AP-Newswatch

Russian missiles blast Ukrainian military training facility and hospital, killing at least 50

POLTAVA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say two ballistic missiles blasted a military training facility and nearby hospital in Ukraine, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 others. The attack on Tuesday appeared to be one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began. The strike hit the central-eastern city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name. It partially destroyed a building used by the Poltava Military Institute of Communications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said some people got trapped in the rubble and that many were saved. Shattered bricks were visible inside the closed gates of the institution, which was off-limits to the media, and pools of blood could be seen just outside.

Could mass protests in Israel over the hostages persuade Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire deal?

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israelis were plunged into grief and anger after the military said six hostages were killed by their captors in Gaza just as troops were closing in on their location. The rage sparked massive protests and a general strike. It was the most intense domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war nearly 11 months ago. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the mounting number of dead hostages and are calling for a cease-fire agreement to free the remaining roughly 100 captives. Sunday’s demonstrations were the largest show of support for a deal since the war began. But Netanyahu has faced fierce pressure to reach a cease-fire deal before. Yet a deal to wind down the war in Gaza remains elusive.

Mongolia ignores an international warrant for Putin’s arrest, giving him a red-carpet welcome

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome to Mongolia as the country ignored calls to arrest him on an international warrant for alleged war crimes stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. His visit Tuesday was Putin’s first to a member country of the International Criminal Court since it issued the warrant in March 2023. Ukraine has called on Mongolia to hand Putin over to the court, and the European Union had expressed concern that the country might not execute the warrant. The international court has accused Putin of being responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine. Putin concluded his visit Tuesday night.

The presidential campaigns brace for an intense sprint to Election Day

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — After a summer of historic tumult, the path to the presidency for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump this fall is becoming much clearer. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president will focus almost all of their remaining time and resources on a small collection of undecided voters in just seven states. And they will try to train their message on three familiar issues above all: the economy, immigration and abortion — even as heated debates over character, culture and democracy rage in the background. Meanwhile, a sense of anxious uncertainty has begun to creep into both campaigns as a nine-week sprint to Election Day begins.

China-linked ‘Spamouflage’ network mimics Americans online to sway US political debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — As voters prepare to cast their ballots in the November election, U.S. adversaries like China are making their own plans. A network of fake accounts designed to mimic Americans was recently revealed by researchers at the online analysis firm Graphika. Graphika linked the network to a well-known Chinese disinformation operation. The group posted relatively little original content and instead reposted misleading and incendiary claims, often about topics like crime, racism and the war in Gaza. Rather than support one presidential candidate over another, the fake network focused on broader attacks to undermine faith in American democracy. The network is dubbed Spamouflage for its habit of spreading large amounts of seemingly unrelated content along with disinformation and propaganda.

Pope opens Asia odyssey with stop in Indonesia to rally Catholics, hail religious freedom tradition

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis has arrived in Indonesia to start the longest trip of his pontificate. He is hoping to encourage its Catholic communities and celebrate the tradition of interfaith harmony in a country with the world’s largest Muslim population. Francis planned to take a rest day after arriving on Tuesday in Jakarta. However, the Vatican said he met with a group of refugees, migrants and sick people at the Vatican residence in Jakarta. The highlight of the first leg of Francis’ trip will be his participation Thursday in an interfaith meeting in the Istiqlal mosque, which sits across a square from Jakarta’s main Catholic cathedral. The 11-day voyage will also take him to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

A boat with dozens of migrants rips apart in the English Channel off France, killing 12

PARIS (AP) — Officials say a boat carrying migrants has ripped apart in the English Channel as they tried to reach Britain from northern France, and 12 are dead. Dozens of people were plunged into the treacherous waterway, and many didn’t have life preservers. One official calls it the deadliest migrant accident in the channel this year. A French maritime prefecture says 65 people total were picked up from the waters. Before this, at least 30 migrants had died or gone missing while trying to cross to the U.K. this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. Thousand have made the crossing this year.

As students return to Columbia, the epicenter of a campus protest movement braces for disruption

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University, the epicenter of a last spring’s campus movement against Israel’s war in Gaza, is bracing for the return of protests this semester. As students returned to class Tuesday, administrators say they’re seeking to deescalate tensions, while circulating new guidance on protests. But student organizers say they won’t be deterred by the new rules and will continue their activism until their demands are met. A demonstration had already begun outside the campus Tuesday morning. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, have accused the university of being too lenient with the student protesters. A spokesperson for Columbia said they were prepared for a range of scenarios, with a focus on maintaining the academic and research operations of the university.

Trial expected to focus on shooter’s competency in 2021 Colorado supermarket massacre

DENVER (AP) — The man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 is going on trial this week. No one disputes that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa opened fire at the store in the college town of Boulder, including his lawyers. But over three years after the attack, authorities have not pointed to a motive for why he bypassed the supermarket near his house in a Denver suburb and drove to Boulder to launch his attack. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Potential jurors are set to be questioned starting Tuesday. Opening statements are expected later in the week.

Condoms can’t be trusted and boys don’t cry in Catholic Paraguay’s first sex ed program

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — In predominantly Catholic Paraguay, with the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, the Ministry of Education has approved the country’s first national sex education curriculum. But it’s not what many activists hoped for. The ultraconservative program actively promotes abstinence, explains sex as “God’s invention for married people,” warns that condoms can’t be trusted, and says nothing of sexual orientation or identity. Experts say it’s a result of Paraguay’s history where Latin America’s longest-ruling dictatorship instilled an enduring tradition of autocracy and social conservatism.