Israel steps up air and ground attacks in Gaza and cuts off the territory’s communications
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army says its ground forces are “expanding their activity” in the Gaza Strip, as it moves closer to a full-on ground invasion of the besieged territory. Internet and phone services collapsed Friday in Gaza under intensified Israeli bombardment, largely cutting off its 2.3 million people from the outside world and each other. Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the Gaza border. The expected ground offensive is aimed at uprooting the Hamas militant group in response to its bloody incursion on Oct. 7. Explosions from airstrikes lit up the Gaza sky Friday night. Casualties from new airstrikes could not be immediately known in the information blackout.
Law enforcement official tells Associated Press that Maine mass killing suspect has been found dead
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Authorities say a man suspected of fatally shooting 18 people and wounding 13 in Maine has been found dead. Robert Card, who was wanted in connection with the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a law enforcement official tells The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. A 10 p.m. news conference was scheduled by police.
Live updates | UN calls for ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza as Israel expands activity in the territory
The Israeli military says its ground forces will expand their activities in Gaza. The announcement on Friday night came hours after Israel’s defense minister said the country expects to launch a long and difficult ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory. Shortly before, communication services in the territory were also cut. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza passed 7,300, and in the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. Also, 229 people were taken hostage during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza.
Agreement reached for Biden-Xi talks, but details still being worked out, official tells AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to meet on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. That’s according to a U.S. official familiar with the planning. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the two sides worked out an agreement in principle to hold a meeting during the summit. The agreement was worked out as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Friday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The official added that two sides have not worked out details on the exact day of the meeting, venue and other logistics.
Maine’s close-knit deaf community is grieving in the wake of shootings that killed 4 beloved members
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) — Maine’s close-knit community of deaf and hard of hearing people is grieving in the wake of the Lewiston shootings that killed beloved members, many of whom were ardent advocates. The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf says Friday the shootings at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, killed at least four members of their community. The shootings killed 18 people in total and injured 13 others. The educational center is located on an island in Falmouth, Maine, and it became a site for grieving and sharing memories on Friday even though school was officially closed.
Families hunt for loved ones not heard from since Hurricane Otis pummeled Acapulco
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Desperate families are making missing posters and joining online groups to find loved ones out of touch since Hurricane Otis devastated the Mexican Pacific coast city of Acapulco. Officials say they are moving in supplies and getting people out of the devastated city of 1 million. Cell phone signals are returning to some parts of the city. Many residents are looking for relatives with the help of friends and relatives living in other parts of Mexico and the United States. They are sharing information and searching for the missing.
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.
Donald Trump is set to testify Nov. 6 in civil fraud trial. Daughter Ivanka also will testify
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is set to testify Nov. 6 in the civil business fraud case against him, following testimony from his three eldest children. State lawyers disclosed the schedule in court Friday, when the judge ruled that the former president’s daughter Ivanka also must take the stand. It was already expected that the ex-president and sons Donald Jr. and Eric would testify. But the timing became clear Friday. The schedule sets up a blockbuster stretch of the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. She alleges that the former president overstated his wealth for years on financial statements. The ex-president denies any wrongdoing.
A salty problem for people near the mouth of the Mississippi is a wakeup call for New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drought. Sea level rise. Dredging for cargo ships. Those are just some of the complex factors blamed for an inland flow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Mississippi River. Salty water was a problem for months for low-population communities at Louisiana’s southeastern tip. Fears that the salt water would reach the heavily populated New Orleans area have abated for now. But people in rural Plaquemines Parish say too little was done to help them. Meanwhile, New Orleans-area officials say long-rage plans are needed for the return of the salt water threat.
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