AP National News

BERLIN (AP) — The struggling center-right candidate to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel is touting his party’s law-and-order and security credentials as he tries to turn around disappointing polls, questioning his left-leaning rival’s stance toward the police and the military. Armin Laschet has been tapped by Merkel’s center-right Union bloc to succeed her after 16

Associated Press CHENNA TEKLEHAYMANOT, Ethiopia (AP) — At the scene of one of the deadliest battles of Ethiopia’s 10-month Tigray conflict, witness accounts reflect the increasingly blurred line between combatant and civilian after the federal government urged all capable citizens to stop the Tigray forces “once and for all.” Survivors in the village of Chenna

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associatd Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s outspoken vaccinations minister, Taro Kono, has announced that he is running to become the head of the governing party, who usually is chosen prime minister, and pledged to be reform-minded and gets things done. Kono, a Georgetown University graduate who is fluent in English, has many

By MEG KINNARD and EMILY SWANSON Associated Press A decade after the 9/11 attacks, Americans were reasonably positive about the state of their rights and liberties. Today, 20 years since Sept. 11, not as much. That’s according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey builds on work conducted

MIAMI (AP) — Authorities say a fourth person has been accused of stealing the identities of victims in the South Florida condominium collapse that killed 98 people. Twenty-year-old Nelson Ronaldo Garcia-Medina was arrested on Wednesday. But his name was not included when the Miami-Dade state attorney announced three arrests in the case. He’s accused of

By ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s new prime minister has pledged to try and gain control of one of the world’s worst economic meltdowns, after forming a government following a year of political stalemate.  Lebanon has been without a fully empowered government since the catastrophic Aug. 4, 2020

LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency says the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has “heartened and emboldened” extremists and could lead to the return of major “al-Qaida-style” attack plots against the West. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum says the U.K. could face “more risk” because of the withdrawal of NATO troops and

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Jorge Sampaio, a former two-term president of Portugal and one of the most prominent political figures of his generation, has died. He was 81. The current Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, announced Sampaio’s death on Friday. He did not give a cause of death, though

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Europe has witnessed many more jihadist attacks on its soil than the United States since 9/11, and analysts say a variety of reasons account for that. They point to Europe’s homegrown extremists, weaknesses in counterterrorism strategies and geography. They note that many Muslims in Europe are

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission has cleared an injection of Italian funds into new airline ITA and says the company won’t be responsible for illegal state aid granted to predecessor Alitalia. The EU’s competition watchdog said Friday that the 1.35 billion euros in capital Italy intends to grant the

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A leading scientist behind the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine says booster shots may be unnecessary for many people. Oxford University Professor Sarah Gilbert told The Telegraph newspaper on Friday that immunity from the vaccine was holding up well — even against the delta variant. While the elderly and

LIMASSOL, Cyprus (AP) — Operators from the U.S. navy’s elite special forces unit SEAL joined Cypriot underwater demolition soldiers in a joint drill to hone skills in countering terrorist hijackings at sea. Friday’s exercise involved teams of U.S. and Cypriot special forces operators re-taking a ship controlled by terrorists. Cypriot Defense Minister Charalambos Petrides said

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press At the first meeting of a new White House council on U.S. economic conditions, participants are highlighting at least 18 actions taken to help consumers and potentially lower prices. The council is aimed at refocusing the economy around the interests of consumers, workers and entrepreneurs. Details about Friday’s meeting were

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s high vaccination rate has enabled the Scandinavian country to become one of the first European Union nations to lift all domestic COVID-19 restrictions. The return to normality has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass is no longer required when entering night

MADRID (AP) — A major wildfire in southeast Spain is prevailing over efforts by 38 water-dropping aircraft and tearing through an area of hilly woodland for a second day. One fire official described it on Friday as “a hungry monster.” Authorities ordered most crews working on the uneven terrain to withdrew, as strong winds and

LONDON (AP) — Soulful British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks has won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her debut album “Collapsed in Sunbeams.” The 21-year-old Londoner beat acts including singer Celeste, rapper Ghetts and bands Wolf Alice and Mogwai to the 25,000-pound ($30,000) prize, which recognizes the outstanding British or Irish album of the year. The judging

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s state-controlled gas giant Gazprom says it has completed the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, a contentious project that Ukraine and the United States have strongly opposed. Owned by Gazprom, Nord Stream 2 is built under the Baltic Sea and bypasses Poland and Ukraine, raising objections from

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian police say a man hid his mother’s body in his basement for over a year in order to continue receiving her pension and nursing allowance. Police in Tyrol province said Thursday that officers paid a visit to the man in the Innsbruck area last weekend because suspicions had arisen that his

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s economic growth slowed more than expected in July as concern about the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 overshadowed the government’s decision to end most social distancing rules. The economy expanded 0.1% in the month, down from 1% in June. Economists had expected gross domestic product to increase

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press HALLE, Germany (AP) — Climate change is among the top concerns for Germans going into this year’s national election that will determine who replaces Angela Merkel as chancellor. But while voters admit they are worried about the state of the planet, many fear the cost of backing the environmentalist Green