AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that German authorities will provide however much money is needed to repair damage caused by devastating July floods. Merkel made renewed promises for rapid help as she returned Friday to the narrow Ahr valley in western Germany. That was the area that suffered the most damage. More

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — Maggie Gyllenhaal may come from a family of filmmakers, but she never let herself dream about directing until recently. But things changed very quickly and very profoundly for Gyllenhaal when she found herself writing to acclaimed novelist Elena Ferrante, asking for permission to adapt her

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Europe’s top human rights body has called on Greece’s parliament to withdraw articles included in draft legislation that would impose heavy penalties on nongovernmental organizations that carry out unsanctioned rescue operations of migrants at sea. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner said Friday that the

LONDON (AP) — British rapper Dizzee Rascal has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting his former girlfriend. The musician, whose full name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court and denied headbutting Cassandra Jones at a home in south London in June. Defense lawyer Iskander Fernandez said Friday the 36-year-old Mills

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — Director Denis Villeneuve was joined by his “Dune” stars Timothé Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and others at the Venice International Film Festival, before the sci-fi epic’s world premiere Friday night on the Lido. Although great filmmakers have tried and failed to adapt

Associated Press By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says his government will encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccinations but will not force them. Answering questions at parliament, Ramaphosa said that he believes employees may refuse vaccinations on medical and constitutional grounds. Health Minister Joe Phaahla says the government will let

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the second-degree murder conviction and 25-year prison sentence of a woman in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2017. The court on Thursday rejected the appeal of 27-year-old Brooklyn Williams. She was driving a car carrying Byron James Shepard

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRDO CASTLE, Slovenia (AP) — European Union officials have listed the conditions for defining the EU’s level of engagement with the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan. The 27-nation bloc and its member countries have evacuated their diplomats from Afghanistan, but EU officials have said they’re willing to cooperate

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Meteorologists in Cyprus say August was the east Mediterranean island’s hottest month since the recording of temperatures began 38 years ago. The Meteorological Department of Cyprus said the average high temperature last month was 39.8 degrees Celsius (103.6 Fahrenheit). The previous August record of 39.7 degrees Celsius (103.5 F) was set

By ALBERTO ARCE Associated Press SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst ever for Central America, wiping out homes and crops and displacing more than half a million people. In El Salvador, a populist president saw opportunity where tragedy struck. After a tropical storm in October,

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A small group of Afghan women protested near the presidential palace in Kabul on Friday, demanding equal rights from the Taliban as Afghanistan’s new rulers work on forming a government and seeking international recognition. The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of Americans were guided through the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by one of three men on television news — Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather. Each had been their network’s chief news anchors for more than two decades, with long

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian police say nearly 100 missing tablets and other archaeological artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia have been found in Norway and seized. Police said Friday that the objects will now be examined to determine their authenticity and establish their provenance if possible. They were described as “objects of significance to the global

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A Banksy artwork that sensationally self-shredded just after it sold for $1.4 million is up for sale again at several times the previous price. Auctioneer Sotheby’s said Friday that “Love is in the Bin” will be offered at an Oct. 14 sale in London. The piece has

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania has recalled its ambassador to China after the Baltic country’s decision in July to allow self-governing Taiwan to open an office in its capital under its own name. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said the ambassador was recalled from Beijing for consultations “following the Chinese government statement on August 10.” Last

By ROSALIE MURPHY of NerdWallet Freelancing or consulting can grow into full-time self-employment. But to successfully make that leap, it’s important to begin treating your side gig as a business, including opening a separate bank account, disentangling your personal and business finances and formalizing the business structure. Bookkeeping, which lays out your revenue and expenses

By MIKE CATALINI, WAYNE PARRY and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Police are going door to door and drawing up lists of the missing as the death toll edges higher from the catastrophic flooding set off in the Northeast by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. At least 49 people in five

BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Daimler has dismissed a “cease and desist” demand from two environmental groups to commit to ending the sale of combustion engine vehicles by 2030. Lawyers for Greenpeace and the group Deutsche Umwelthilfe have threatened to sue Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen unless they sign a legal pledge not to put new

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A second child of an Afghan family evacuated from Kabul to Poland has died after eating soup containing death cap mushrooms, which the family had unknowingly gathered in a Polish forest outside their quarantine center. The 6-year-old boy had received an emergency liver transplant but doctors

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. weather agency says the world and especially urban areas experienced a brief and sharp drop in emissions of air pollutants last year. It happened during lockdown measures and related travel restrictions put in place over the coronavirus pandemic. The World Meteorological Organization released its first