AP National News

The Associated Press TEHRAN — Iran’s president is calling for elections in Afghanistan to determine the future of the country, where he hopes peace will return after Western troops have left and the Taliban have seized control. Speaking on state TV on Saturday, Ebrahim Raisi said that the Afghan people should vote to determine their

By ESTHER CUNEO Associated Press PAPEETE, Tahiti (AP) — France’s worst virus outbreak is unfolding 12 times zones away from Paris, devastating Tahiti and other idyllic islands of French Polynesia. The South Pacific archipelago lacks enough oxygen, ICU beds and morgue space, and the vaccination rate is barely half the national average. Simultaneous outbreaks on

REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press MARRERO, La. (AP) — As the power outages from Hurricane Ida have dragged on, many people have decided to get out of town until the lights come back on. While many have simply packed up their cars and hit the road, others don’t have a car or enough gas to make

By MATT SEDENSKY, CHEVEL JOHNSON and AARON MORRISON Associated Press HOUMA, La. (AP) — The energy company that is providing power to Louisiana says full restoration of electricity to hurricane-battered areas outside New Orleans could take until the end of the month. Phillip May is president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana. He said Saturday that

By DAISY NGUYEN Associated Press SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Bulldozers with giant blades, crews armed with shovels and a fleet of aircraft dropping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and fire retardant helped keep the advance of a California blaze threatening South Lake Tahoe  to a couple of thousand acres _ a

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press LAPLACE, La. (AP) — Less than a week after Hurricane Ida battered the Gulf Coast, President Joe Biden walked the streets of a hardhit Louisiana neighborhood on Friday and told residents “I know you’re hurting.” Such a scene likely will be repeated early next week when Biden tours parts of

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor and legislative leaders are seeking $16.7 million in state money to help resettle Afghan refugees in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he and the leaders of the state Assembly and Senate want to use general fund money to help those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The request is

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and DÉBORA ÁLVARES Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Some cities in Brazil are providing booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, even though most people have yet to receive their second jabs, in a sign of the concern in the country over the highly contagious delta variant. Rio de Janeiro, currently Brazil’s

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka says she is thinking of taking another break from tennis after her title defense at the U.S. Open has ended with a third-round loss to Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez. Osaka served for the victory late in the second set but got broken there

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has won votes of confidence in Parliament, helping to steady his government after it had come under intense criticism for bungling its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Prayuth still faces pressure from street protests that have been demanding he step down, with

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A state judge has shielded, for now, Texas abortion clinics from lawsuits by an anti-abortion group under a new state abortion law. The law, which took effect Wednesday, allows anyone anywhere to sue anyone connected to an abortion in which cardiac activity was detected in the embryo. However, state District Judge

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Prosecutors say the founders and managers of the lucrative classified site Backpage.com knew that the overwhelming majority of their revenue came from prostitution ads but tried to conceal it. Opening arguments began Friday in Phoenix in the case charging six former Backpage owners and executives with

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Court documents have identified 32-year-old Ahamed Samsudeen as the extremist who was shot and killed by police after he attacked people in an Auckland supermarket with a knife, injuring seven. New Zealand authorities have said he was inspired by the Islamic State group. He was

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s wife will be released from a Chicago hospital where she has been treated for COVID-19. A statement Friday from Jonathan Jackson, one of the couple’s five children, doesn’t specify when his 77-year-old mother, Jacqueline, would be released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Rev. Jackson,  a famed civil rights leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief is again urging countries to withdraw all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya, saying they continue to operate throughout the conflict-stricken North African country in violation of last October’s cease-fire agreement “with no discernible abatement of their activities.” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

NEW YORK (AP) — Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft say they will cover the legal fees of any driver who is sued under the new law prohibiting most abortions in Texas. The Texas law bans abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and often before women know they’re pregnant. Rather

By WAYNE PARRY and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press MANVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Storm evacuees in Manville, a central New Jersey town along the rain-swollen Raritan River, told the same story. There was an urgent late-night knock on the door, a wall of water crashing into their apartments and a rescue by boat to higher ground.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Marine Corps on Friday halted waterborne operations for its new amphibious vehicle that resembles an armored seafaring tank after identifying a problem with its towing mechanism. Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Jim Stenger said Friday the Marine Corps made the decision “out of an abundance of caution. The service was rolling