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DETROIT -- A four-member suburban Detroit lottery club won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot and will receive $557 million after taxes, officials said Friday. The winners claimed their prize weeks after the Jan. 22 drawing and chose the immediate lump sum option. After taxes, the $776 million payment was reduced to about $557 million. The names of the four Oakland County club members were not released. The Wolverine FLL Club had the only jackpot-winning ticket. "This kind of money will impact the families of our club members for generations to come. We plan to stay humble and pay it forward through charitable giving in southeast Michigan," attorney Kurt Panouses said on behalf of the winners. The $1.05 billion jackpot was the largest in Michigan Lottery history and the third-largest in the United States. Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The winning ticket was purchased almost as an afterthought at a Kroger grocery store in the Detroit suburb of Novi. "A club member saw a sign that the jackpot was up to $1 billion and remembered that they hadn't bought their tickets yet so they pulled into the Kroger," Panouses said. "When you play, of course, you dream of winning, but the reality of it has been incredible." Kroger said it would donate its $50,000 commission to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.
Spanish police sink narco sub
MADRID -- Spanish police announced Friday that they seized a homemade narco-submarine able to carry up to 2.2 tons of cargo. Police came across the 30-feet-long craft last month while it was being built in Malaga, on southern Spain's Costa del Sol, during a broader international drug operation involving five other countries and the European Union crime agency Europol. The 10-feet-wide semisubmersible craft is made of fiberglass and plywood panels attached to a structural frame, has three portholes on one side and is painted light blue. It has two 200-horsepower engines operated from the inside. Rafael Perez, head of the Spanish police, said the vessel had never sailed. "We think it was going to go into the high seas to meet a mother ship (to) take on board the drugs," probably cocaine, before returning to Spain, Perez said. "It is like an iceberg," he said of the vessel's structure. "In practice, nearly all of it goes under water apart from the top, which is the only part of it that would be seen from another ship or a helicopter." Similar drug-smuggling vessels have in the past been discovered in the Atlantic Ocean, especially off Central and South America. They sit low in the water to escape detection and rarely are able to fully submerge. The wider police operation against the alleged international smuggling ring netted hundreds of kilos of cocaine, hashish and marijuana in various places in Spain, with 52 people arrested.
PR to reopen historic church
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The construction worker stood on his tiptoes and tried to arrange a crown of thorns on a statue of Jesus while architect Jorge Rigau fired a flurry of directions from beneath the ladder. "Grab it like this and move it just a bit," he said, motioning with his fingers. "Move it to the right, but don't lower it." It was one of the final touches on a detailed restoration of the second oldest surviving Spanish church in the Americas, whose construction had begun by 1532 on land donated by famous explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and whose base was erected atop an Indigenous settlement. The church was built for a Dominican convent where the renowned Spanish priest Bartolome de las Casas once lived, served as shelter during an attack by the Indigenous Tainos, became Puerto Rico's first high school and was damaged by a cannonball during the 1898 Spanish-American War in which Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. But the San Jose Church -- surpassed in age only by the Spanish cathedral in the neighboring Dominican Republic -- was shuttered in 1996 due to serious deterioration. San Juan's own cathedral dates to 1521, but the original wooden building was destroyed and the current structure dates to 1540. The $11 million restoration became a personal project for businessman Ricardo Gonzalez that took nearly two decades to complete. Many thought it would fail due to funding problems, the lack of an original blueprint to provide guidance and widespread deterioration including termites, pigeon droppings and tree roots that had pierced the church's Gothic-style nave whose ribbed vault was once described as "a grand accomplishment rarely seen outside Europe."
New York gov remains defiant
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Facing unprecedented political isolation, a defiant New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted on Friday that he would not step down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and condemned the sprawling coalition of Democrats calling for his resignation as "reckless and dangerous." The third-term Democratic governor, a leading critic of former President Donald Trump's pandemic response, evoked the Republican in defending himself against "cancel culture." "I'm not going to resign," Cuomo said during an afternoon phone call with reporters. "I did not do what has been alleged. Period." He added: "People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture and the truth." The embattled governor's comments came on the day his party in New York and beyond turned sharply against him following allegations of harassment as well as sweeping criticism of Cuomo for keeping secret how many nursing home residents died of COVID-19 for months. Cuomo's growing list of detractors now covers virtually every region in the state and the political power centers of New York City and Washington. A majority of Democrats in the state legislature and 21 of the state's 27 U.S. House members have called on him to step down.
Israel's rescue chief steps down
JERUSALEM -- The head of Israel's renowned ZAKA rescue service stepped down from his post on Friday and relinquished a prestigious national prize amid sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1980s. Israeli media said police opened an investigation. In a statement, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, 61, denied the allegations detailed by the Haaretz daily a day earlier. The newspaper said it had interviewed six accusers and obtained evidence of sexual assault and exploitation going back decades, including of teenagers and younger children. The allegations surfaced just days after Meshi-Zahav was awarded the nation's most prestigious honor, the Israel Prize, for his work in ZAKA, the search and rescue organization he co-founded. The organization, drawing from thousands of volunteers, became internationally known in the 1990s when it responded to a wave of attacks by Palestinian militants. In a letter addressed to ZAKA volunteers and released Friday, Meshi-Zahav rejected the allegations against him. He said that "these stories are unfounded, gossip and the settling of scores against me." He said he was temporarily stepping down from his post because of concern over the "damage that may be caused as a result to this important organization." He also said he was also relinquishing the Israel Prize.
Wild wolf population growing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Once on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years, with more gains being reported in 2020. The results of the latest annual survey show there are at least 186 Mexican gray wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. That marks the fifth straight year that the endangered species has increased its numbers, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Reintroduction of Mexican wolves to the American Southwest began more than two decades ago. The program has pitted environmentalists, rural residents and wildlife managers against one another, prompting many legal challenges over management of the effort. The latest pending case involves a rewrite of the agency's management plan for the animals. Environmentalists said they were hopeful about the numbers but that the wolves were still in a precarious position.
Password-sharing crackdown eyed
NEW YORK -- Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. The popular streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify their account via email or text, or to "verify later." "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching," the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test. The test comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix confirmed the test, but did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere. "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," the company said in a statement. On the most basic plan, which costs $9 monthly, users can only stream on one screen at a time. The most popular plan, which is now $14 monthly, allows two simultaneous streams; the $18 premium plan allows 3. But there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren't streaming at the same time.
Mom, kids found in wilderness
CRAIG, Colo. -- A woman and her children stranded for two nights in the northwestern Colorado wilderness were found Thursday by aircraft after the 1-year-old daughter died. The three were found about a mile away from their vehicle as the mother was walking among sagebrush and not close to any road, Moffat County sheriff's office Lt. Chip McIntyre said. The sheriff's office said Kaylee Messerly, 36, and her daughter, 3, were taken to the hospital with exposure-related injuries. The 1-year-old daughter had died before the family was found. The cause of death was not immediately known. McIntyre said an oil field employee, who was not identified, discovered the woman's vehicle about 6 miles north of Craig stuck in mud and snow. The worker called authorities Thursday around 8 a.m.
Floyd family agrees to $27M
MINNEAPOLIS -- The city of Minneapolis on Friday agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd's family over the Black man's death in police custody, as jury selection continued in a former officer's murder trial. Council members met privately to discuss the settlement, then returned to public session for a unanimous vote in support of the massive payout. It easily surpassed the $20 million the city approved two years ago to the family of a white woman killed by a police officer. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump called it the largest pretrial settlement ever for a civil rights claim, and thanked city leaders for "showing you care about George Floyd."
Biden moves to ease border strain
BALTIMORE -- The Biden administration hopes to relieve the strain of thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the southern border by ending a Trump-era order that discouraged potential family sponsors from coming forward to care for them. The 2018 policy called on Health and Human Services to share information about family sponsors with immigration authorities, a move that discouraged parents and other relatives from stepping forward out of fear they would be deported. A senior administration official said Friday the Department of Health and Human Services was not a law enforcement agency and that the goal of Friday's announcement was to encourage family members and other sponsors to step forward. It comes as U.S. authorities saw a 60% increase in children crossing the southwest border alone between January and February to more than 9,400.
Arizona rep won't seek re-election
TUCSON, Ariz. -- U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a five-term Arizona Democrat, announced Friday she won't run for re-election in 2022. Her decision means her district is sure to draw heavy national attention in the election, with an open seat and potential control of the U.S. House of Representatives on the line. Kirkpatrick, 70, has represented two different districts during her congressional career -- first a district in mostly rural northern and eastern Arizona and more recently the 2nd District that has much of the Tucson area in southeastern Arizona.
Alley drone video takes off online
MINNEAPOLIS -- A video taken by a camera-equipped drone buzzing through the nooks and crannies of a historic Minneapolis bowling alley has attracted hundreds of thousands of views online. The drone in the 1 1/2-minute video at Bryant-Lake Bowl follows bowling balls down the alley and takes viewers behind the alley's reset mechanism, back out onto the floor and into the bar. The video is the work of 25-year-old cinematographer Jay Christensen, produced by Minneapolis-based Rally Studios and directed by Anthony Jaska, the Star Tribune reported. "Guardians of the Galaxy" filmmaker James Gunn tweeted the clip to his 800,000-plus followers, saying he wanted the filmmakers "to come with us to London later this year when we shoot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." Christensen, who lives near the bowling alley, was struck by the destruction and rebuilding along Lake Street following last year's rioting after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. "It made me think, what's the future of Lake Street going to look like?" he asked. "Bryant-Lake Bowl is a staple in the community, and not having it be that way didn't sit well with me." He approached the bowling alley's owner, who let them shoot after-hours because of coronavirus restrictions.
Memo bans Afghan girls singing
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A memo from Afghanistan's education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media, prompting the authorities to say it was a mistake and that its authors had misunderstood the objective. Still, #IAmMySong is gaining traction on Twitter, with some Afghan girls singing their favorite tunes for the camera and calls popping up for petitions to oppose the directive. The controversy comes as women's rights activists and civil society groups are fighting to ensure that fragile human rights gains made over the last 20 years in Afghanistan -- since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime -- take center stage in the peace talks underway with the insurgents. It also shows how the rights of girls and women are under threat from conservatives on both sides of the protracted conflict. "This is Talibanization from inside the republic," Sima Samar, an Afghan human rights activist of nearly 40 years, said on Friday. When they ruled the country, the Taliban -- notorious for their repression of women -- denied girls the right to education. Music, except religious songs, was also banned, as was television. The memo, which went to all school districts in Kabul, was rescinded, said ministry spokeswoman Najiba Arian, insisting that its authors had misunderstood the purpose. A new memo was sent, saying music groups for both secondary school girls and boys are banned. The objective was not to ban girls singing but to prevent boys and girls from participating in public events that could spread the coronavirus, she said. Afghanistan has recorded more than 55,000 cases of the virus and 2,451 deaths but testing is inadequate and the real numbers are believed to be far greater.
Gunmen abduct 39 students
LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen have attacked a school in northwestern Nigeria and kidnapped 39 students just weeks after a similar mass abduction in the region. The latest kidnapping took place late Thursday night at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, in the Igabi local government area of Kaduna state, police said. "The number of missing students is now confirmed to be 39, comprising 23 females and 16 males," said Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, said in a statement. Several school staff were also kidnapped, he added. Aruwan said the attack was carried out by a large group of "armed bandits," adding that the military engaged the attackers and were able to take 180 staff and students to safety. Conflict grows over vaccine supply
WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden's administration is stockpiling tens of millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine whose authorization in the U.S. remains uncertain, frustrating U.S. allies who say those doses should be used now to save lives overseas. The standoff is part of a growing global debate over who should have access to hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine that pharmaceutical companies are churning out in the U.S. Besides generating ill will, Biden's insistence on an excess supply for America is potentially creating new openings for geopolitical rivals Russia and China. A two-dose vaccine from AstraZeneca has received emergency clearance from the European Union and World Health Organization but not from the U.S. Now America's partners are prodding Biden to release his supply, noting that the administration has lined up enough doses of three already-authorized vaccines to cover every American adult by the end of May and the entire U.S. population by the end of July. AstraZeneca says that the U.S.-produced vaccines are "owned" by the U.S. government and that sending them overseas would require White House approval.