AP News Digest 5:35 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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NEPAL-PLANE CRASH — A 72-seat Nepali passenger aircraft crashed into a gorge while landing at a newly opened airport in the central resort town of Pokhara, killing at least 32 people, an official says. By Upendra Man Singh and Sheikh Saaliq. SENT: 670 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-FIGHTING’S-TOLL — In a Ukrainian hospital ward for wounded soldiers, where daylight barely penetrates, a father talks to his injured son for hours. Serhii Shumei feels that caring for his son, Vitalii, is his contribution to Ukraine’s war effort. Vitalii, a 34-year-old long-range anti-aircraft missile commander, was wounded in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The Donbas has become synonymous with horrific losses in ongoing fighting for both Ukraine and Russia. By Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 670 words, photos.
SEVERE-WEATHER-TORNADOS — An Alabama mechanic took refuge in a shipping container as a tornado decimated his shop and killed two neighbors. A woman hid in a bathtub with her 2-year-old son, telling her mother by phone: “If the house is messed up I’ll be in the tub area.” The harrowing stories of survivors of Thursday’s storm are emerging as residents comb through the wreckage wrought by tornadoes and blistering winds that killed at least nine people in Alabama and Georgia. By Sharon Johnson and Butch Dill. SENT: 780 words, photos, video, audio.
EMIRATES-SOUTH-KOREA — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received an honor guard welcome on a trip to the United Arab Emirates as he hopes to expand its military sales here. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA — The World Health Organization has appealed to China to keep releasing information about its wave of COVID-19 infections after the government announced nearly 60,000 deaths since early December following weeks of complaints it was failing to tell the world what was happening. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 430 words, photos.
SOMALIA-TOTAL-WAR — Enough was enough. For 13 years, extremists with al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate had controlled Mohamud Adow’s village in central Somalia, imposing harsh ideology and arresting local teachers and traditional leaders. By Omar Faruk. SENT: 980 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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MISS-UNIVERSE — R’Bonney Gabriel, a fashion designer, model and sewing instructor from Texas who competition officials said is the first Filipino American to win Miss USA, was crowned Miss Universe. SENT: 310 words, photos.
BILLS-HAMLIN — Damar Hamlin visited with teammates at the Bills’ facility for the first time since being discharged from a Buffalo hospital, 12 days after the safety went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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CALIFORNIA STORMS — Storm-battered California got more wind, rain and snow on Saturday, raising flooding concerns, causing power outages and making travel dangerous. Bands of rain with gusty winds started in the north and spread south, with more storms expected to follow into early next week, the National Weather Service says. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the latest death in a monthslong spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FILM-RRR-Q&A — Hollywood’s awards season has found an unlikely underdog in “RRR.” S.S. Rajamouli’s three-hour maximalist action epic is one of India’s most expensive and top-grossing films of all time. SENT: 1,360 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN-SEAHAWKS-49ERS — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score in his playoff debut, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 41-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in a wild-card game. SENT: 890 words, photos.
FBN-CHARGERS-JAGUARS — Trevor Lawrence followed four interceptions with four touchdown passes — one of the most improbable turnarounds in NFL postseason history — and rallied the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-30 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. SENT: 950 words, photos.
GEORGIA-CELEBRATION — For the second straight year, streets in Athens, Georgia, were closed for a parade leading to a celebration at Sanford Stadium for Georgia’s national football championship. No team has won three consecutive national championships in the AP poll era. SENT: 520 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.