans for a new 30,000-seat ballpark in St. Petersburg. It’s part of a $6.5 billion development project announced Tuesday that includes affordable housing, retail, bars and restaurants and a Black history museum. The site

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to hold their first hearing next week in their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The hearing — scheduled for Sept. 28 — is expected to focus on “constitutional and legal questions” that surround the allegations of Biden’s involvement in his son Hunter’s overseas

BERLIN (AP) — A German higher regional court has ruled that a state court in Braunschweig can hear a sex offenses case against a man who also is a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, overruling the state court’s earlier decision that it wasn’t responsible. The Braunschweig higher regional court said Tuesday

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Washington has upheld an obstruction conviction against a Virginia man who stood trial with members of the Oath Keepers extremist group in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The judge Tuesday rejected

By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s President Bashar Assad will head to China later this week in his first visit to Beijing since the start of a civil war in his country. China has been expanding its reach in the Middle East and continues to support Assad in

By ISSAM ADWAN Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has barred entry to thousands of Palestinian laborers from the Gaza Strip following an eruption of violent protests that have escalated tensions along the volatile border. The string of protests — disrupting weeks of calm at the border fence — come during a

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A joint report from three U.N. agencies says the mental health of Afghan women, who have suffered under harsh measures imposed by the Taliban since taking power two years ago, has deteriorated across the country. Nearly 70% reported that feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression had grown

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer The 2023 Latin Grammy nominations are here. Édgar Barrera, the producer and songwriter known for his work with such artists as Madonna, Karol G, Shakira, Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera leads the 2023 Latin Grammy nominations with 13. Those nods include record, album, songwriter, and producer of the year.