AP National News

The Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister says five Australians who have spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking have returned to Australia under a deal struck between the two governments. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the men had returned to Australia on Sunday as free citizens. Albanese

Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A tornado near a mall in central California swept up cars, uprooted trees and sent several people to the hospital. In San Francisco, authorities issued the first-ever tornado warning. Elsewhere, inclement weather plagued areas of the U.S., with dangerous conditions including heavy snow in upstate New York, a major

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 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

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

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