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new york
Newspaper publisher dies at 96
NEW YORK -- Donald E. Newhouse has died at 96. He was president of one of the largest family-controlled publishing companies in the nation and a former board chairman of The Associated Press.
His family says he died at his home in New Jersey. During his career, Newhouse served as president of The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, and head of Advance Publications' newspaper group.
california
Actor Perry's assistant sentenced
LOS ANGELES -- Matthew Perry's personal assistant has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his role in the drug death of the "Friends" star.
Sixty-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa received the sentence in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday. The assistant was at Perry's side through the final days of his life in 2023. He injected Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine and found him dead in his Jacuzzi.
south carolina
Opening statements held in trial
COLUMBIA -- A South Carolina jury heard opening statements in the trial of a store owner charged with murder in the killing of a Black 14-year-old. Chikei Rick Chow shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back during a foot chase in Columbia in May 2023.
A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that the shooting was unprovoked. But the defense says the teen pointed a gun at Chow's son and Chow fired one shot in his son's defense.
World
uganda
Country closes border with Congo
KAMPALA -- Uganda has ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where suspected Ebola cases are surging. A local Ugandan task force gave the order on Wednesday.
This comes after Ugandan health workers were exposed to Ebola following the arrival of Congolese patients who crossed the border before the outbreak in Congo was declared on
May 15. Uganda has so far reported seven cases of Ebola, including a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala.
egypt
Iranians back online after shutdown
CAIRO -- Iranians have begun to regain internet access after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users say service is slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January.
Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce.
gaza strip
Airstrikes kill Hamas' military leader
DEIR AL-BALAH -- Hamas is confirming that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City killed the new leader of Hamas' military wing.
The group said in a statement on Wednesday that Mohammed Odeh was killed the previous day, along with his wife and two of his children. The attack came less than two weeks after Odeh's predecessor was also killed.