Europe’s migrant crisis brings new death by land and sea

VIENNA (AP) – Death and desperation mounted in Europe’s migrant crisis Friday as Austrian police said 71 people appeared to have suffocated in the back of an abandoned truck, while an estimated 200 people were feared drowned off Libya when two overloaded boats capsized. More than 300,000 people have sought to cross the Mediterranean Sea […]

Armed group frees 163 children in Central African Republic

BATANGAFO, Central African Republic (AP) – A militia group released 163 children from its ranks on Friday in Central African Republic, a country where as many as 10,000 youth have become ensnared in the sectarian violence between armed groups since 2013. The children – including five girls – were handed over at a ceremony in […]

Bodies of 71 migrants who died in truck taken to morgue

NICKELSDORF, Austria (AP) – An overpowering stench of death came from the truck on Austria’s border with Hungary as workers unloaded the bodies of some of the 71 migrants who perished trapped inside the vehicle they hoped would take them to a better life. Found Thursday on the main Austrian highway leading to Hungary, the […]

Venezuela extends border closure despite Colombia’s protests

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro announced Friday that he would extend the week-old partial closure of the border with Colombia to four more cities and send an additional 3,000 troops to the area, doubling down on a policy has drawn rebuke by Colombian leaders. Speaking at a rally in Caracas, Maduro said […]

Obama expects better US-Israel ties after Iran deal in place

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama on Friday compared tensions between the U.S. and Israel over the Iranian nuclear deal to a family feud and said he expects quick improvements in ties between the longtime allies once the accord is implemented. “Like all families, sometimes there are going to be disagreements,” Obama said in a […]

3 teens arrested after stolen truck crashes into police car

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say three teens were arrested after crashing a stolen pickup truck into an undercover police car. St. Petersburg police say officers were using a GPS device to track the stolen truck and another car when the crash occurred early Friday morning. The vehicles were not involved in a high-speed […]

Appeals court reverses ruling that found NSA program illegal

WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court on Friday ruled in favor of the Obama administration in a dispute over the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of telephone data on hundreds of millions of Americans. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a lower court ruling that said the program […]

Attack draws new scrutiny to railways linking open Europe

PARIS (AP) – Europe’s rail system is at the heart of its open borders, a way for passengers to travel on some of the world’s fastest and most sophisticated mass transit with no need for passports or even ID. The man who plotted to attack a high speed train last week paid in cash, allowing […]

It’s a boy! National Zoo’s surviving newborn panda is male

WASHINGTON (AP) – The National Zoo’s panda parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have another son. The zoo announced Friday morning that the surviving panda cub is male and the son of the zoo’s male panda Tian Tian. Mei Xiang gave birth to the fraternal twins Saturday, but the smaller cub – also a male […]

SWFL, state prepare for TS Erika

MIAMI – More than 8,000 National Guardsmen and emergency responders have been mobilized in case Tropical Storm Erika strengthens into a hurricane or causes significant damage, Gov. Rick Scott said Friday. “The biggest concern now is how much land it’s going to go over,” he said. “We have concerns all across the state now because it’s going to come clear across […]