AP-Newswatch

Dozens of remote Moroccan villages struggle in aftermath of devastating earthquake

TAFEGHAGHTE, Morocco (AP) — The toll of the massive earthquake that devastated Morocco can be seen in dozens of remote villages across the North African county’s disaster zone. In the village of Tafeghaghte, for instance, more than half of the 160 inhabitants are thought to have died. With most of the community flattened, survivors worked Monday to clear debris, recover the dead and steer the living away from buildings teetering on the edge of collapse. The villagers toiled in a scene of horror: The air was filled with the stench of dead cattle. Other animals remained trapped in debris. Bloody bandages were strewn around the streets.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, setting the stage for a meeting with Putin

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russia and North Korea say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, where he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s website said Kim’s visit is at Putin’s invitation and would take place “in the coming days.” The visit also was reported by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, saying he would meet with Putin. Associated Press journalists near the North Korea-Russia border saw a green train with yellow trim — similar to one used by Kim on previous foreign trips — at a station on the North Korean side.

The US marks 22 years since 9/11 with tributes and tears, from ground zero to Alaska

NEW YORK (AP) — Bells tolled at ground zero and solemn tributes unfolded across the country as Americans looked back on the horror and legacy of 9/11. People gathered Monday at memorials, firehouses, city halls, campuses and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a rural Pennsylvania field. Vice President Kamala Harris is joining the ceremony at the trade center. President Joe Biden is due to join service members and their families at a ceremony on a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.

Google’s search engine dominance is at the center of the biggest US antitrust trial in decades

The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine. An antitrust trial will swing into full force Tuesday in a Washington D.C. federal courtroom. The case marks the biggest U.S. antitrust trial since regulators went after Microsoft a quarter century ago to challenge Microsoft’s dominance in personal computer software. The 10-week trial comes years after the Justice Department alleged Google abused the power of its search engine in ways that stifle competition. The government says Google’s practices increasingly force consumers to settle for inferior search results.

What to know about a major rescue underway to bring a US researcher out of a deep Turkish cave

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A major rescue operation is underway in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to bring out an American researcher who fell seriously ill nine days ago, about 1,000 meters — or 3,000 feet — from the entrance of one of world’s deepest caves. Mark Dickey is a 40-year-old explorer and a cave rescuer himself. He became stricken with severe stomach bleeding on Sept. 2. There were several other people with him on the mission to map the deep cave system. By Monday, teams of international rescuers had brought him up a level about 180 meters, or nearly 600 feet, from the surface.

Harris, DeSantis and Giuliani are among politicians marking Sept. 11 terror attacks at ground zero

NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris, Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined New York politicians and mourners at a 9/11 memorial ceremony at ground zero Monday. The bipartisan group of politicians was not scheduled to speak at the ceremony, marking the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. The solemn ceremony in lower Manhattan was instead focused on the hourslong reading of the names of the dead.

Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante flees search area, Pennsylvania police preauthorize deadly force

Authorities continue searching for an escaped murderer who broke out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison 11 days ago. A state police spokesperson says officers are preauthorized to use deadly force the escapee is found and does not surrender. The search for 34-year-old Danelo Souza Cavalcante was ongoing Monday, after he slipped out of the search area and changed his appearance over the weekend. Police have said he stole a delivery van, then sought help from people he knew 20 away outside a police search area. He later abandoned the van. Cavalcante escaped prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

In India and Vietnam, Biden looks past differences on Russia and embraces imperfect partners

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Joe Biden has wrapped up a five-day diplomatic sprint through Vietnam and India that put a spotlight on complicated relationships he believes will be crucial for global stability. The whirlwind visit demonstrated that as Russia’s war on Ukraine plods on, Biden appears to have become more willing to look past differences with imperfect partners that he badly needs to keep close for the sake of stability in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and beyond. Biden closed out his Asia trip on Monday by spotlighting new business deals and partnerships with Vietnam. He also celebrating the Communist government’s elevation of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship to a higher level.

Lahaina’s fire-stricken Filipino residents are key to tourism and local culture. Will they stay?

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Filipinos began arriving in Hawaii more than a century ago to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations to support their families back home. As their descendants and successive generations of immigrants settled, they have become deeply ingrained in the community’s culture. Since an inferno raced through the historic town of Lahaina, though, many who have worked to clean hotel rooms are now staying in them as temporary shelters, a poignant example of how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has afflicted Maui’s heavily Filipino population. The disaster has prompted fears about whether Filipinos, Native Hawaiians and others who labor in the tourism industry will remain as Lahaina rebuilds.

With Rubiales finally out, Spanish soccer ready to leave embarrassing chapter behind

Spanish soccer is ready to move forward three weeks after its women’s team won the Women’s World Cup but had its celebrations marred by a kiss that ignited a crisis. Luis Rubiales resigned late Sunday following weeks of relentless pressure after the Spanish soccer federation president kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the trophy ceremony in Australia last month. The decision was expected to help Spanish soccer start overcoming one of its most embarrassing chapters. It should also clear the way for Spain to get back on track with its bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2030 along with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine.