AP National News

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Members of a new expert panel advising the German government on the coronavirus pandemic are holding their first meeting. The meeting Tuesday comes amid signs that government restrictions imposed in recent weeks are beginning to slow infection rates. Germany’s disease control agency reported 30,823 newly confirmed cases

By DASHA LITVINOVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken on the phone with his French and Finnish counterparts and reiterated his demand for guarantees precluding NATO from expanding to Ukraine or deploying weapons there. The Russian leader’s phone conversations with Emmanuel Macron and Sauli Niinistö come amid heightened tensions over

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Arab Emirates is suspending talks on a $23 billion deal to purchase American-made F-35 planes, armed drones and other equipment, a rare dispute between Washington and a key ally in the Persian Gulf. The Emirati embassy in Washington said it would “suspend discussions” with the

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Egypt’s foreign minister has rebuffed a Turkish push for a two-state peace deal on ethnically divided Cyprus. The Egyptian minister said Tuesday that any talks should adhere to a U.N.-backed road map reunifying the east Mediterranean island nation as a federation. The diplomat said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart on

By DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A landlord accused of demanding sex from his low-income tenants has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a federal lawsuit. The Department of Justice sued Joseph Centanni in August 2020, accusing him of engaging in “severe or pervasive sexual harassment” over a period

By DYLAN LOVAN and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press A grandfather who “stole the show” anytime he was around his grandchildren was among dozens of victims killed by tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South. Sixty-two-year-old Kevin Dickey worked at an Amazon facility in Illinois, and his family said he had a

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Janicza Bravo’s wild road trip saga “Zola” scored a leading seven Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, including best feature, best director and best female lead for Taylour Paige. “The Novice,” a sports drama and psychological thriller, followed with five nods, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter” got four. Nominations

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The former director of a South Dakota appraiser agency says she felt intimidated at a meeting Gov. Kristi Noem called where state officials discussed her daughter’s application for an upgraded real estate appraiser’s license. Sherry Bren’s testimony before a joint legislative panel examining the state’s appraiser

By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — An investigation has found that a high-profile lawyer who falsely insisted that former President Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election did not violate Georgia election laws by moving to another state before voting last year. The Georgia secretary of state’s office in February opened an investigation

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is set to vote late Tuesday on recommending criminal contempt charges against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The action would rebuke Meadows for saying he would no longer cooperate with the panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leaders of Gulf Arab states have arrived in Saudi Arabia for their annual summit, a united meeting that comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and after a yearslong boycott of Qatar. Tuesday’s Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, previously a contentious affair given that three out of the

MADRID (AP) — Authorities in the Spanish city of Zaragoza are bracing for a critical surge in the level of the Ebro River after flooding further upstream in recent days was blamed for two deaths. The river’s flow rate climbed Tuesday to almost double Sunday’s rate as water from torrential rain and thawing snow rushed

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and HOLLY MEYER Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not filling leadership positions traditionally held by men. But one expert on the faith widely known as Mormon says women’s roles in the church are expanding. They are filling more speaking

By MICHELLE LIU Associated Press ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say an autopsy found unusually severe brain disease in the frontal lobe of the former NFL player accused of fatally shooting six people in South Carolina before killing himself in April. The family of Phillip Adams agreed to have their son’s brain tested for

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A former Albanian environment minister has been arrested on abuse of post and corruption charges. The Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime said Tuesday that Lefter Koka was arrested and is accused of abuse of post, corruption and money laundry for a concession contract

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian police are investigating two explosions that occurred on Tuesday in the border city of Cucuta and killed two policemen near the city’s airport. Defense Minister Diego Molano said the blasts were caused by “terrorist” groups that operate in the city of half a million people, which is located on the

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s ambitious plan to update its pioneering internet rules has gained momentum. A key committee passed measures Tuesday requiring technology companies to better police content and lawmakers prepared to vote on regulations to rein in Big Tech. The rules have been the subject of

By YONAT SHIMRON of Religion News Service and ILAN BEN ZION of The Associated Press Reform and Conservative Jewish movements have ordained women as rabbis for decades. Only recently has the Orthodox tradition begun tapping women for leadership roles. The Modern Orthodoxy movement is leading the way. But change is halting and somewhat uneven. A

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The organizers of a fundraiser that featured teachers on their hands and knees grabbing for dollar bills at a junior hockey league game in South Dakota are apologizing after the event was criticized as demeaning. The “Dash For Cash” Saturday night at the Sioux Falls Stampede arena was a competition

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks fell in afternoon trading Tuesday as traders took in the latest sign that inflation is still running high ahead of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting of the year. The S&P 500 fell 1% and the Nasdaq shed 1.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell