AP News Digest 6:05 a.m.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine during the night, officials say, and the British Defense Ministry warned that Russia is likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 350 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ROYALS — Thousands of police, hundreds of troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II — a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years. U.S. President Joe Biden and other dignitaries are arriving in London for the funeral, to which around 500 royals, heads of state and heads of government from around the globe have been invited. By Mike Corder, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. With BRITAIN-ROYALS-THE LATEST.
UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-CHINA'S-CLOUT — As world leaders gather in New York at the annual U.N. General Assembly, rising superpower China is also focusing on another United Nations body that is meeting across the Atlantic Ocean in Geneva. By Ken Moritsugu and Jamey Keaten. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
ITALY-POLITICS-WOMEN — If Italy elects the nation’s first female premier, will its women be delighted or dismayed? Should opinion polls prove on the mark, Giorgia Meloni and the far-right Brothers of Italy party she co-founded less than a decade ago will triumph in the Sept. 25 election. Meloni might then be asked by Italy’s president to try to form a viable coalition government with right-wing allies. For many female voters, it’s a question of gender versus agenda. SENT: 960 words, photos.
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MORE ON BRITAIN-ROYALS
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BRITAIN-ROYALS-TYING-LOOSE-ENDS — In retrospect, it seems Queen Elizabeth II was preparing us all along for her death. Whether it was due to age, ill health or a sense that the end was near, she spent much of the last two years tying up loose ends, making sure the family firm would keep ticking along. The transition began slowly, with the queen turning over more public duties to her son, now King Charles III. But it moved into overdrive in 2022 as Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne. First she expressed her wish that Charles’ wife, Camilla, be known as queen consort after her death. Then Charles took center stage during Platinum Jubilee festivities. By Danica Kirka. SENT: 990 words. photos.
BRITAIN-ROYALS-ENDURING-RITUAL — When Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather King George V died in 1936 life in Britain is unrecognizable to people today. But despite almost a century of change the images from the queen’s lying in state this week are almost exact copies of those from George V’s time. Historians say maintaining such traditions consistently through time plays into an enduring craving for ritual. It is also crucial to preserving reverence for the monarchy. Five British kings and queens have lain in state at Westminster Hall before the queen. SENT: 690 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ROYAL-FUNERAL-BY-THE-NUMBERS — Events surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday cap 10 days of national mourning and are expected to be watched by hundreds of thousands of people packed onto the streets of London and millions around the world. Those are just a few of the staggering array of numbers generated by the death of the 96-year-old monarch after a 70-year-reign. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-BORDER-VILLAGE — There are still bodies on the battlefield, lying where they fell on farm fields or inside burned-out tanks as Ukrainian troops swept through Russian-occupied territory in a major counteroffensive this month. SENT: 790 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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TROPICAL-WEATHER — Puerto Ricans braced for severe wind and extreme rain as Tropical Storm Fiona bore down amid expectations it would grow into a hurricane before striking the U.S. territory’s southern coast. SENT: 570 words, photo.
OBIT-HENRY-SILVA — Henry Silva, a prolific character actor best known for playing villains and touch guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films, has died at age 95. SENT: 340 words.
CHINA-MINE-ACCIDENT — Chinese authorities say that 14 people had died and one remained missing after a flood at an iron mine earlier this month. SENT: 70 words.
CHINA-BUS-CRASH — A bus overturned on an expressway in southwestern China, leaving 27 people dead and injuring 20 others, police say. SENT: 60 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — A U.S. congressional delegation headed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Armenia, where a cease-fire has held for three days after an outburst of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan that killed more than 200 troops from both sides. SENT: 260 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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ALASKA-COASTAL-STORM — A powerful storm sweeping north through the Bering Strait on Saturday caused widespread flooding in several western Alaska coastal communities, knocking out power and sending residents fleeing for higher ground. SENT: 870 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-LGBTQ VETERANS BENEFIT — A new law in California will help military service members who were discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies because of their sexual or gender identities to reestablish their eligibility for Veterans Affairs benefits, Gov. Gavin Newsom says. SENT: 300 words, photos.
COLORADO-PLANE COLLISION — Two small airplanes collided in midair near Denver, killing three people, authorities say. SENT: 150 words, photos.
FEDERAL-PLUTONIUM-NEVADA — Weapons-grade plutonium that secretly was sent to Nevada over objections from the state has been removed ahead of schedule, federal officials said. SENT: 220 words.
OBIT-FEDERAL JUDGE PARKER — U.S. District Court Judge James A. Parker, who served in New Mexico for more than three decades and a had a courtroom named after him, has died at 85. SENT: 230 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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EUROPE-HUNGARY — The European Union’s executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend around 7.5 billion euros ($7.5 billion) in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money. SENT: 390 words, photo.
AFGHANISTAN — The United Nations has called for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to reopen schools to girls in grades 7-12, calling the anniversary of their exclusion from high school “shameful.” SENT: 460 words, photo.
ASIA-STORM — A powerful typhoon approaching southern Japan pounded the region with strong winds and heavy rain, causing blackouts, paralyzed ground and air transportation and the evacuation of thousands of people. SENT: 380 words, photos.
TAIWAN-EARTHQUAKE — A strong earthquake shook Taiwan as a series aftershocks hit the self-governing island off China’s east coast. SENT: 160 words.
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SPORTS
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FBC--T25-AP TOP 25 TAKEAWAYS — Being a good, but definitely not great, quarterback can be a rough ride in college football, especially when fans see only a ceiling they wish was higher. This is the life that Penn State’s Sean Clifford and Oregon’s Bo Nix have led. On Saturday, the veteran quarterbacks proved their worth. Meanwhile, now that Nebraska has moved on from Scott Frost, the question is who’s the next coach to be fired. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
CAR--NASCAR-BRISTOL — Chris Buescher closed out a bizarre first round of NASCAR’s playoffs in which none of the title contenders won a race by becoming the 19th winner this season with his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
