AP National News

Associated Press AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Francis appeared relaxed and

Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Dozens of kids cheered on a festively decked-out plane in Denver on Saturday when the pilot announced their destination for the day: the North Pole. More than 100 children, some of whom have serious health issues, were then taken on a roughly 45-minute flight near the city before landing back

Associated Press LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia is the only country in the world that holds elections for top judicial posts. Soon Mexico will, too, after former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pushed through a highly contentious overhaul of the justice system in the face of mass protests. As Bolivia’s ex-President Evo Morales did

Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana officials are preparing to execute the state’s first death row inmate in 15 years, who was convicted a quarter-century ago of killing his brother and three other men. Joseph Corcoran, 49, has been on Indiana’s death row since 1999. If he is put to death as scheduled Wednesday, it

Associated Press LINTHICUM, Md. (AP) — When Argo walks through the doors of Baltimore-Washington International Airport, he knows it’s time to work. The 9-year-old black Labrador retriever spends most of his waking hours patrolling the airport, with his sensitive nose finely tuned to detect potential explosives. He sidles up behind passengers and gives them a

Associated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — The new head of security arrived at Damascus’ international airport with his men, a bearded fighter who marched with other rebels across Syria to the capital. The few maintenance staff who showed up for work huddled around Maj Hamza al-Ahmed, eager for answers about what happens next. They unloaded all

Associated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — At Damascus’ international airport, the new head of security — one of the rebels who marched across Syria to the capital — arrived with his team. The few maintenance workers who showed up for work huddled around Maj Hamza al-Ahmed, eager to learn what will happen next. They quickly unloaded

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An American couple has been shot to death while visiting the western Mexico state of Michoacan. State prosecutors said the couple died when their pickup truck was sprayed with bullets. The killings occurred earlier this week in the town Angamacutiro, Michoacan. Officials confirmed their nationalities Saturday. The town government confirmed that

Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — A red fox frantically scratches the wires of its small cage. An Arctic fox meanders lazily with a bloody tail. Other furry creatures, some with teary eyes, stare blankly into a light on an activist’s video camera. Finnish advocacy group Oikeutta Elaimille, or Justice for Animals, and Humane Society International

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader offered Sunday to work with the government to ease the political tumult as officials sought to reassure allies and markets, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic

AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Travis Hunter turned every play into prime time — on both sides of the ball — and ultimately took home the Heisman Trophy. Now he’s got a leg up on his celebrity coach at Colorado. The two-way star won college football’s most prestigious award Saturday night, punctuating a

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he’s picked longtime foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell to serve as an envoy for special missions, tasking him with helping the incoming administration deal with some of the toughest foreign policy challenges. Grenell served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first

HUNTINGTON, W.V. (AP) — Marshall has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change resulted in much of its roster jumping into the transfer portal. The Thundering Herd were slated to play Army on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech have announced that the Bulldogs will take on

Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek coast guard says at least five migrants have died, an unknown number are missing and more than 200 others were rescued in Greece in multiple operations. They all happened south of the island of Crete and near the southern mainland. The four operations began late Friday and

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Members of Venezuela’s political opposition who have been sheltering for months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, are trying to grow a sense of urgency among the governments working to secure their safe departure from their home country. On Saturday, they told reporters that their living conditions are

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, says any of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees seeking Senate confirmation should “steer clear” of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine. “Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous,” McConnell said in a

Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Fifty years later, a man who grew up in suburban Detroit tried to return a very overdue baseball book to his boyhood library. The answer: You can keep it — and no fine. Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for

AP Pro Football Writer A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Bill Belichick contacted the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy before accepting the job at North Carolina. The 72-year-old Belichick was introduced Thursday as North Carolina’s football coach. But the former New England Patriots coach recently reached out to

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge in Las Vegas sentenced a Texas man to 100 years in prison for his role in a two-state shooting rampage on Thanksgiving 2020 that included the killing of a man in Nevada and a shootout with authorities in Arizona. Christopher McDonnell, 32, pleaded guilty in October to more than

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. As part of the settlement made public Saturday, ABC News

OAKLAND, Wis. (AP) — Officials say roughly 70,000 gallons of oil from a pipeline spilled into the ground in Wisconsin. The problem was discovered Nov. 11 in Jefferson County, 60 miles west of Milwaukee, by an Enbridge Energy technician. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited a federal accident report. Enbridge says the spill on the company’s

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police are trying to find out who taped a bulldog inside a trash bag and abandoned him in Des Moines. The emaciated dog was found Tuesday afternoon near a railroad viaduct with his head sticking out of a black plastic garbage bag. The dog was unable to walk because the

Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — The army says fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group has intensified in eastern Congo in recent days ahead of much anticipated peace talks on Sunday. Congo’s army accused the M23 of killing 12 civilians earlier this week in villages of the Lubero territory in the

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Isak Andic, the founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango, has died after suffering an accident, the company said in a statement. Spanish media, including state news agency EFE, said Andic, 71, died after falling while on a hike near Barcelona. Andic opened Mango’s first store in Barcelona in 1984 and over

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian authorities have arrested a female singer who performed a virtual concert on YouTube, a lawyer said. Milad Panahipour, an Iranian lawyer, told Associated Press that Parastoo Ahmady was arrested in her father’s home in Sari city, capital of the northern province of Mazandaran. The judiciary filed a case

NEW YORK (AP) — Santa Clauses are coming to town. Thousands of Kris Kringles and jolly Old St. Nicks are jamming streets, sidewalks and bars from Adelaide to Vancouver on Saturday for annual SantaCon charity pub crawls. In New York City, where temperatures hovered around freezing, the fermented merriment kicked off around 10 a.m. and

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Longtime NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer is the new head coach at Santa Margarita High School, his alma mater. Santa Margarita announced the hiring of Palmer on social media Friday. The Catholic prep school is located in Rancho Santa Margarita, a well-to-do suburb in southern Orange County. Palmer

Associated Press Mysterious drones have been reported flying over the eastern United States in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who is flying them and why. Federal authorities say there’s no evidence yet of any national security or public safety threats, and many of the suspected drones are actually manned aircraft. The Federal Aviation