Niger says 4 soldiers confess to December coup plot

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Sanders ad burst coincides with upward movement in polls WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders has been putting up major advertising cash to seize momentum heading into the Democratic presidential primaries — outspending his rival Hillary Clinton just as voters are beginning to pay attention to the race. In the past three weeks, Sanders' campaign has spent about $4.7 million on ads to Clinton's $3.7 million, an investment that so far has meant 1,000 more Sanders commercials than Clinton ads on broadcast TV, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG. The Sanders ad burst is coinciding with his rise in preference polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states where voters will weigh in on the 2016 election. The Democratic contest appears to be tightening. Two recent surveys suggest Sanders has gained on Clinton in Iowa. In New Hampshire, one poll showed the Vermont senator ahead of the former first lady and secretary of state by double digits, while another pointed to a tighter race. Iowa votes Feb. 1; New Hampshire, Feb. 9. Clinton began advertising in August, three months ahead of Sanders, and over the entire contest has outspent him by about $3 million, the CMAG data show. The ad buy data includes all broadcast, cable and satellite television, as well as some radio. It does not include digital ads. ___ US Navy sailors held by Iran are released with their boats TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — All 10 U.S. Navy sailors detained by Iran after their two small boats allegedly drifted into Iranian territorial waters around one of Iran's Persian Gulf islands a day earlier have been freed, the United States and Iran said Wednesday. The sailors' swift release quickly diffused what could have escalated into an international crisis days before Iran is expected to meet the terms of last summer's nuclear deal with world powers. The deal gives Iran significant relief from painful economic sanctions. The nine men and one woman were held at an Iranian base on Farsi Island after they were detained nearby on Tuesday. The tiny outpost has been used as a base for Revolutionary Guard speedboats as far back as the 1980s. The Navy said there were no indications they had been harmed while in custody. Iranian state television aired later Wednesday dramatic sunset images of the moment the Revolutionary Guard forces boarded the American vessels and captured the sailors, showing them all kneeling on the deck, their hands on their heads. After their release, the sailors departed the island at 0843 GMT aboard the boats they were detained with, the Navy said. They were picked up by Navy aircraft and other sailors took control of their boats for the return voyage to Bahrain, where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based. ___ The Latest: Turkey detains 4 more in Istanbul blast probe ISTANBUL (AP) — The latest on the investigation into the explosion in the historic center of Istanbul. All times local. 7:10 p.m. Turkey's prime minister says authorities have detained four more suspects as part of the investigation into the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed 10 Germans. Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated Wednesday that the attack was linked to the Islamic State group. A total of five people have been detained in connection with the blast investigation. Earlier, Turkey's interior minister had announced the arrest of another person. ___ Analysis: Obama in campaign form in final State of the Union WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama opened his State of the Union speech saying he'd keep it short, in what must have seemed music to the ears of some in the chamber antsy to get to Iowa to campaign for president. At times, Obama looked like he was one of them, eager to challenge biting criticism from Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and other Republicans. Obama was at turns boastful and biting, confident and sarcastic. Anyone who says the economy is declining is "peddling fiction," he argued. Obama characterized skepticism about science and reluctance to adopt technology as absurd. "When the Russians beat us into space, we didn't deny Sputnik was up there," he said. Claims that U.S. stature in the world is shrinking, he virtually shouted, is "political hot air." "The United States of America is the most powerful nation on earth. Period. It's not even close. It's not even close!" the president declared. ___ Mexico moving recaptured drug lord Guzman from cell to cell MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's government is moving Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman constantly from cell to cell inside the maximum security prison where he is being held, the same lockup the elusive drug lord escaped from through a tunnel six months ago. Government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said Guzman has been moved eight times at the Altiplano prison after he was recaptured Friday. The prison also now has 24-hour video surveillance of Guzman including all parts of his cell. The cell from which he escaped in July had a blind spot around the shower, which officials at the time was intended to protect inmates' privacy. "He is being changed from cell to cell without a pattern... he is only spending hours or a couple of days in the same cell," Sanchez said late Tuesday night. July's escape was Guzman's second from a maximum security prison and it deeply embarrassed the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto. It also created friction with Washington, which had sought his extradition to the United States. This time around, Mexican officials have said they are willing to extradite Guzman but warn the process could take a year. In the meantime, they appear to be taking extraordinary measure to prevent a third escape. "Since he arrived, he has been in eight different cells," Sanchez said of Guzman's time in prison. ___ S. Korea fires warning shots after North Korean drone seen SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Wednesday fired 20 machine gun warning shots after a North Korean drone briefly crossed the rivals' border, officials said, the first shots fired in a Cold War-style standoff between the Koreas in the wake of the North's nuclear test last week. The North Korean drone was flying dozens of meters (yards) south of the border and turned back to the North after the South fired the shots, South Korean defense and military officials said, requesting anonymity because of office rules. The shots did not hit the drone. North Korean drone flights across the world's most heavily armed border are rare, but have happened before. North Korea has in recent years touted its drone program, a relatively new addition to its arsenal. In 2013, state media said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had watched a drone attack drill on a simulated South Korean target. In 2014, Seoul officials discovered what they called several North Korean drones that had flown across the border. Those drones were crude and decidedly low-tech, but were still considered a potential new security threat. ___ ATV riders challenge longtime bans on use of public roads DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When she crashed on an all-terrain vehicle, Megan Cratsley was hurt so badly that doctors had to amputate much of her right arm, a life-altering surgery that launched the teenager on a personal mission to change New York traffic laws to protect other ATV riders. The buzzy, open-air vehicles are supposed to be banned from roads in New York and many other states. But small communities across the nation are increasingly bending the rules under pressure from riders who want to go wherever they please, even though ATV manufacturers warn that the vehicles are unstable on flat terrain at high speed, and accidents on roads kill more than 300 riders each year. The trend appalls public health officials and is opposed by the manufacturers. "We've seen too many people die," said Jen Kruzicke-Cratsley, Megan's mother, who lives near Buffalo, New York, and joined in her daughter's legislative efforts to make ATVs safer. ATV enthusiasts acknowledge the vehicles can be dangerous if not driven properly, but they say the risks are overstated. ___ Performance of David Bowie musical in NYC becomes a memorial NEW YORK (AP) — A performance of David Bowie's trippy, melancholy musical "Lazarus" turned into a memorial for the Thin White Duke on Tuesday night as fans who had bought tickets to celebrate his music instead found themselves mourning his passing. "It was incredible. I wept a lot," said Evan Schwartz, a 20-year-old student from Stamford, Connecticut, who saw the show for a second time after scoring a ticket in an online lottery. "It was beautiful." Tuesday night's performance was the first time since Bowie's death on Monday that the show went on at the 200-seat New York Theatre Workshop in New York's East Village. Some audience members left in tears. Cast members did not acknowledge the death or make any changes to the show. They also declined to comment. The only official nod to Bowie's death was a video screen in the lobby showing a photo of the musician with the words "In Memoriam, 1947-2016." Fans left flowers near the entrance. Starring "Dexter" and "Six Feet Under" actor Michael C. Hall, the musical has been a hit since previews began on Nov. 18. Bowie's death only made tickets more desired, with a single matinee seat going Tuesday afternoon for $1,900 on StubHub. ___ Goodbye 'God Save the Queen?' UK debates new England anthem LONDON (AP) — Will England bid goodbye to "God Save the Queen?" British lawmakers agreed Wednesday to consider replacing the royalist song that serves as England's anthem at sporting events. "God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom — made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — and is played at the Olympics and other events where the U.K. fields a single team. At contests where the four areas compete separately, such as the soccer World Cup, England and Northern Ireland generally use "God Save the Queen," but Scotland and Wales have their own official songs — "Flower of Scotland" and "Land of My Fathers." Labour Party lawmaker Toby Perkins said adopting an English anthem would "re-establish the idea that the United Kingdom is a union of four separate nations with their own identities." ___ With Rams returning to LA, challenges abound for 3 NFL teams HOUSTON (AP) — The Rams belong to Los Angeles once again. The Chargers might be headed there, as well. What about the Raiders? Who knows at this point. What is certain is that all three franchises face serious challenges over the next few years now that the NFL has approved the relocation of the Rams from St. Louis, and given the Chargers a one-year option to join them in the nation's second-largest media market. Should the Chargers stay in San Diego, seemingly a long shot, the Raiders could then step in and move from Oakland to L.A.

AP News in Brief at 12:45 p.m. EST