AP News Summary at 8:20 am EDT

Winter’s approach sets clock ticking for Ukraine, Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The onset of autumnal weather in Ukraine is making fields too muddy for tanks and beginning to cloud Ukrainian efforts to take back more Russian-held territory before winter freezes the battlefields. The clock is ticking for both sides. Russia is rushing to call up hundreds of thousands of men to throw into the seven-month war, seeking to reverse its recent losses. The mobilization is sparking Russian protests, with fresh demonstrations Sunday. It is also opening splits in Europe about whether fighting-age Russian men fleeing in droves should be welcomed or turned away.

Canadian military to help clean up Fiona’s devastation

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian troops are being sent to assist the recovery from the devastation of storm Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped off roofs and knocked out power across the country’s Atlantic provinces. After surging north from the Caribbean as a hurricane, Fiona came ashore before dawn Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, heavy rains and huge waves. Defense Minister Anita Anand says troops will help remove fallen trees and other debris, restore transportation links and do whatever else is required for as long as it takes. She hasn’t specified how many troops will be deployed. No fatalities or serious injuries have been confirmed, though police say a woman is listed as missing.

Florida monitors a growing Tropical Storm Ian in Caribbean

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities and residents in Florida are keeping a cautious eye on Tropical Storm Ian as it rumbles through the Caribbean, expected to continue gaining strength and become a major hurricane in the coming days on a forecast track toward the state. gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a statewide emergency, expanding an order from Friday that had covered two dozen counties. He is urging Floridians to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of the state. Some residents have begun stocking up on supplies such as water, plywood and generators. President Joe Biden has also declared an emergency for the state.

Italians vote in election that could take far-right to power

ROME (AP) — Italians are voting in a national election coming at a critical time for Europe. Soaring energy bills, largely caused by the war in Ukraine, have households and businesses fearful they can’t keep the heat or lights on this winter. Sunday’s balloting for Italy’s Parliament might yield the nation’s first government led by the far right since the end of World War II. Opinion polls had indicated Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, with its neo-fascist roots, would be the top vote- getters Polls opened at 7 am The counting of paper ballots is expected to begin shortly after they close at 11 pm (2100 GMT), with projections based on partial results coming early Monday morning.

Poverty and inflation: Egypt’s economy hit by global turmoil

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — For decades, millions of Egyptians have depended on the government to keep basic goods affordable. But a series of shocks to the global economy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have endedangered the social contract in the Middle East’s most populous country, which is also the world’s biggest importer of wheat. It is now grappling with double-digit inflation and a steep devaluation of its currency, prompting oil-rich Gulf Arab countries to once again step in with financial support as talks with the International Monetary Fund drag on. The possibility of food insecurity has raised concerns.

Flashes of bold UN talk on feminism, masculinity, patriarchy

Few men in power have delved deeply into gender equality on the main stage of the United Nations this month. But the ones who did went there boldly. They claimed feminist credibility, sold “positive masculinity” and resolutely demanded an end to The Patriarchy. Gender equality is one of the UN’s primary goals. It has long been a safe talking point for world leaders, and there were many brief and political mentions of progress made toward female empowerment. There were also some leaders who did not say the words “women” or “girls” at all during their time on stage. At other times, aa word considered a dirty word by many for generations was used proudly. feminism.

Prosecutors to begin Florida school shooter trial rebuttal

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz are about to begin their rebuttal case. They are expected to present expert witnesses who will testify starting Tuesday that Cruz is a sociopath and fully responsible for his murder of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. They are trying to counter defense testimony that said Cruz’s birth mother drank heavily during pregnancy, damaging his brain. Cruz pleaded guilty last year to murder. The trial is only to determine if the 24-year-old is sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole. The rebuttal case could take up to two weeks.

South Korea says North Korea test-fired missile toward sea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern seas, extending a provocative streak in weapons testing as a US aircraft carrier visits South Korea for joint military exercises in response to the North’s growing nuclear threat . South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile launched Sunday from the western inland town of Taechon flew 370 miles cross-country on a maximum altitude of 37 miles before landing in waters off North Korea’s eastern coast. It’s possible that Sunday’s test could soon be followed with another ballistic launch as South Korean officials said Saturday that they detected signs that North Korea was preparing to test a missile designed to be fired from submarines.

Powerful typhoon hits north Philippines, thousands evacuated

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon has slammed into the northeastern Philippines and is barreling across the main Luzon island toward the capital in a densely populated path where thousands have been evacuated to safety. Typhoon Noru hit the coastal town of Burdeos on Polillo Island shortly before nightfall Sunday. With sustained winds of 121 miles per hour and strong gusts, forecasters say it’s expected to weaken slightly when it hits mountains but will remain dangerously ferocious. Thousands of villagers were evacuated — some forcibly — from the typhoon’s path as well as from mountainside villages prone to landslides and flash floods. Schools and offices are closed in capital Manila where the typhoon is forecast to pass overnight before it hits the South China Sea on Monday.