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By FELIPE DANA Associated Press KABUL (AP) — Kabul’s main prison was once crowded with thousands of Taliban captured or arrested by the government during Afghanistan’s long war. Now the Taliban are in charge. Several dozen fighters are posted at the sprawling complex. It’s now almost entirely empty after the militants set free all the

ATHENS (AP) — Greek authorities say a small private plane has crashed into the sea off Greece’s Aegean Sea island of Samos, killing both people on board. State ERT TV said the victims were a man and a woman from Israel who had been planning to visit the island. There was no further information on

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has observed military exercises in coordination with Belarus that have raised concerns in bordering countries. Putin on Monday attended exercises at a training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region, 450 kilometers (275 miles) east of Moscow. The exercises included what the Defense Ministry said was the first use

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it’s in the European Union’s own strategic interests to integrate the Balkans into the 27-nation bloc. On a visit Monday to Serbia, she urged Serbia and other Balkan nations to do more on democratic reforms in order to join the bloc.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A fund set up to honor George Floyd says it has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships since it was created. The George Floyd Memorial Foundation says Monday that it has recently given scholarships to 15 law school students, scholarships to interns and undergraduate students, and $25,000 to Fayetteville State University. Foundation

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — More than 100 heads of state and government are planning to attend the U.N. General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders in person next week. According to the latest speakers list obtained by the AP, they include U.S. President Joe Biden, King Abdullah II of

By FRANK BAJAK Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Apple released a critical software patch to fix a security vulnerability that researchers said could allow hackers to directly infect iPhones and other Apple devices without any user action. Security researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the flaw was exploited to plant spyware on

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts’ governor has activated the state’s National Guard to help with busing students to school as districts across the country struggle to hire enough drivers. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said that 250 guard personnel will be available to serve as drivers of school transport vans. They’ll start training Tuesday, with some 90

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders are marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks at the Capitol. Lawmakers bowed their heads for a moment of silence Monday on the Capitol steps as they recalled how the country found a spirit of unity after the attacks. The leaders spoke

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The center-left bloc in Norway seems to have won Monday’s general election. Official projections based on a preliminary count of nearly all votes indicate the governing Conservatives led by Prime Minister Erna Solberg will lose power after a campaign dominated by climate change and the

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened local governments with $5,000 fines per violation for requiring their employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus that has overrun hospitals across the state. DeSantis said Monday that local municipalities potentially face millions of dollars in fines for implementing a

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Hundreds of Pakistani journalists have rallied outside parliament to reject a proposed law that critics say would further curtail media freedom if passed. The protest in the capital of Islamabad, also attended by senior opposition leaders and civil society members, asked the government to refrain from passing the “black law.” The legislation

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of the militant Hezbollah group says the first tanker carrying Iranian fuel to Lebanon has arrived in a Syrian port and the diesel will be shipped to Lebanon by tanker trucks later this week. The arrival of the tanker on Sunday comes nearly a month after Hezbollah’s leader said the