AP Americas Digest

TOP STORIES:

OBAMA

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announces new oversight measures for recently revealed domestic and foreign surveillance programs, saying he is confident they are “not being abused” but that they must be more transparent. By Steven R. Hurst.

AP Photos, video.

NSA SURVEILLANCE

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama was clear: He has no intention of stopping the daily collection of Americans’ phone records and blamed government leaks for creating distrust of his domestic spying program.

AP Photos, video.

EMBASSY SECURITY

WASHINGTON — Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates that were closed in the Middle East and Africa because of a terrorist threat will reopen on Sunday or Monday, the State Department says. By Matthew Lee.

DRUG WAR-MEXICO

MEXICO CITY — Infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero walks after 28 years in prison when a court overturns his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, a brutal murder that marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations. By Adriana Gomez Licon and Mark Stevenson.

AP Photos, video.

MANNING-WIKILEAKS

FORT MEADE, Maryland — U.S. soldier Bradley Manning will make a rare statement before his defence finishes arguments in his sentencing hearing next week, his lawyers say. The 25-year-old faces up to 90 years in prison for the largest leak of classified government information in U.S. history.

FORT HOOD SHOOTING

FORT HOOD, Texas — Maj. Nidal Hasan has challenged most everything about his case since his arrest in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood: restrictions on how he can pray, orders to shave his beard, the court-assigned attorneys forced to help his defence. By Nomaan Merchant and Paul J. Weber.

CENTRAL AMERICA-DENGUE

MEXICO CITY — Central America is on track to have one of its worst years ever for the painful, sometimes fatal disease of dengue, prompting governments across the region to mobilize against the mosquito-borne virus. By Katherine Corcoran.

AP Photos.

CUBA-ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BOOKSTORE

HAVANA — A U.S. expat is set to launch Cuba Libro, billed as the country’s first English-language bookstore-cafe, where islanders and foreigners alike can gather to converse, thumb through magazines and buy or borrow tomes in the language of Shakespeare. By Peter Orsi.

AP photos and TV.

ENTERTAINMENT:

PEOPLE-USHER

ATLANTA — A judge in Atlanta dismissed an emergency request by R&B singer Usher’s ex-wife seeking temporary custody of their two children. Tameka Foster Raymond requested the hearing a day after the former couple’s 5-year-old son got caught in a pool drain while in the care of the Grammy winner’s aunt. By Kate Brumback.

AP Photos, video.

BUSINESS:

ELECTRONIC BOOKS-ANTITRUST LAWSUIT

NEW YORK — A judge has refused a request by Apple to temporarily suspend her ruling that it violated antitrust laws by conspiring with publishers to raise electronic book prices in 2010, and she said it appeared collusion was continuing even after her findings. By Larry Neumeister.

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT-MACAU

LAS VEGAS — Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp. has informed regulators that it is selling its property in Macau to an Asian developer for $438 million. By Ken Ritter.

AP Photo.

SPORTS:

ARGENTINA-SOCCER ON WHEELS-PHOTO ESSAY

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Valentino is a fan of the River Plate soccer club who dreams of dodging down the field like Argentine star Lionel Messi. Adrian wants to score goals like his hero, former Boca Juniors standout Martin Palermo. Eugenia and Sofia just want to have fun with the ball. All four must use joysticks to get around in motorized wheelchairs, but they’re still getting a taste of their dreams. By Debora Rey.

AP Photos.