World Briefs THOUSANDS AWAIT RESCUE AMID FLOODS

INDIA» Thousands TRIVANDRUM, of stranded people were waiting to be rescued Saturday, and officials pleaded for more help as relentless monsoon floods battered the southern Indian state of Kerala, where more than 190 have died in about a week and much of the state is partially submerged.

Heavy rains hit parts of the state again Saturday morning, slowing attempts to deploy rescuers and get relief supplies to isolated areas. Many have seen no help for days and can be reached only by boat or helicopter.

More than 300,000 people have taken shelter in over 1,500 state-run relief camps, officials said. But authorities said they were being inundated with calls for assistance, local media reported.

Italian president demands safe roads; bridge toll rises to 43.

GENOA, ITALY» Italy’s president demanded guarantees Saturday that all the nation’s roads are safe after the Genoa highway bridge collapse. He hugged and comforted mourners at a state funeral in the grieving port city.

President Sergio Mattarella spoke quietly to victims’ families before the ceremony began on Genoa’s fairgrounds. Usually reserved in demeanor, Mattarella was embraced tightly for a long moment by one distraught woman.

He then took his place with other Italian leaders, including Premier Giuseppe Conte and the transportation minister, in the packed yet cavernous hall.

Afterward, Mattarella called the funeral, which took place on a day of national mourning, “a moment of grief, shared grief, by all of Italy.”

Putin to attend Austrian foreign minister’s wedding. It’s the wedding event of the Austrian summer, and all the stars of the country’s political universe were there. Plus one very special foreign guest. When Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl got married Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on hand to give his blessing. And he brought a Cossack choir to perform as a gift to the newlyweds, the Austrian media reported.

Hundreds of neo-nazis march in Berlin, protected by police.

Hundreds of neo-nazis waving flags with the colors of the German Reich marched through central Berlin on Saturday, protected from counterprotesters by police in riot gear. The far-right protesters wore white shirts to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the death of high-ranking Nazi official Rudolf Hess and carried banners with slogans such as “I regret nothing.”