Fugitive’s arrest like a ‘quake,’ but Mafia very resilient
ROME — Matteo Messina Denaro’s long record as a killer — turncoat mobsters said he’d boast of enough murders to fill a cemetery — greatly burnished his credentials among his peers as a major boss in the Sicilian Mafia.
World Food Program chief: Somali famine slowed, not avoided
DAVOS, Switzerland — The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Program says support from donors like the United States and Germany have allowed it to postpone — though not entirely avert — famine in Somalia but stressed that “we’re not out of this yet.”
Garland appoints special counsel to investigate Biden docs
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an unsecured office in Washington dating from his time as vice president.
Storms, tornadoes slam U.S. South, killing at least 7 people
SELMA, Ala. — A giant, swirling storm system billowing across the South on Thursday killed at least six people in central Alabama, where a tornado ripped roofs off homes and uprooted trees in historic Selma, while another person was killed in Georgia, where severe winds knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.
U.S. air travel returns to normal after technology breakdown
U.S. air travel returned mostly to normal Thursday, a day after a computer system that sends safety information to pilots broke down and grounded traffic from coast to coast.
U.S. launches online system to seek asylum on Mexican border
SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration on Thursday launched an online appointment system as the only way for migrants to get exceptions from pandemic-era limits on asylum — the U.S. government’s latest major step in eight days to overhaul border enforcement.
U.S. stops hundreds fleeing Cuba, Haiti by sea, returns most
MIAMI — The Coast Guard returned another 177 Cuban migrants who were caught at sea off Florida to the island on Thursday, while a group of about two dozen Haitians swam ashore in Miami.
Russian forces press deadly assault for breakthrough in east
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia said Thursday that its forces are edging closer to capturing a salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine, which would mark an elusive victory for the Kremlin but come at the cost of heavy Russian casualties and extensive destruction of the territory they claim.
U.S. envoy says Russian Wagner Group’s activities intolerable
BELGRADE, Serbia — A senior U.S. envoy expressed strong concern Thursday about the activities of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group and its alleged attempts to recruit soldiers in Serbia and elsewhere in the world.
Dem lawmakers urge Biden to void visa of Brazil’s Bolsonaro
RIO DE JANEIRO — A group of 46 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday demanding former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s diplomatic visa be canceled in the wake of the rampage in Brazil’s capital by his supporters.
Toyota pushes zero-emission goals by converting old models
CHIBA, Japan — To accelerate the global move toward sustainable vehicles, Toyota is suggesting simply replacing the inner workings of vehicles already on the roads with cleaner technology like fuel cells and electric motors.
Lawyer: Suspect in Abe assassination to face murder charge
TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors are expected to formally charge the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with murder on Friday, his lawyer said.
Computer breakdown sows chaos across US air travel system
NEW YORK — Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Wednesday after a system that offers safety information to pilots failed, and the government launched an investigation into the breakdown, which grounded some planes for hours.
Republicans push anti-abortion measures with new majority
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are taking early action on abortion with their new majority, approving two measures Wednesday that make clear they want further restraints after the Supreme Court overruled the federal right to abortion last year.
Source: Biden team finds more docs with classified markings
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s legal team has discovered additional documents containing classification markings in a second location, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The revelation comes days after an attorney for the president said Biden’s lawyers had discovered a “small number” of classified documents at his former office space in Washington.
Storm-weary Californians clean up, brace for another torrent
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Laurie Morse shoveled wet sand into bags in the pouring rain Wednesday, preparing to stack them along her garage in a last ditch effort to keep out a rising creek on California’s central coast, as the storm-ravaged state braced for another round of lashing rains and damaging winds.
Florida manatee deaths drop but starvation still a concern
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Manatee deaths dropped in 2022 from a record high the year before, but Florida wildlife officials said Wednesday that chronic starvation caused by water pollution remains a major concern.
Battle rages in Ukraine town; Russia shakes up its military
KYIV, Ukraine — The fate of a devastated salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine hung in the balance Wednesday in one of the bloodiest battles of Russia’s invasion, while Ukraine’s unflagging resistance and other challenges prompted Moscow to shake up its military leadership again.
Brazil ‘mega-protest’ fizzles amid authorities’ concern
BRASILIA, Brazil — Skittish Brazilian authorities on Wednesday spared no effort to boost security in the face of a social media flyer promoting a “mega-protest to retake power” in two dozen cities. Whether because of preventative measures adopted or not, the supposed uprising was a dud.
U.S., Japan unveil plans to strengthen the alliance
WASHINGTON — The top national security officials from the U.S. and Japan unveiled plans Wednesday to strengthen the alliance to help counter threats from North Korea and China, which they called the greatest challenge in the region.