AP News Digest 5:30 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-UKRAINE — U.S. officials say Russia has assembled at least 70 percent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The officials discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on condition they not be identified. They sketched out a series of indicators suggesting Putin intends an invasion in coming weeks, although the size and scale is unclear. They said Russia has 83 battalion tactical groups along Ukraine’s borders, each with up to 1,000 troops, and more are expected to arrive soon. By AP National Security Writer Robert Burns SENT: 930 words, photos.
GERMANY-US — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is flying to Washington this week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine. Scholz has publicly said that Moscow would pay a “high price” in the event of an attack. But his government’s refusal to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troop presence in eastern Europe or spell out which sanctions it would support against Russia has drawn criticism abroad and at home. By Frank Jordans. SENT: 950 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-NORTH KOREA-REPORT — U.N. experts say North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs including its capability to produce nuclear fissile materials in violation of U.N Security Council resolutions. The panel of experts said in the executive summary of the report obtained Saturday night by AP that there was “a marked acceleration” of Pyongyang’s testing and demonstration of new short-range and possibly medium-range missiles through January, “incorporating both ballistic and guidance technologies and using both solid and liquid propellants.” By Edith M. Lederer. SENT: 520 words, photos
ROMANIA-HOLOCAUST BOOK — Maksim Goldenshteyn’s book, “So They Remember,” tells the story of his Holocaust survivor grandparents who languished in Jewish death camps and ghettos in Transnistria during World War II — a chapter of the Holocaust which some say is largely forgotten. SENT: 1035 words, photos.
OLY-CHINA-IN-THE-BUBBLE — The Olympics are usually an opportunity for the host country to showcase its culture. That’s a challenge when the athletes, coaches and others traveling to this year’s Winter Games are entirely sequestered in a bubble so complete it even has its own intercity trains. This is all part of an elaborate effort to control the spread of COVID-19. Nothing is supposed to leave this alternative universe. Still, here and there there are glimmers of China that seep in. By Sarah DiLorenzo. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS
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OLY-ATHLETES IN ISOLATION — Olympic organizers say they’re addressing complaints about isolation conditions for athletes who test positive for the coronavirus. They say they are working to ensure they have clean rooms, better food and access to training equipment and the internet. SENT: 300 words, photos. WITH: OLY-BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE-LATEST.
OLY-BEIJING-PENG SHUAI — The whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai remain a pressing question at the Beijing Olympics. Peng’s accusations of sexual assault three months ago against former vice premier Zhang Gaoli were scrubbed almost immediately from the internet in China. SENT: 320 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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ESPER BOOK — Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has dropped a lawsuit against the Defense Department. SENT: 290 words, photo.
OBIT-INDIA-LATA MANGESHKAR — Lata Mangeshkar, a legendary Indian singer with a prolific, groundbreaking catalog and a voice recognized by a billion people in South Asia, has died. She was 92. SENT: 630 words, photos.
OBIT-CANADA-JOHN HONDERICH — John Honderich, the former editor and publisher of the Toronto Star, has died. A Star spokesman said Honderich passed away in his Toronto home at the age of 75 on Saturday. SENT: 220 words, photo.
OBIT-ASHLEY BRYAN-AUTHOR — Ashley Bryan, a prolific children’s book illustrator and storyteller who often retold African folktales he had heard as a child, has died. He was 98. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEPAL — Schools in Nepal are demanding the government open up physical classes that were shut down for weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline. Teachers say online education was limited to only a small part of the population living in the urban parts of the Himalayan country while a majority of students are being deprived of their chance to learn. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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FERTILIZER PLANT FIRE — A North Carolina city confirms that firefighters responded in late December to what an incident report called a smoldering pile of “fertilizer material” at a plant where, weeks later, an explosion and uncontrolled flames would force thousands to flee their homes. SENT: 470 words, photos.
OFF DUTY-OFFICER SHOT — Police say an off-duty New York City police officer has been shot in the left foot in Manhattan. It is the seventh time an NYPD officer has been shot this year. SENT: 270 words, photos.
49ERS FAN PUNCHED — The family of a San Francisco 49ers fan who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being punched outside SoFi Stadium last weekend said he remains in a coma Saturday. SENT: 420 words, photos.
BROWN DEER-SHOOTING — Police say a man fatally shot two people at an apartment complex in a Milwaukee suburb and later died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three people, including the suspect, were killed and one other person was injured in Saturday morning’s shooting. Authorities believe it started as a domestic dispute. SENT: 190 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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UKRAINE-TENSIONS-ENERGY EXPLAINER -- Fears are rising about what would happen to Europe’s energy supply if Russia were to invade Ukraine and then shut off its natural gas in retaliation for U.S. and European sanctions. The tensions show the risk of Europe’s reliance on Russia for energy. It supplies about a third of Europe’s natural gas, which is already low. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
For full coverage of Ukraine.
PAKISTAN-SEPARATIST ATTACKS — Pakistan’s military says security forces have cleared two areas in a southwestern province of separatist militants after they attacked two army camps. The attacks left nine soldiers dead and six others wounded. It says 20 militants were killed in intense, hourslong firefights and follow-up operations. SENT: 490 words, photo.
CANADA POLITICS — A populist lawmaker declared his intention to head the Conservative party of Canada just days after the party ousted its leader. Pierre Poilievre tweeted a video in which he said “governments have gotten big and bossy and wants to make “Canadians the freest people on earth.″ Poilievre is the first to announce his intention to run and he is perhaps the leading candidate to become the next leader of Canada’s opposition Conservative party. SENT: 350 words, photos.
COSTA RICA-ELECTIONS — Costa Ricans will vote for a new president and all seats of the National Assembly Sunday in a elections that have yet to see a clear favorite emerge among 25 candidates to lead the Central American nation. More than 3.5 million are eligible to vote, but a large proportion remained undecided in the final days before the vote. SENT: 380 words, photos.
PERU POLITICS — Peru’s newly named prime minister has resigned a day after President Pedro Castillo announced that he will renew his Cabinet yet again amid the biggest crisis since his administration began. SENT: 210 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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HKN-NHL-ALL-STAR-GAME - Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored three goals and the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division 5-3 in the final 3-on-3 match of the NHL All-Star Game. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, at 20 the youngest All-Star, also scored three goals for the Metropolitan team in the All-Star extravaganza’s first trip to Las Vegas. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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