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MIAMI (AP) — Hawaiians are calmly awaiting Hurricane Ignacio, as it moves closer to the Big Island and Maui. But forecasters say the storm is weakening and is expected to become a tropical storm by tomorrow. And with the storm keeping about 200 miles away from the islands, meteorologists say a storm watch has been discontinued. In the Atlantic, Fred has strengthened to a hurricane, and is expected to move across the Cape Verde Islands this afternoon and tonight.
UNDATED (AP) — President Obama is headed today to Alaska, where his three-day trip will focus attention on climate change. Secretary of State John Kerry already is in Alaska, where he and the president will be addressing the State Department's Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic. Obama already is making waves with his decision to change the name of the tallest mountain in North America from Mount McKinley to Denali, its traditional Alaska Native name.
BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in China say the death toll has risen to 158 in the massive warehouse explosions in port of Tianjin (tyan-jihn), and some 15 people remain missing. Confirmed dead are 94 firefighters, 11 policemen and 53 civilians. The Aug. 12 series of blasts at warehouses storing hazardous chemicals was one of China's worst industrial accidents in years, and has exposed lax enforcement of safety regulations.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — He was known for slashers such as "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream." Writer and director Wes Craven died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles after battling brain cancer. He was 76. In 2010, Craven told The Los Angeles Times: "My goal is to die in my 90s on the set, say, 'That's a wrap,' after the last shot, fall over dead and have the grips go out and raise a beer to me."
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptians in part of the Nile Delta are outraged after a cleric allegedly changed a line in the traditional Islamic call to dawn prayers to mention Facebook. Instead of saying "prayer is better than sleep" twice, as he was supposed to, Shiekh Mahmoud Maghazi of Beheira province supposedly said, "Prayer is better than Facebook." The accusations against the cleric drew nationwide attention when he tried to defend himself yesterday on one of Egypt's most-watched television TV shows.
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