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proposal through a cross-border Red Cross communications line newly reopened by the North. The South Korean officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.
• Pyongyang didn't immediately respond to Seoul's most recent offer, but even the restoration the Red Cross line in the truce village of Panmunjom signals an easing of tensions. The line, used for exchanging messages on humanitarian and other issues, was shut down by the North in March during a weekslong period of animosity marked by North Korean threats of war and South Korean vows of counterstrikes.
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Weakened Tropical Storm Andrea moving briskly up East Coast, bringing rains to Ga., Carolinas
• MIAMI (AP) -- After bringing rains, heavy winds and even tornadoes to parts of Florida, Tropical Storm Andrea was moving quickly toward the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas early Friday, promising sloppy commutes and waterlogged vacation getaways through the beginning of the weekend.
• The first named storm of the Atlantic season was losing some intensity late Thursday and by early Friday, its winds were down to 45 mph (75 kph).
• Ben Nelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, said Andrea was "moving at a pretty brisk pace" and could lose its tropical characteristics as early as Friday morning.
• However, forecasters warned it could cause isolated flooding and storm surge over the next two days.
• Heavy rains were continuing well away from the storm's center. The weather service in Charleston, S.C., advised of "an enhanced coastal flooding threat near the high tide Friday morning," as well as of possible tornadoes. Rain bands could bring wind gusts in excess of 40 mph or 50 mph, the weather service said.
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Russian media reacts with compassion to Putin's divorce announcement
• MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian media have reacted with unusual compassion to Thursday's announcement of President Vladimir Putin's divorce.
• Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, rarely seen in public, announced the end of their marriage less than two months shy of their 30th anniversary in an interview with Russian television. His spokesman Dmitry Peskov could not say when they would formally divorce, adding that this did not matter.
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