Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,500

ADANA, Turkey (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria, killing more than 2,500 people and injuring thousands more. It toppled hundreds of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble or pancaked floors. Authorities feared the death toll would rise further as rescuers on both sides…

Chinese balloon now over central US as Blinken cancels visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle is drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday — while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions, and the Biden administration weighed…

Donald Trump is reinstated to Facebook after 2-year ban

Facebook parent Meta is reinstating former President Donald Trump’s personal account after two-year suspension following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The company said in a blog post Wednesday it is adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules. Trump’s spokesperson did no immediately respond to a request for comment on…

Ukraine helicopter crash kills interior minister, others

BROVARY, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say a helicopter carrying Ukraine’s interior minister and other government officials crashed into a kindergarten in suburban Kyiv, killing him and about a dozen other people, including a child on the ground. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi oversaw Ukraine’s police and emergency services and is the most senior official to die…