AP National News

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writers PARIS (AP) — Bernard Tapie, the charismatic president of French soccer club Marseille during its glory era whose reign was marred by a match-fixing scandal, has died. He was 78. Marseille announced Tapie’s death on its Twitter page. Marseille “learned with a great sadness the passing

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Many states and cities across the U.S. are getting off to a slow start in spending money from this year’s coronavirus relief package championed by President Joe Biden and Democrats. The American Rescue Plan signed into law in March included $350 billion for state and local governments. An Associated

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria has refused permission for France to fly military planes in its airspace and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in the wake of what it said were “inadmissible” comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron. The sharp escalation in tensions also follows a French decision to slash the

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II has received a call from Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sunday’s call is the first between the two leaders after a decade of strain over Syria’s civil war. The Jordanian royal court said the leaders discussed relations between the “brotherly countries” and ways to enhance cooperation between them.

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A proposal on the Minneapolis ballot about the future of policing in the city where George Floyd was killed has its roots in the “defund the police” movement. And it has centrist Democrats worried that it could spell defeat. The fight is a microcosm for what’s been

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police in Poland have confiscated the computer equipment of a journalist working for a leading newspaper that has carried out investigations of the country’s right-wing government. The raid on Saturday comes as critics of the government accuse it of seeking to erode media freedom, with the

ROME (AP) — A small private plane has crashed into a vacant office building in a Milan suburb. Italian news reports said all eight people aboard were killed. Firefighters tweeted that no one other than those aboard were involved in the crash Sunday afternoon near a subway station in San Donato Milanese. Fire officials couldn’t

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Chinese military flew 16 warplanes over waters south of Taiwan on Sunday as the United States expressed concern about what it called China’s “provocative military action” near the self-governing island that China claims. China sent 38 warplanes into the area on Friday and 39 aircraft on Saturday. A statement from

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germans must keep working for democracy, as the country celebrated the 31st anniversary of the reunification of East and West. In what is expected to be one of her last major speeches, the outgoing chancellor said that “mentally and structurally, unification hasn’t been completed yet.” Merkel said the

ROME (AP) — A small plane has crashed into a vacant office building in a Milan suburb. LaPresse news agency quoted firefighters at the scene saying the pilot and all five passengers aboard were killed. Firefighters tweeted that no one other than those aboard were involved in the crash Sunday afternoon near a subway station

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has called for “more humane” prison life in the wake of bloodshed in a prison in Ecuador in which 118 people died and dozens more were injured. Francis told the public in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that he was “very pained” by what happened last week in Guayaquil

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germans must keep working for democracy, as the country celebrated the 31st anniversary of the reunification of East and West. In what is expected to be one of her last major speeches, the outgoing chancellor said that “mentally and structurally, unification hasn’t been completed yet.” Merkel said the

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he’s ready to take “bold decisions” to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic. He made the remarks as his Conservative Party meets for its first annual conference since 2019. The Tory conference opens Sunday in the northwestern city of Manchester

By WILSON RING Associated Press Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the six New England states are still grappling with effects of the delta surge in cases and the strains on the health care system caused by rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts and more hospitalizations and deaths. In some areas,

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban spokesman says a bomb has exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital leaving a “number of civilians dead.” The bomb Sunday targeted the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. No one immediately

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The suspect in the 2018 killing of 17 people at a Florida high school goes on trial this week for allegedly attacking a jail guard. Jury selection begins Monday on charges Nikolas Cruz attacked a Broward County jail guard nine months after the 2018 shootings

By WILSON RING Associated Press Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the six New England states are still grappling with effects of the delta surge in cases and the strains on the health care system caused by rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts and more hospitalizations and deaths. In some areas,

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Congressional Democrats are going bigger than ever on the environment, with a spending package they’re trying to muscle through. President Joe Biden has traveled the country sounding the alarm, blaming a warming planet for devastation from wildfire-ravaged California to hurricane-battered New York and warning of a

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The biggest lottery prize in more than eight months is growing larger after no ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball in Saturday night’s drawing. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Monday is $670 million. The jackpot has slowly climbed thanks to 40 consecutive drawings without a