AP News Digest 3:15 am

Wednesday 25 January 2023 06:20 GMT

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ONLY ON AP

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THE AP INTERVIEW-POPE FRANCIS-LGBTQ — Pope Francis is criticizing laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, he called on those Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 750 words, photos, video.

THE AP INTERVIEW-POPE FRANCIS-PAPACY — Pope Francis says he hasn’t even considered issuing norms to regulate future papal resignations. In his first interview since the death of retired Pope Benedict XVI, Francis has told AP that he plans to continue for as long as he can as bishop of Rome, despite a wave of attacks by some top-ranked cardinals and bishops. Francis addressed his health, his critics and the next phase of his pontificate, which marks its 10th anniversary in March. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

THE AP INTERVIEW-POPE FRANCIS-TAKEAWAYS — Pope Francis says continued dialogue with Chinese authorities is a guiding principle in his efforts to safeguard his flock who are a small minority in that Asian nation. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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AMERICA-MASS KILLINGS — America has more guns than people — and it’s starting 2023 with a steady barrage of violence after three years of isolation, stress and infighting during the pandemic. In California alone, mass killings have claimed the lives of two dozen people over just eight days. The victims include 11 people killed celebrating the Lunar New Year at a dance hall, seven farmworkers killed in Half Moon Bay and a 17-year-old mother and her baby shot dead in an attack that killed five generations. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. With NORTHERN CALIFORNIA-FATAL SHOOTING — Suspect in shootings at Half Moon Bay farms was employee; CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING — “It’s insane”: California copes with third massacre in eight days; TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-FAMILIES — Uvalde families press urgency after California shootings.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-MILITARY AID — In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered. By Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee. SENT: 910 words, photos.

PERU-PROTESTS — Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Peru’s capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a “truce” in almost two months of protests. The antigovernment protest was the largest – and most violent — since last week, when large groups of people, many from remote Andean regions, descended on the capital to demand Boluarte’s resignation, immediate elections and the dissolution of Congress. By Daniel Politi. SENT: 870 words, photos.

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS-UNSAFE SECRETS — The discovery of classified documents at the home of former Vice President Mike Pence is scrambling the blame game in Washington. Lawmakers from both parties seem united in frustration with the string of mishaps in the handling of the U.S. government’s secrets. By Calvin Woodward and Chris Megerian. UPCOMING: 1,200 words, photos by 8 a.m. Also see PENCE-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS and CLASSIFIED CONUNDRUM below.

LEBANON-HEZBOLLAH ENVIRONMENTALISTS — Green Without Borders is a non-governmental organization that says its main aim is to protect green areas and animal habitat around Lebanon as well as planting trees in rural areas. But the organization, which is active in southern Lebanon, including areas along the border with Israel, is accused by Israel and the U.S. of being an arm of the militant group Hezbollah. By Bassem Mroue and Fay Abuelgasim. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

ASIA-LUNAR NEW YEAR-TRAVEL — The beaches and temples of Asian travel hotspots like Bali and Chiang Mai are the busiest they have been since the pandemic struck three years ago, but they're still relatively quiet. Chinese tourists who used to visit by the millions have yet to return in big numbers, even after Beijing relaxed COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Lunar New Year began this week without much of a bang. By Tassanee Vejpongsa and Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 930 words, photos.

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AP News Digest 3:15 am