Palestinian telecom provider says internet service in Gaza has been cut off by Israeli bombardment
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian telecom provider Paltel says internet service in Gaza Strip has been cut off by Israeli bombardment. Services were cut Friday evening, following a heavy round of Israeli airstrikes that lit up the night sky over the darkened territory. The Palestinian Red Crescent, the main emergency service in Gaza, said it was cut off from its operations room in the strip because of the internet blackout.
Israel-Hamas war upends years of conventional wisdom. Leaders give few details on what comes next
JERUSALEM (AP) — Just three weeks into the deadliest war between Israel and Hamas, it is already clear that the bloodshed has shaken the region for years to come and flipped long-standing Israeli assumptions upside down. Israel’s military and intelligence services were exposed as incompetent and poorly prepared. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decades of attempts to sideline the Palestinians and U.S. efforts to manage the conflict, rather than solve it, badly backfired. Israelis’ sense of personal security was shattered, and the international community’s traditional approach of urging Israel to withdraw from occupied land in exchange for peace now appears out of the question.
On Day 2 of multistate search for mass killing suspect, Maine residents shelter behind locked doors
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Authorities are scouring hundreds of acres of family-owned property, sending dive teams to the bottom of a river and scrutinizing a possible suicide note in the second day of their intensive search for an Army reservist accused of fatally shooting 18 people in Maine. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that authorities found an apparent suicide note in a home associated with Card on Thursday. They said his cellphone also was found there. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Schools and businesses in the area surrounding the remained closed sheltered in their homes in communities as far as 50 miles away from Lewiston.
Volunteer youth bowling coach and ‘hero’ bar manager are among the Maine shooting victims
Authorities have not released the names of the 18 people killed in two mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, but their family members and friends have begun sharing their stories. Maine State Police say seven people died Wednesday at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, eight died at Schemengees Bar and Grille and three died at hospitals. The victims include 76-year-old Bob Violette, a retiree who was coaching a youth bowling league and is described as devoted, approachable and kind. Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker said his son, Joe, a manager at the bar and grille, died going after the shooter with a butcher knife. Family of Tricia Asselin, who worked at the bowling alley, said she was shot while running to call 911.
US fighter jets strike Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troops
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says U.S. fighter jets launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes come in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. They reflect the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, while also working to avoid provoking a wider conflict. The U.S. does not have any information yet on casualties or an assessment of damage from Friday’s strikes.
Many Americans say their household expenses are outpacing earnings this year, AP-NORC poll shows
NEW YORK (AP) — About two in three Americans say their household expenses have risen over the last year, but only about one in four say their income has increased in the same period. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. As household expenses outpace earnings, many are expressing concern about their financial futures. What’s more, for most Americans, household debt is rising or not going away. About half say they currently have credit card debt, 4 in 10 are dealing with auto loans, and about one in four have medical debt. Just 15% say their household savings have increased over the last year.
Mexican officials say supplies are getting into Acapulco and people are getting out
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Mexican officials say they are moving supplies into Acapulco and getting people out of the devastated city three days after Hurricane Otis pummeled Mexico’s Pacific coast. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval says that the official number of 27 dead and four missing has not changed. Some in Mexico are skeptical of official tolls. The city remains largely cut off and some local media have reported bodies in the city that have not yet been recovered. Hundreds of people continued looking Friday for loved ones who have not been heard from since the storm.
China’s top diplomat visits Washington to help stabilize ties and perhaps set up a Biden-Xi summit
WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s top diplomat is holding a second meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of a highly watched visit to Washington that could help stabilize U.S.-China ties by facilitating a summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, is scheduled to meet national security advisor Jake Sullivan later Friday and possibly President Joe Biden. Wang has come to Washington at a time when tensions between the two countries remain high, including over U.S. export controls on advanced technology and China’s more assertive actions in the East and South China seas.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried acknowledges in court that customers were hurt but denies fraud
NEW YORK (AP) — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has begun testifying at his fraud trial, saying the innovative business he had hoped would move the cryptocurrency ecosystem forward ended up hurting customers instead. The onetime cryptocurrency golden boy lost his businesses and his reputation as a pioneering entrepreneur when a rush of customers withdrew their money last year, exposing that billions of dollars were missing. His much-anticipated testimony Friday became the centerpiece of a defense that insists Bankman-Fried had no criminal intent as he took actions that prosecutors say were directly to blame for the collapse last November of Bankman-Fried’s businesses.
Pope orders Vatican to reopen case of priest accused of adult abuse but allowed to keep ministering
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to reopen the case of a well-known priest-artist accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing adult women. The Vatican says Francis has removed the statute of limitations on their claims to allow a canonical trial to proceed. The announcement came just a day after the case of the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik again made headlines when a diocese in his native Slovenia confirmed it had welcomed him after he was expelled by his Jesuit order this summer. A Vatican statement said Pope Francis’ abuse prevention commission had flagged “serious problems” in the way the case was handled, prompting Francis to act.