Aid ship sets sail to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands face starvation 5 months into war
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An aid ship loaded with some 200 tons of food has set sail for Gaza. It’s a pilot program for the opening of a sea corridor to the territory, where the Israel-Hamas war has driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation. The food was gathered by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and is being transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms.
The ship departed from the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus and is expected to arrive in the Gaza in two to three days. The United States has separately announced plans to construct a sea bridge near Gaza in order to deliver aid, but it will likely be several weeks before it is operational.
Gaza family uprooted by war, grieving their losses shares somber Ramadan meal in a tent
MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — For Muslims around the world, Ramadan combines religious reflection and charity with festive celebrations as families gather for the evening meal breaking the fast. In Gaza, ravaged by war, this Ramadan’s first iftar was a somber affair, particularly for people displaced by the fighting.
A widow living in a tent camp said Ramadan this year is marked by starvation, pain and loss. Randa Baker used to serve elaborate iftar meals in her home in a upper middle-class area of Gaza City. This year, she fed her children rice, peas and potatoes from charity and aid groups as the family sat on the floor of a tent.
Purple Ohio? Parties in the former bellwether state take lessons from 2023 abortion, marijuana votes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Academics, politicos and Republicans caution not to read too much into 2023’s election outcomes in Ohio. Ohio’s political pendulum swung left last year as voters in the one-time bellwether state overwhelmingly supported enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution and voted to legalize recreational marijuana. But the victories have been encouraging for Democrats, who are defending a pivotal U.S. Senate seat in a state that’s twice supported Republican Donald Trump by wide margins. Democratic Chair Elizabeth Walters says Republican politicians showed voters last year they “were not on their side.” Ohio’s Republican chairman says he likes Republicans’ chances in 2024 but the party cannot be overconfident.
Russia reports Ukrainian drone strikes on targets deep inside its territory and a border incursion
Russian officials say Ukraine has launched a wave of long-range drones against targets deep inside Russia. They said Tuesday that the drones hit at least two oil facilities in the attack on eight regions of Russia in the latest display of Kyiv’s expanding drone capacity. The strikes appeared to be evidence of Ukraine’s growing sophistication in domestic drone technology and its brashness in taking the war to Russia after the Kremlin’s forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv’s increasingly bold attacks behind the 1,500-kilometer or 930-mile front line running through eastern and southern Ukraine are coinciding with Russia’s presidential election.
As Putin orchestrates his reelection, a resilient Russian economy is a key selling point
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s economy is holding up despite massive Western sanctions and foreign businesses pulling out of the country. While some goods aren’t available, President Vladimir Putin can point to a stable, growing economy as he orchestrates his reelection to a fifth, six-year term this week. Yes, there’s inflation that consumers are feeling as they shop, and some favorite imported goods may be gone or much more expensive. But massive government spending on the military and other moves have been giving the economy a boost. Plus, oil income is still rolling in. For most people in Russia, not much has changed in the economy.
US inflation up again in February in latest sign that price pressures remain elevated
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United States picked up last month, a sign that inflation remains a persistent challenge for the Federal Reserve and for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, both of which are counting on a steady easing of price pressures this year. Prices rose 0.4% from January to February, a pickup from the previous month’s figure of 0.3%. Compared with 12 months earlier, consumer prices rose 3.2% last month, faster than January’s 3.1% annual pace. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so called “core” prices also climbed 0.4% from January to February, matching the previous month’s increase and a faster pace than is consistent with the Fed’s 2% target.
Girls are falling in love with wrestling, the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, sanctioned by a surging number of states and bolstered by a movement of medal-winning female wrestlers, parents and the male-dominated ranks of coaches and administrators who saw it as a necessity and a matter of equality. Where once girls wrestled on boys teams and against boys, increasingly they are wrestling on girls teams and against girls. And now that they are wrestling in sanctioned and official tournaments against girls, their names are going onto plaques on their high schools’ walls and into state record books.
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