15 years after death, boy's message in a bottle back home

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — It was just a green bottle floating above a barge. Over the past 33 years, currents had taken it 295 river miles through the Mississippi Delta. However, Billy Mitchell didn’t know that when he walked by it at first, before it caught his eye....

Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region

POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscow's forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city. ...

EXPLAINER: Heat, humidity a perilous mix in migrant deaths

The combination of heat and humidity would have quickly created life-threatening conditions inside the packed, un-air-conditioned tractor-trailer where dozens of migrants were found dead, an expert said. Although it’s unclear how long the people had been inside the trailer, it...

Australia talks down prospect of having nuclear subs by 2030

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s new defense minister on Wednesday talked down the prospect of Australia acquiring U.S. nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the decade, describing such a timetable as “optimistic in the extreme.” Defense Minister Richard Marles,...

House panel votes to fund extra destroyer in new fiscal year

BATH, Maine (AP) — A key congressional committee has signed off on an additional destroyer like those built at Bath Iron Works for the upcoming fiscal year. The House Armed Services Committee approved an extra $37 billion in spending in an amendment sponsored by Rep. Jared Golden,...

Editorial Roundup:

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: June 21 The Washington Post says it is crucial the White House stick up for what would be the FDA’s most assertive antismoking policy ever. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday...

Navy destroyer bears name of decorated Marine killed in WWII

BATH, Maine (AP) — The christening of a Navy destroyer on Saturday highlighted the sacrifices of two generations — the ship’s namesake killed in World War II and another Marine who died more than 60 years later. The future USS Basilone bears the name of a Marine who was awarded...

China launches high-tech aircraft carrier in naval milestone

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing launched a new-generation aircraft carrier Friday, the first such ship to be both designed and built in China, in a milestone as it seeks to extend the range and power of its navy. The Type 003 carrier christened Fujian left its drydock at a shipyard outside...

China launches third aircraft carrier, first one entirely domestically designed and built

Chinese destroyer on long-distance exercises in Sea of Japan

BEIJING (AP) — One of China's largest and most capable combat ships is conducting long-distance exercises in the Sea of Japan, state media reported Thursday, in a display of China's increasing naval reach. The Communist Party newspaper Global Times said the mission was the first...