Putin calls Kerch Bridge attack “a terrorist act” by Kyiv
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russia President Vladimir Putin is calling the attack on the Kerch Bridge to Crimea a terrorist act carried out by Ukrainian special services. In a meeting Sunday with the chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Putin said “there’s no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure.” His investigative chief said he had opened a criminal case into an act of terrorism. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, say a Russian missile strike on a southern city has killed 13 people and partially collapsed an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
‘War crime:’ Industrial-scale destruction of Ukraine culture
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being accompanied by the destruction, damaging and pillaging of historical sites and treasures on an industrial scale. Ukraine’s culture minister says Russian soldiers have helped themselves to artifacts in almost 40 Ukrainian museums. If and when peace returns, the preservation of Ukrainian collections of art, history, and culture will be vital so that survivors of the war can begin rebuilding. Tens of thousands of museum pieces have been evacuated away from the front lines and combat-struck regions. But many others are missing. They include an exquisite, rare golden tiara from the era of 5th-century warrior Attila the Hun that was stolen by Russian soldiers from the Ukrainian city of Melitopol.
N. Korea confirms nuke missiles tests to ‘wipe out’ enemies
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says its recent barrage of missile launches were tests of its tactical nuclear weapons to “hit and wipe out” potential South Korean and U.S. targets. Monday’s North Korean statement released on the 77th birthday of its ruling Workers’ Party is seen as an attempt to buttress a public unity behind Kim as he is struggling to overcome difficulties such as pandemic-related economic hardships. State media say North Korea’s recent missile tests were response to recent naval drills between U.S. and South Korean forces, which involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
20 years later, Bali bombing survivors still battling trauma
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Thiolina Marpaung still panics anytime she smells smoke, immediately recalling the bomb explosion that upended her life 20 years ago. Marpaung, now 48, was in a car with her colleagues on the Indonesian resort island of Bali when the blast shook their vehicle from behind. Marpaung was temporarily blinded as shards of glass pierced her eyes. She remembers calling out for help and someone bringing her to the sidewalk, before an ambulance raced her to a hospital with other victims. She is one of dozens of Indonesian survivors who were outside of Sari Club on the night of October 12, 2002, when a car bombing there and a suicide bombing at nearby Paddy’s Pub killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, including 88 Australians and seven Americans.
‘A time bomb’: Anger rising in a hot spot of Iran protests
SULIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Anger among civilians is rising in a majority Kurdish district in northwestern Iran that has become one of the hotspots of protests. The Associated Press spoke to six activists in the northern city of Sanandaj, 300 miles (500 kilometers) from the capital Tehran. They described an evolving protest movement that has shifted from mass gatherings to more scattered protests and other signs of civil disobedience amid a harsh government crackdown. Protests erupted after the burial of a 22-year-old woman who died in Iranian police custody and have persisted with protests in neighborhoods, schools, with burning tires and commercial strikes.
Noem’s balancing act: Big ambitions, South Dakota reelection
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Many political watchers expected Gov. Kristi Noem to cruise to reelection this year in Republican-dominated South Dakota against a Democratic challenger without statewide experience. But Noem’s frequent out-of-state travels on behalf of GOP candidates, as well as recent ethics stumbles, have given Democrats license to dream of an upset. Or perhaps make Noem’s race against state lawmaker Jamie Smith close enough to raise questions about her viability on the national stage. Smith has cast himself as a moderate and so far has run a mostly upbeat campaign. The governor recently came out with an ad that tied Smith to President Joe Biden, who won 36% of South Dakota’s vote in 2020.
Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz may have talked himself into a death sentence. At his penalty trial last week, prosecutors played video recordings of jailhouse interviews Cruz had this year with mental health experts. He gave frank and sometimes graphic details about his 2018 murder of 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his planning and his motivations. Lawyers not involved in the case say his statements may have caused some wavering jurors to vote for death. Jury deliberations are expected to begin Wednesday. The panel will decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
Rain-fueled landslide sweeps through Venezuela town; 22 dead
LAS TEJERÍAS, Venezuela (AP) — Authorities say a landslide fueled by flooding and days of torrential rain has swept through a town in central Venezuela, leaving at least 22 people dead as it dragged mud, rocks and trees through neighborhoods. Dozens of people are missing. Residents of Las Tejerías in Santos Michelena, an agro-industrial town in Aragua state 54 miles (87 kilometers) southwest of Caracas, had just seconds to reach safety late Saturday as debris swept down a mountainside onto them. The official death toll rose to 22 after the recovery of 20 bodies on Sunday, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez told state-owned Venezolana de Televisión on Sunday.
UN ponders rapid armed force to help end Haiti’s crisis
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has submitted a letter to the Security Council proposing the immediate activation of a rapid action force after a plea for help from Haiti as gangs and protesters paralyze the country. The letter, which was seen by The Associated Press but has not been made public, proposes the immediate activation of a rapid action force deployed by one or several member states to help Haiti’s National Police. That force would “remove the threat posed by armed gangs and provide immediate protection to critical infrastructure and services.”
Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets 6-0 and into NLDS
NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!” after a bizarre spot check by umpires on the mound, pitching his hometown San Diego Padres into the next round of the playoffs with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets. Trent Grisham hit an RBI single and made a terrific catch in center field that helped the Padres take the best-of-three National League wild-card series two games to one. Austin Nola and Juan Soto each had a two-run single. San Diego advanced to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Tuesday.
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