AP National News

By HOLLY MEYER The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A top committee in the Southern Baptist Convention is facing mounting pressure from within the denomination over issues related to sexual abuse. Many seminary presidents, state leaders and pastors want the Executive Committee to stop delaying and act. They want the committee to accept the

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A deputy with the St. Louis Sheriff’s Department has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a carjacking suspect. A grand jury on Thursday also indicted 53-year-old James Buchanan on a felony count of armed criminal action in the July 2020 killing of 27-year-old William Wade

By STEPHEN MCGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Authorities say a fire at a hospital in Romania’s port city of Constanta has killed seven COVID-19 patients in the ICU. All patients have been evacuated following Friday’s blaze at Constanta’s Hospital for Infectious Diseases. The health ministry said that 113 patients were in the medical

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A Hungarian academic and activist is among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for her work on a children’s book that put a focus on LGBT rights in the Central European country. The magazine included Dorottya Redai on its annual TIME100 list last

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing growth accelerated in September to the highest level since May despite supply chain problems. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Friday that its index of manufacturing activity rose to a reading of 61.1 percent in September, 1.2 percentage

The Associated Press Stocks were mostly higher Friday, led by energy companies, closing out what has been one of the worst weeks for financial markets in months. The S&P 500 was up 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4%, pulled higher energy companies like ExxonMobil. Merck jumped 9% after the drugmaker released a

By KHADIJA KOTHIA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The adventures of the honey-loving bear “Winnie the Pooh” have captivated children — and their parents — for nigh-on 100 years. Fans now have a chance to own a central piece of Pooh’s history, when a countryside bridge from the south of England goes up for auction

JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president says he will prohibit Cabinet officials from attending an ongoing Senate inquiry on suspected irregularities in massive government purchases of medical supplies in a brewing constitutional crisis. President Rodrigo Duterte accused critical senators of using the televised hearings to gain political mileage ahead of

The Associated Press Stocks are opening slightly higher on Wall Street Friday a day after closing out September with their first monthly loss since January. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in early trading. Drugmaker Merck jumped 10% in heavy trading after reporting that its experimental COVID-19 pill cut hospitalizations and deaths by half in

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A Turkish company supplying electricity to Lebanon from two power barges off the coast of Beirut says it’s halted supplies after its contract with the Lebanese state electricity company expired. Lebanon is grappling with an economic meltdown that includes fuel and power shortages. Blackouts last up to

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Gandolfini face is thinner. His hair is thicker. His presence a little gentler. But there’s no mistaking it. He looks like his dad. It’s something he’s heard many times in his 22 years, especially recently. In “The Many Saints of Newark,” the “Sopranos” prequel,

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have joined a search that spans three counties for a missing college student who disappeared a week ago after a maintenance man entered her apartment. Orange County Sheriff John Mina says Armando Caballero is the “prime suspect” in the disappearance of 19-year-old

By AYA BATRAWY and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Middle East’s first world’s fair has opened in Dubai, after eight years of planning and billions of dollars spent. The emirate hopes the months-long extravaganza that opened to the public on Friday will draw both visitors and global attention, and

LEAGUE CITY, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas have arrested a man who was accused of stabbing a restaurant manager with a pocketknife after being told he needed to wear a mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. The stabbing happened in March at a Jack in the Box restaurant in League City,

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India says Britons arriving in the country will be subjected to COVID-19 tests and a 10-day quarantine, in response to the same measures imposed on Indians visiting the U.K. India has been demanding that Britain revoke what it calls a discriminatory advisory that includes Indians even

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Philanthropies are pouring millions into programs aimed at persuading Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The money is being spent on community-based organizations, local social media influencers and other things aiming to dispel myths and misinformation. The Helmsley Charitable Trust, the charity established by the late hotel magnate Leona

BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds of Iraqis are marching in the center of Baghdad to mark two years since mass anti-government protests erupted in the Iraqi capital and southern provinces. Around 1,000 protesters took part in the event, many of them carrying photos of loved ones who were killed by security forces during the protests. The

By JESSICA GRESKO and MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Justice Brett Kavanaugh has tested positive for COVID-19. The high court said in a press release Friday that Kavanaugh has no symptoms and has been fully vaccinated since January. Kavanaugh had a routine coronavirus test ahead of Friday’s ceremonial investiture

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Few books have been more anticipated among art lovers. John Richardson’s fourth and final volume of his biographical series on Pablo Picasso comes out in November. Richardson’s “A Life of Picasso: The Minotaur Years” completes a project he began more than 30 years ago with

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press VATHY, Samos (AP) — Greece’s prime minister has flown to the eastern Aegean island of Samos to view a new camp for asylum seekers that has replaced the old, squalid facility on the island. He said his government’s policy on migration has “crushed” migrant smuggling networks. Speaking in the remnants