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DORAL, Fla. — A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region.

By PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA and DÁNICA COTO PETIT GOÂVE, Haiti (AP) — Amizia Renotte sat on a broken piece of concrete and pointed to a large pile of dirt where her house once stood before the outer bands of Hurricane Melissa crumpled it as the storm lashed Haiti’s southern region. The Atlantic hurricane season may be over, but thousands of people like Renotte in this Carribean country and beyond are still looking for food and struggling to rebuild their lives nearly two months after the Category 5 storm pummeled the northern Caribbean region as one of the strongest Atlantic storms in recorded history. “We ran. We had nothing to save,” Renotte said as she recalled waking up in the middle of the night surrounded by floodwaters. Melissa killed at least 43 people across Haiti, many of them in Petit-Goâve, where residents are still digging out from under the storm that unleased deadly flooding. Huge piles of dirt and mud now smother this southern coastal town, which once bustled with farmers and street vendors. The groan of heavy machinery fills the air as crews slowly clear debris scattered by La Digue River, which swept away children, cars and homes in late October. “People lost everything,” resident Clermont Wood Mandy said. “They lost their homes. They lost their children.” Hunger persists Petit-Goâve held a mass funeral in mid-November to say its goodbyes to loved ones, but hunger and frustration remain. On a recent morning, people crowded around a small convenience store stocked with pasta, butter, rice and other basic items produced locally after receiving cash donations. In line to buy something was 37-year-old Joceline Antoine, who lost five relatives in the storm. “My house is destroyed,” she said. Lola Castro, a regional director with the U.N.’s World Food Program, or WFP, who recently traveled to Petit-Goâve, said in a phone interview Friday that Melissa has deepened Haiti’s crises. “Around 5.3 million people don’t have enough to eat every day in Haiti,” she said. “That’s a huge challenge.” Castro noted that Petit-Goâve was an agricultural community that depended heavily on crops, including plantain, corn and beans. “They have lost their income. They have lost their means of living,” she said. ‘No community will be forgotten’ Jamaica also is struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the western part of the neighboring island in late October, causing an estimated $8.8 billion in damage. The storm killed at least 45 people, and 13 others remain missing, with an additional 32 deaths under investigation, according to Alvin Gayle, director-general of Jamaica’s emergency management office. Related Articles Russian lugers plan to race in Lake Placid next week. Ukrainian sliders say it shouldn’t be allowed Iran arrests Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, supporters say Belarus leader hosts US envoy as he seeks to improve his country’s ties with the West Cut off by their banks and even iced out by Alexa, sanctioned ICC staffers remain resolute Danish intelligence report warns of US military threat under Trump Authorities have reported 30 confirmed cases of leptospirosis — an infection transmitted from animals — and another 84 unconfirmed ones, with 12 related deaths. There were also two cases of tetanus, one of them fatal. “These figures underscore the scale of the human impact and the seriousness with which the ministries, departments and agencies of government continue to approach the recovery effort,” Gayle said. More than 100 shelters remain open in seven of Jamaica’s parishes, housing more than 1,000 people. Meanwhile, some 160 schools remain closed. “No community will be forgotten,” Gayle said. Jamaica recently announced that it obtained a $150 million loan to help restore electricity as quickly as possible, with officials saying they expect power to fully be restored by the end of January. Jamaica also has obtained a $6.7 billion package for reconstruction efforts over three years from…

By PIETRO DE CRISTOFARO and STEFANIE DAZIO BERLIN (AP) — Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador Friday following accusations of sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference, an official said. Related Articles Russian lugers plan to race in Lake Placid next week. Ukrainian sliders say it shouldn’t be allowed Iran arrests Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, supporters say Belarus leader hosts US envoy as he seeks to improve his country’s ties with the West Cut off by their banks and even iced out by Alexa, sanctioned ICC staffers remain resolute Danish intelligence report warns of US military threat under Trump The German government has also accused Moscow of perpetrating disinformation campaigns. “The goal of these Russian cyber and disinformation attacks is clear: It is to divide society, stir up mistrust, provoke rejection, and weaken confidence in democratic institutions,” German foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said. “This targeted manipulation of information is one of a wide range of activities by Russia aimed at undermining confidence in democratic institutions and processes in Germany,” he said during a government news conference. German officials have previously accused Russia of hybrid warfare attacks to destabilize Europe. Moscow didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday. Giese said that the shadowy Russian military intelligence agency known as GRU was behind a 2024 cyberattack against German air traffic control. The foreign ministry says GRU, which has been sanctioned in other countries, was responsible for the attack that was allegedly perpetrated by hacker collective APT28, also known as Fancy Bear. APT28 and GRU have also been linked to global cyber intrusions, including in the 2016 U.S. election, where they were accused of aiding U.S. President Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails. Giese also said investigators believe GRU also attempted to destabilize and influence Germany’s last federal election, held in February, through a campaign called “Storm 1516.” “Our services’ analysis shows that the campaign spreads artificially generated, pseudo-investigative research, deepfake image sequences, pseudo-journalistic websites, and fabricated witness statements on various platforms,” he said. Russia will face a series of countermeasures for its hybrid warfare, Giese said. “The German government condemns the repeated and unacceptable attacks by state-controlled Russian actors in the strongest possible terms,” he said. “We will continue to strengthen our support for Ukraine and our deterrence and defense.” The summons occurred Friday as the European Union indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, can’t prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine. Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. It’s a key step that will allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years.

As the Stardust Racers roller coaster sped downward in the first descent of a mid-September ride, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was flung forward, his head slamming into the seat in front of him repeatedly. Blood from his wounds splattered his girlfriend, who tried to hold him back while screaming for help. Dr. Anna Marshall, a vacationing medical doctor standing in line to board the Epic Universe ride, said that when the coaster returned and stopped, she heard someone screaming and ran to help. The ride staff seemed “frozen,” she later told sheriff’s deputies. And she was shocked by Zavala’s condition. Sign up for our Park Life newsletter and find out what’s new and interesting every week at Southern California’s theme parks. Subscribe here. He was unconscious and one of his legs “was completely broken in half and resting on the back of the chair,” the doctor said. The 32-year-old would be pronounced dead at a hospital later that night. The new details about Zavala’s Sept. 17 death, including what witnesses saw that night, were released Thursday by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which wrapped up its investigation and determined the death was accidental and that no criminal charges were warranted. The report did not seek to explain what led to Zavala’s fatal injuries, however. The Kissimmee man had a spinal condition since birth and used a wheelchair, his family said. He was also a roller coaster enthusiast, they added, and he and his girlfriend had ridden on two other Epic coasters that day before his fatal trip on Stardust Racers. Universal Orlando did not respond to a request for comment. The company’s internal review found that ride systems “functioned as intended,” equipment remained intact, and park employees correctly followed procedures, according to a memo Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin sent to staff in the wake of Zavala’s death. In the sheriff’s report released Thursday, Zavala’s girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, told authorities that it took park staff “multiple times” to secure her boyfriend’s restraint bar before the ride started but she described the lap bar as “in the green.” Asked if Zavala was in the seat correctly, Cruz-Robles said he was, but she felt the lap bar — the ride’s only restraint — was too low on his body, according to the report. A surveillance video showed that Zavala appeared to be “engaged and well” at the ride’s launch point, the report states. Marshall told investigators she thought Zavala was dead as soon as she examined him. He was “completely slouched over with blood surrounding him,” the report said. “Dr. Marshall continued to try and see if she could feel a pulse, first on his arm and then on his neck … she could not find one,” according to the report. Marshall said that she was shocked by the condition of Zavala’s legs, especially the broken femur. She felt compelled to act as “ride staff appeared to have been frozen,” she added. Other witnesses said that when the ride finished, they saw that Zavala was unconscious, and his arm was hanging over the side. It took emergency crews and park staff about 10 minutes to release the lap bar holding Zavala in place, the report said. “The guest was stuck on the ride vehicle face down, falling out of the seat with legs inverted,” a paramedic stated. Another paramedic reported that Zavala’s body “was distorted.” The paramedics also reported that there was “a significant amount of blood loss.” A sheriff’s investigator, later examining the ride cart where Zavala had sat, “saw a significant amount of blood on the chair and the bar in front of the chair,” the report said. At Orlando Regional Medical Center, where Zavala was transported, Cruz-Robles “was visibly shaken, crying and stated she was having panic attacks while speaking to deputies about the incident and was unable to write a statement herself,” according to the report. The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled that Zavala’s death was an accident and caused by…

CeeDee Lamb appears set to return from a concussion without missing a game for the Dallas Cowboys, who will play Minnesota at home 10 days after their star receiver exited a loss in Detroit. Lamb was a full practice participant and talked to reporters Thursday, two strong signs he will be on the field Sunday night without missing a game as the Cowboys (6-6-1) try to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dallas trails Philadelphia by 1 1/2 games with four to play in the NFC East, while the Vikings (5-8) are on the verge of postseason elimination. The 2023 All-Pro said he was still technically in concussion protocol. “It’s been a lot of like eye work and eye discipline and trying to, I guess, frustrate myself essentially to see if I have any more residuals of the concussion,” Lamb said. “And I haven’t had any type of symptoms. As for me now, it’s been heavy on rest, to be honest. Doing everything, me knowing my requirements, kind of getting ahead of everything, especially with the extra 2-3 days that we had off. I feel like that was big.” Lamb was injured in the second half of a 44-30 loss to the Lions on Dec. 4 when his helmet hit the turf hard out of bounds on his attempt at a leaping catch in the end zone. The 26-year-old appeared to experience the unnatural extension of the forearms and fingers, a neurological reaction in the seconds after head trauma known as the fencing response. Quarterback Dak Prescott rushed to his side, and owner Jerry Jones said on his radio show a day later that the scene of the prone Lamb scared him. The prospect of Lamb returning so quickly doesn’t bother Prescott. “Zero concern,” the quarterback said. “Obviously there was some urgency to get him help then, but then actually when I got over there, he was almost right back to it. I was like, ‘You good?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ He was back at it Monday, doing light stuff and working out. From there, I was positive in the way that he would respond, and he’s been great.” Lamb says football players can’t worry about when they’re going to get hurt again, even in the case of head injuries. “You have to go out there first and play your game and don’t really think too much on it,” Lamb said. “I’ve been hurt a couple times, and I don’t dwell on it. I hit my head a couple of times. I don’t dwell on it. You have to move on. It’s a part of the game. That’s why playing football is very important, and that’s why taking care of your body is even more important.” Lamb already had six catches for 121 yards when he exited the Detroit game. He has recorded at least 100 yards receiving in five of nine games, excluding a loss to Chicago when he sprained an ankle the first time he touched the ball. That injury sidelined Lamb for three games. Lamb said he remembered everything from the moment his helmet hit the turf — and couldn’t help but see the replay because it was “all over my phone.” “It was a surreal moment for me and myself and really just a quick experience,” said Lamb, who showed frustration on the sideline that he wouldn’t be allowed to return. “It was an opportunity for me to grow up. It was an opportunity for me that this game could be taken away from me at any given time.”