France striker Olivier Giroud received a welcome confidence boost as he scored twice Sunday in a 2-1 win over Denmark in a friendly match.

The 29-year-old Arsenal forward found the net with France for the first time since last March, bagging two goals in the space of two minutes.

Germany and Poland clinched their places at next year's European Championship with 2-1 home victories over Georgia and Ireland in their final qualifying games on Sunday.

Max Kruse scored three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Germany to finish top in Group D, one point above Poland, which had Robert Lewandowski to thank for the winner against Ireland with his 13th goal in qualifying. It tied the mark set by David Healy of Northern Ireland in Euro 2008 qualifying.

Queen Latifah, Smokey Robinson and Trombone Shorty are among the performing artists who will help celebrate the arts at the White House on Wednesday.

They will be joined by Usher, James Taylor, Audra McDonald and others for a PBS special hosted by President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. The event will mark the 50th anniversary of legislation that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Carol Burnett is scheduled to perform special readings.

A typhoon and a government budget cut did not stop cinema lovers from flocking to Asia's most influential film festival.

The annual Busan International Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday with a record number of visitors and many new Asian movies for the world to enjoy.

A Moldovan government official says work on a pipeline that will transport natural gas from Romania to the Moldovan capital will begin next year.

The pipeline, which is expected to become operational in May 2018, will help lessen the former Soviet republic's dependency on Russia. It is an extension of one running from the northern Romanian city of Iasi to Ungheni, a Moldovan town near the Romanian border.

There have been 70 presidents of the U.N. General Assembly, some memorable for their accomplishments, others for their political views, allegations against them, and the reputations of the countries they represent. The arrest of the 68th president, John Ashe of Antigua, in an alleged bribery case has put the spotlight on the presidency of the 193-member world body, which rotates every year by region. Here is a look at eight memorable General Assembly presidents:

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Brazil showed Thursday it can't win against the best without Barcelona star Neymar, losing 2-0 at Chile as qualifying in South America opened for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It was the same story for Argentina without its Barcelona marquee player Lionel Messi, falling 2-0 at home against Ecuador.

Juergen Klopp takes over a Liverpool team in transition, in 10th place in the Premier League, and — unfortunately in the eyes of many fans — lumbered with the Europa League.

Here's a look at the immediate challenges facing Klopp as he settles in at Anfield as the replacement for Brendan Rodgers:

Portugal and Northern Ireland booked their places at Euro 2016 on Thursday, while world champion Germany was made to wait after being upset 1-0 by Ireland in Dublin.

Irish substitute Shane Long ran onto a kick out over the German defense from goalkeeper Darren Randolph and blasted past Manuel Neuer to the top corner to ensure Group D will be decided on the final day.

Shares in Deutsche Bank managed to eke out gains Thursday even though the company said it would post a multibillion-euro loss in the third quarter and may scrap this year's dividend payment.

In an unscheduled statement late Wednesday, Germany's biggest bank said it expects to report a third-quarter net loss of 6.2 billion euros ($7 billion) because of a combination of write-downs and litigation costs. It also said its management board will recommend a reduction or possible elimination of the dividend for this year.