Sherpa guide sets Everest record

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- A Sherpa guide scaled Mount Everest for the 25th time on Friday, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world's highest peak. Kami Rita and 11 other Sherpa guides reached the summit at about 6 p.m., Department of Tourism official Mira Acharya said. They are the first group of climbers to reach the summit this year and were fixing the ropes on the icy route so that hundreds of other climbers can scale the peak later this month. Rita, 51, first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of the hundreds of climbers who head to Nepal each year seeking to stand on top of the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) mountain. His father was among the first Sherpa guides, and Rita followed in his footsteps and then some. In addition to his 25 times to the top of Everest, Rita has scaled several other peaks that are among the world's highest, including K-2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse. He was at Everest's base camp in 2015 when an avalanche swept through, killing 19 people. After that, he came under intense family pressure to quit mountaineering, but in the end decided against it.

Turtles rescued from drains

They're lean, they're mean and they're green. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not exactly, but hundreds of diamondback terrapin hatchlings have been rescued from subterranean storm drains along the Jersey Shore. The turtles were hiding from the cold temperatures over the winter and surviving off yolk sacks in drains in Margate, Ventnor and Ocean City. Volunteers who rescued 826 of the animals turned them over to Stockton University's "Head Start" program, where staff will care for and rehabilitate the creatures for about a year before placing them back in the wild, NJ Advance Media reported. There are 1,108 terrapins receiving care from the program, which has reached capacity. If you find a hatchling, Stockton recommends placing the animal in room-temperature water up to the shell with a rock it can climb on. Healthy turtles can be released at dusk into a tidal creek or bay area.

Charged in bank hostage case

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Charges were filed Friday against a man accused of holding five employees hostage during a standoff at a Minnesota bank that lasted more than eight hours. Ray R. McNeary, 35, was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, five counts of kidnapping and assault in Stearns County District Court. Police said Friday that no firearm was found on McNeary or at the scene. McNeary was arrested in the Wells Fargo bank shortly after the final hostage left the building. Law enforcement officers began negotiating with McNeary about 1:45 p.m. Thursday after a robbery was reported. The first hostage, a woman, was freed several hours later and ran to officers with her hands raised. A few minutes later, a second woman emerged and was led away. Then, just before 8 p.m., a male bank employee emerged unharmed. A fourth person, a woman, walked out minutes later. A crowd had gathered near the bank and cheered each time a hostage emerged. The final hostage was freed about 10:15 p.m. That's when officers moved in and arrested the suspect. None were hurt. Chief Blair Anderson said the standoff began when the suspect came to the bank and was disgruntled about a prior transaction. The branch manager called police because he was concerned about the safety of those inside the bank. "We have had numerous contacts with this individual dating back at least a decade, including violent crime," Anderson said.

Pandemic high for air travel

About 1.64 million people were screened at U.S. airports Thursday, the busiest day for air travel since March 2020, the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The previous pandemic high for air travel was reached just four days earlier and with the Mother's Day weekend on the way, this record is likely to be surpassed quickly as well. Air travel has yet to return to anywhere near the typical levels seen before COVID-19 brought flights almost to a standstill. In April and May, airport crowds were down about 40% compared with the same period in 2019, according to figures from the Transportation Security Administration. Airlines began to register a pronounced uptick in bookings around mid-February, which they attribute partly to the nation's massive vaccine rollout. Leisure destinations such as beach towns and mountain regions have been the most popular, while cities favored by business travelers have lagged behind. Airline stocks rose Friday, with American, Delta, United and Southwest all gaining between 2% and 3% in afternoon trading.

Hedges on 2024 moon landing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's new administrator is big on tackling climate and diversifying the agency's workforce, but hedging on whether the U.S. can put astronauts on the moon by 2024. In his first interview since becoming NASA's top official this week, former Sen. Bill Nelson told The Associated Press on Friday that tracking climate change is a top issue. He also wants to diversify the space agency's workforce so it reflects America. As for landing astronauts on the moon, Nelson said the goal remains 2024, a deadline set by the Trump administration. But he said he needs more time to review the matter, especially with a contract protest over the lunar lander for astronauts. "We all know that space is hard," he said, noting there are often delays developing new technologies. "But the goal is 2024." His underlying vision for NASA: "to explore the heavens with humans and machines."

Ex-manager running for mayor

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Former Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine is taking a swing at politics, announcing Friday that he's running for mayor of his Connecticut hometown. Valentine, 70, who currently serves as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University, posted a video on social media and said he'll run as an independent candidate in Stamford. "The greatest commodity I have is my time and I want to give my time and my energy and my wherewithal back to the city that has given me so much over my lifetime," he said. Valentine, a Stamford native, was a three-sport high school star in the city. Valentine, who owns a sports bar in Stamford, served as the city's health and public safety director in 2011, before being hired by the Red Sox. He joins a race that includes two Democrats: incumbent David Martin and state Rep. Caroline Simmons.

Palestinians, Israel police clash

JERUSALEM -- Palestinian worshippers clashed with Israeli police late Friday at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a major holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews, in an escalation of weeks of violence in Jerusalem that has reverberated across the region. The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said 136 people were wounded in clashes with police there and elsewhere in Jerusalem, including 83 who were hospitalized. It says most were wounded in the face and eyes by rubber-coated bullets and shrapnel from stun grenades. Israel said six police officers were wounded. Earlier Friday, Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians and wounded a third after the men opened fire on a base belonging to Israel's paramilitary Border Police force in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a series of deadly confrontations in recent weeks that has coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. More unrest appears likely next week. Tensions have soared in recent weeks in east Jerusalem, which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians. At the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Israel blocked off a popular gathering spot where Palestinians traditionally socialize at the end of their daylong fast. The move set off two weeks of clashes before Israel lifted the restrictions. But in recent days, clashes have resumed due to Israel's threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem, who have been embroiled in a long legal battle with Israeli settlers trying to acquire property in the neighborhood.

4 ex-cops indicted in Floyd death

MINNEAPOLIS -- A federal grand jury has indicted the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's arrest and death, accusing them of willfully violating the Black man's constitutional rights as he was restrained face-down on the pavement and gasping for air. A three-count indictment unsealed Friday names Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao. Chauvin was convicted last month on state charges of murder and manslaughter and is asking for a new trial. The other three are set for state trial on Aug. 23. It's not clear what will happen in this case, but generally the state charges play out before federal charges do. The indictment sends a strong message about the Justice Department's priorities. Floyd's May 25 arrest and death, which a bystander captured on cellphone video, sparked mass protests nationwide that called for an end to racial inequalities and police mistreatment of Black people. When President Joe Biden was elected, he promised he'd work to end disparities in the criminal justice system. The indictments were handed up about a week after federal prosecutors brought hate crimes charges in the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and announced two sweeping probes into policing in two states. The Rev. Al Sharpton said the federal charges against the officers show the Justice Department "does not excuse it nor allow police to act as though as what they do is acceptable behavior in the line of duty."

California reports population loss

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California's population fell by more than 182,000 people in 2020, marking the first year-over-year loss ever recorded for the nation's most populous state. State officials announced Friday that California's population dipped 0.46% to just under 39.5 million people from January 2020 to January 2021. The news comes one week after the U.S. Census Bureau announced a paltry population growth for California, resulting in the state losing a congressional seat for the first time because it grew more slowly than other states over the past decade. But the census numbers reflect the state's population in April 2020. The new state numbers released Friday reflect the state's population as of January 2021. The state four most populated cities -- Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco -- lost a combined 88,000 people. LA dropped the most at nearly 52,000 and has now lost about 75,000 people in the last three years to fall to an overall population of just over 3.9 million.

Use of China vaccine approved

GENEVA -- The World Health Organization gave emergency use authorization Friday to a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China's Sinopharm, potentially paving the way for millions of the doses to reach needy countries through a U.N.-backed program rolling out coronavirus vaccines. The decision by a WHO technical advisory group -- a first for a Chinese vaccine -- opens the possibility that Sinopharm's offering could be included in the U.N.-backed COVAX program in coming weeks or months and distributed through UNICEF and the WHO's Americas regional office. Aside from efficacy numbers, the Chinese manufacturer has released very little public data about its two vaccines -- one developed by its Beijing Institute of Biological Products and the other by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. The Beijing shot is one the WHO advisory group considered for the emergency use listing. "This afternoon, WHO gave emergency use listing to sign off on Beijing's COVID-19 vaccine, making it the sixth vaccine to receive WHO validation for safety, efficacy and quality," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhahom Ghebreysus told reporters.

US job growth slows sharply

WASHINGTON -- The recovery of America's job market hit a pause last month as many businesses -- from restaurants and hotels to factories and construction companies -- struggled to find enough workers to catch up with a rapidly strengthening economic rebound. Employers added just 266,000 jobs in April, sharply lower than in March and far fewer than economists had expected. With viral cases declining and states and localities easing restrictions, the recovery from the pandemic recession has been so fast that many businesses have been caught flat-footed in the face of surging consumer demand. Last month's hiring slowdown appears to reflect a host of factors. Nearly 3 million people are reluctant to look for work because they fear catching the virus, according to government surveys. More women also dropped out of the workforce last month, likely to care for children, after many had returned in the previous two months. In addition, construction companies and manufacturers, especially automakers, have been left short of parts because of clogged supply chains and have had to slow production for now. Both sectors pulled back on hiring in April. And some businesses say they believe that a $300-a-week jobless benefit, paid for by the federal government, is discouraging some of the unemployed from taking new jobs. Still, companies have added jobs for four straight months, the Labor Department said Friday, though the government lowered its estimate of job growth for February and March by a combined 78,000. April's total is far below March's gain of 770,000.

Texas voting bill passes House

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas has become the latest Republican-dominated state to advance sweeping new limits on voting, despite no evidence of any problems with last year's vote and a coalition of state and federal officials calling the 2020 presidential election the most secure in history. The GOP-led restrictions cleared the Texas House on Friday, starting with the a key vote at 3 a.m. It followed hours of debate that started the day before, and lawmakers are now likely to begin negotiating a final version of the legislation that will need approval before heading to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who signaled an eagerness to sign it. "One step closer to my desk & making it TX law," he tweeted Friday. From Florida to Georgia, Iowa and now Texas, Republican lawmakers have used unsubstantiated claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies to justify new voting restrictions. They argue the new limits, which largely target mail voting, are needed to boost public confidence and improve security. In some cases, the rules also create onerous requirements and penalties for local election officials. In Texas, Democrats have virtually no path to stop the bill in the GOP-controlled Legislature, but they warned of legal fights ahead.

Amazon deforestation surges

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Preliminary data released Friday signaled deforestation of Brazil's Amazon in April was the highest for that month in at least five years, a report that comes two weeks after Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would dedicate more energy and resources toward curbing deforestation. Deforestation rose 43% over the same month in 2020, to 581 square kilometers (224 square miles), according to the government's Deter monitoring system, which provides daily deforestation alerts based on satellite images. At the U.S.-led climate summit on April 22, Bolsonaro shifted his tone on Amazon preservation and exhibited willingness to step up commitment, even though many critics remain doubtful of his credibility. He also said Brazil requires outside funds to curb deforestation of the world's largest tropical rainforest. His environment minister this year began talks with officials from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who has directly called on Brazil to take stronger action. Officials and activists are watching closely for signs whether Bolsonaro's shift in tone amounts to more than empty promises. Bolsonaro has previously exalted the need to tap the Amazon's resources, cast aspersions on environmental activists who defend the rainforest and snarled at European leaders who decried its destruction. In the 12 months through mid-2020, deforestation reached its worst level in more than a decade.

Fire at medical pot lab kills 1

ROME -- A blaze on Friday at a small laboratory in central Italy that treats marijuana so it can be used medically left a man dead, three injured survivors and a woman missing. Flames raged through a small building in the countryside outside Gubbio in the Umbria region. The fire apparently was caused by a gas explosion.

India disaster hangs over countries

SOHAG, Egypt -- Countries worldwide wrestling with new coronavirus surges are trying to ensure they aren't hit by an India-style disaster. They face many of the same risks, including large populations that have shirked restrictions and fragile health systems shaken under the strain. In a province along the Nile in southern Egypt, hospitals have been flooded with COVID-19 patients, a main hot spot in a third spike swelling across the country. Doctors in Sohag province warn the health system there could collapse, even as the government rushes in new supplies. "My estimate is that there is no family in Sohag that does not have a corona case," said Dr. Mahmoud Fahmy Mansour, head of the province's doctors' union. "We lost five physicians in one week." He said a scenario like India was a possibility, but "God willing, it is a very far possibility." Long reluctant to impose new lockdowns, Egypt's government announced its strictest restrictions in months on Wednesday. It ordered cafes, restaurants, stores and malls to close at 9 p.m. and banned large gatherings for two weeks, as well as shutting down beaches and parks during the upcoming Eid el-Fitr holiday at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.