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LONDON (AP) — Oscar-winning British songwriter Leslie Bricusse, whose work includes James Bond themes and Willy Wonka’s signature tune, has died. He was 90. Son Adam Bricusse said on Facebook that his father “passed away peacefully” on Tuesday. No cause of death was given. Born in London in 1931, Bricusse wrote lyrics for the Bond

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is hosting talks on Afghanistan involving senior representatives of the Taliban and neighboring countries, a round of diplomacy that underlines Moscow’s clout. Opening Wednesday’s talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that “forming a really inclusive government fully reflecting the interests of not only all ethnic

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s coronavirus deaths have surged to another daily record as soaring infections prompted the Cabinet to suggest declaring a nonworking week to stem contagion. The government task force on Wednesday reported 1,028 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, the highest number since the start of the

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government says it has again carried out airstrikes in the capital of the country’s Tigray region. It’s the fourth time this week as a nearly year-long war intensifies. Government spokesman Legesse Tulu tells The Associated Press that Friday’s strikes targeted a former military training center that’s now serving as a

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top official exhorts the 27 member nations to wean themselves off natural gas not only to speed the transition to clean energy but also to make the bloc a more independent player in the world. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An emergency call made by a 4-year-old New Zealand boy asking for police to come over and check out his toys prompted a real-life callout and confirmation from an officer that the toys were, indeed, pretty cool. Police shared audio of the call on social

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s central bank has announced that he will step down after a decade at the helm. A statement Wednesday from the Bundesbank says Jens Weidmann will leave office at the end of the year for personal reasons. National central bank governors have a seat

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic has been hit by a steep rise in coronavirus infections that have reached levels unseen since late April. The government is set to meet Wednesday to approve new measures to tame the surge. The day-to-day increase in new cases reached 3,246 on Tuesday, more than double the cases a

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s top security official plans to announce new measures to clamp down on migrants illegally crossing into the country from Poland. Authorities in Germany say about 4,500 such crossings have been registered since August. Many of them are people from Syria and Iraq who flew to Belarus in the hope of reaching

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says there has been a 7% rise in new coronavirus cases across Europe last week. It’s the only region in the world where cases increased. The U.N. health agency said in its weekly assessment of the pandemic released there were about 2.7 million new COVID-19 cases and more

By KWASI GYAMFI ASIEDU, CHINEDU ASADU, RODNEY MUHUMUZA and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press In the United States, Western Europe and various other regions, some prominent Protestant churches have been vocal advocates for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights. With only a few exceptions, this hasn’t happened in Africa, where Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran leaders are

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Residents say a new airstrike has hit the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region as a yearlong war returns to Mekele city after months of calm. There are no immediate details of deaths or damage. Meanwhile the United Nations tells The Associated Press it is slashing by