AP-Newswatch

Russia and North Korea sign partnership deal that appears to be the strongest since the Cold War

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have signed a new partnership that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country faces “aggression.” Their summit came as both face escalating standoffs with the West. Details were not immediately clear, but the deal could mark their strongest connection since the end of the Cold War. Both leaders described it as a major upgrade of their relations, covering security, trade, investment and cultural and humanitarian ties. The U.S. and its allies are concerned over a possible arms arrangement in which Putin receives badly needed munitions for the war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology that could enhance Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Early blast of heat and humidity leaves millions sweltering across the US

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A blast of heat and humidity in the Midwest and Northeast days before the official start of summer has put a wet blanket on outdoor activities from festivals to sports camps as officials urge people to take precautions. Cities that opened cooling centers this week advised that Wednesday’s Juneteenth holiday means some public libraries, senior centers and pools where residents could beat the heat will be closed. The dangerous temperatures are expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.

Immigrant families rejoice over Biden’s expansive move toward citizenship, while some are left out

HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants had reason to rejoice when President Joe Biden unveiled a highly expansive plan to extend legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens but, inevitably, some were left out. Biden says his administration will allow spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency without having to first depart the country. To qualify, they must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. Every immigration benefit — even those as sweeping as Biden’s election-year offer — have cutoff dates and other eligibility requirements.

Cooler temps and rain could help corral blazes that forced thousands to flee New Mexico village

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Moist air from the Gulf of Mexico could bring some relief to firefighters battling a pair of wildfires in southern New Mexico. More than 1,400 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the mountain village of Ruidoso, and at least one person has died as a result of fire. Thousands of people fled with little notice as wind drove flames into the community of about 7,000 that expands with tourists in the warmer months. The National Weather Service says moisture from a tropical wave in the Gulf could bring rain to the area by Wednesday afternoon.

Hundreds died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of people have died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life. However, hundreds of people lined up Wednesday at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members. One list circulating online suggested at least 550 people died during the Hajj. The list offered no cause of death.

Willie Mays, the Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ dies at 93

Willie Mays, baseball’s exuberant and electrifying “Say Hey Kid,” has died at 93. The San Francisco Giants and Mays’ family jointly announced his death. The Giants center fielder, with his signature basket catch, was one of the game’s greatest and most beloved players. He hit more than 600 home runs, totaled more than 3,000 hits and was a joy to behold in the outfield. His over-the-shoulder catch of a long drive in the 1954 World Series is baseball’s most celebrated defensive feat. He had been baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer.

Strict asylum rules and poor treatment of migrants are pushing people north to the UK

AMBLETEUSE, France (AP) — Strict asylum rules and the hostile treatment of migrants are pushing people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia out of Europe and toward the United Kingdom. The U.K. government has been hostile toward migrants, but many have family or friends there, and a perception they will have more opportunities in Great Britain. One morning last month, the rising tide crept around a group of Kurdish migrants, soaking the babies they hugged tight. Around a dozen people refused to leave the cold waters of the English Channel in a futile attempt to delay the inevitable: French police had just foiled their latest attempt to reach the United Kingdom by boat.

A US aircraft carrier and its crew have fought Houthi attacks for months. How long can it last?

ABOARD THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER IN THE RED SEA (AP) — Fatigue is setting in as a U.S. aircraft carrier nears its ninth month waging the most intense running sea battle since World War II. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, its strike group and about 7,000 sailors have been protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea from months of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The length of the campaign has raised difficult questions as U.S. defense leaders wrangle over how to replicate the carrier’s combat power if the ship returns home to Norfolk, Virginia. Already the carrier’s deployment has been extended twice. A decision on what’s next is expected soon.

With pardons in Maryland, 2.5 million Americans will have marijuana convictions cleared or forgiven

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pardoning 175,000 people with cannabis convictions. That brings to more than 2.5 million people across the U.S. people whose convictions have been cleared or forgiven in recent years. Advocates say it’s an important way to redress the damage done by the nation’s long war on drugs. But they note that many people are still suffering legal consequences for past use of a drug that’s now allowed in most states. More than 30 million people have been convicted of marijuana convictions over the last 50 years. Black people are disproportionately charged and convicted of the offenses.

Collecting sex-crazed zombie cicadas on speed: Scientists track a bug-controlling super-sized fungus

LISLE, Illinois (AP) — With their bulging red eyes and their alien-like mating sound, periodical cicadas can seem scary and weird enough. But some of them really are sex-crazed zombies on speed, hijacked by a super-sized fungus. West Virginia University mycology professor Matt Kasson, his 9-year-old son Oliver, and graduate student Angie Macias are tracking the nasty fungus, called Massospora cicadina. It is the only fungus on Earth that makes amphetamine — the drug called speed — in a critter when it takes over. The fungus takes control over the cicada, makes them hypersexual, looking to spread the parasite as a sexually transmitted disease.