'Wow!' The eye surgery marathon that restored sight for some South Africans

TSAKANE, South Africa (AP) – Gladys Khoza had missed being able to see her family. Not because they couldn’t visit, but because the 84-year-old had vision problems. Now that has changed. Khoza is one of 133 people whose sight was restored during a “marathon” of free cataract surgeries conducted by doctors in South Africa at two hospitals over two weekends last month.

 

Nearly a century of wondering: The American UFO saga, in reality and in fiction

UFOs, or the notion of them, have been around a long time. Here’s a look at how the various iterations of the subject – from government investigations to sightings to movies and TV – have unfolded since World War II: On June 24, private pilot Kenneth A. Arnold reports seeing nine objects flying near Mount Rainier in Washington state.

Trump's Iran war leaves Republicans adrift ahead of midterms

NEW YORK (AP) – This is not the run-up to the midterm elections that Republicans wanted. A year and a half after winning the White House by promising to lower costs and end wars, Donald Trump is a wartime president overseeing surging energy costs and an escalating overseas conflict that many in his own party do not like.

 

Editorials from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 8 as Kyiv holds door open for Easter truce

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a “massive” missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure.

French and South Korean leaders say they'll work together on Strait of Hormuz

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday accused China of “bullying” by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships – though for a short period of time – after the Central American country seized control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company.

Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) – Myanmar’s parliament on Friday elected Min Aung Hlaing, a general who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021 and kept an iron grip on power for the past five years, as the country’s new president. The move marks a nominal return to an elected government but is widely considered as an effort to keep the army in power.

US F15 Jet Shot Down Over Iran - 1 Crew Member Rescued and 1 Missing

WASHINGTON (AP) – US military says the American aircraft was ‘shot down,’ according to an email obtained by AP. One crew member has been rescued after an American aircraft was shot down in Iran, U.S. and Israeli officials said on Friday. Iranian TV had said at least one crew member ejected, and urged Iranians to deliver any "enemy pilot" to police.