Hurricane Ian heads for Carolinas after pounding Florida

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A revived Hurricane Ian is bearing down on South Carolina’s coast and the historic city of Charleston, with forecasters predicting a storm surge and floods. Earlier, the megastorm caused catastrophic damage in Florida, leaving people trapped in flooded homes and was blamed in growing reports of deaths in the state. With South Carolina’s coast under a hurricane warning, shopkeepers sandbagged storefronts in flood-prone areas and a steady stream of vehicles left Charleston for higher ground. In Florida, meanwhile, rescue crews piloted boats through inundated streets to save thousands from flooded homes and shattered buildings. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says at least 700 rescues were conducted in his state already, mostly by air.

After Ian, the effects in southwest Florida are everywhere

Hurricane Ian was over southwest Florida for just a few hours. It’ll take months to clean up all the damage. Maybe longer. And local officials some of the destruction can’t be cleaned up at all. From trees getting ripped out of the ground to signs being ripped apart, traffic lights crashing onto roadways and some buildings simply being destroyed, the impact was everywhere and almost nothing was spared. The only difference between one place and the next was the severity of the problems.

Russian strike kills 25 as Kremlin to annex Ukraine regions

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles, rockets and suicide drones ahead of celebrations to mark the folding of more seized Ukrainian territory into Russia itself. Ukrainian officials said one of the strikes on Friday, in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killed at least 25 people. The salvos there and elsewhere amounted to the heaviest barrage that Russia has unleashed for weeks. But even as it prepared to celebrate the incorporation into Russia of four occupied Ukrainian regions, the Kremlin faced another stinging battlefield loss. Russian and Western analysts reported the imminent Ukrainian encirclement of a city that could open the path for a push into one of the very regions that Russia is annexing.

Taliban say suicide bombing in Shiite area of Kabul kills 19

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief says a suicide bomber has killed 19 people and wounded 27 at an education center in a Shiite area of the Afghan capital. Khalid Zadran, the spokesman, says the explosion in the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of Kabul took place on Friday morning. The area is populated mostly by members of Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State group — the chief rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 — has in the past targeted the Hazara community.

S. Korea, US and Japan hold anti-N. Korean submarine drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea, U.S. and Japanese warships have launched their first anti-submarine drills in five years, after North Korea renewed ballistic missile tests this week. South Korea says Friday’s one-day trilateral training off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast is meant to cope with a North Korean push to advance its ability to fire missile from submarines. North Korea has been building bigger submarines including a nuclear-powered one and testing sophisticated missiles that can be fired from them in recent years. The North’s recent five missiles launches, the first such tests in a month, also came before and after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea.

Small protests appear in Havana over islandwide blackout

HAVANA (AP) — A few hundred Cubans have taken to the streets in Havana demanding the restoration of electricity, protesting more than two days after a blackout hit the entire island following the passage of Hurricane Ian. An Associated Press journalist saw a total of about 400 people gathered in at least two spots Thursday night shouting, “We want light, we want light!” It was the first public outpouring of anger after electricity problems spread from western Cuba. Ian hit Tuesday night and knocked out all of the island’s power grid, leaving its 11 million people in the dark. Authorities have not said what percentage of the population remains without electricity. But the Electric Union says only 10% of Havana’s 2 million people had power Thursday.

‘Big impact’: UK economic chaos, pound plunge hit businesses

LONDON (AP) — The British government’s economic stimulus plan is designed to help people and businesses by cutting taxes and growing the economy. But it’s had the opposite effect as the promise of huge unfunded tax cuts sparked turmoil in financial markets and sent the British pound tumbling to a record low against the U.S. dollar this week. For many small businesses already battling soaring costs, things have gone from bad to worse. The pound’s slide hits many businesses hard because imported materials and commodities like natural gas that are priced in dollars will be more expensive. Businesses will likely be forced to pass the costs on to consumers, which would further push up inflation.

Methane blast in Baltic Sea highlights global problem

NEW YORK (AP) — As serious as the methane escaping from ruptured pipelines on the floor of the Baltic Sea may be, there are alarming incidents of massive methane releases happening around the world constantly. Climate scientists have found that methane from the oil and gas industry is far worse than what companies are reporting, despite claims by some major firms that they’ve reduced their emissions. That matters because natural gas, a fossil fuel widely used to heat homes and provide electricity, is made up of methane, a potent climate warming gas.

Stacey Abrams looks to win Black men in bid for Ga. governor

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams is trying to solidify support and boost turnout by Black men in her governor’s race against incumbent Republican Brian Kemp. Abrams has long sought to turn marginal or disaffected voters into solid Democrats. That’s a key task because she needs strong support from African Americans to have a chance in narrowly divided Georgia. But Black men vote at lower rates than Black women. Those who study the Black electorate say some men want more proof that candidates can directly help their lives. Abrams is trying to make that argument, saying her agenda will work for all.

Explainer: Tua Tagovailoa, fencing response and NFL protocol

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a second frightening injury in five days when he was carted off the field Thursday, and many want to know why he was playing at all. Tagovailoa and the team claimed the first scary injury Sunday, when he struggled to walk after a big hit, was actually a concern with his back. His swift return still prompted a joint review by the NFL and NFL Players Association. He was carried off on a stretcher Thursday and hospitalized with concussion symptoms after being slammed to the turf. He fell into what seemed to be a “fencing position” after the hit, a possible indication of a traumatic brain injury.

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