Naked fireman, binky-binging bulldog: New England’s odd 2019
BOSTON — New Englanders fired up the weirdness machine again in 2019, and it cranked out oddities pretty much nonstop.
Moroccan YouTuber sentenced to prison, journalist detained
RABAT, Morocco — Moroccan authorities have sentenced a Youtuber who criticized the king to prison, and detained a journalist-activist who defended ant...
Russia Orthodox Church cuts ties with Alexandria patriarch
MOSCOW — The Russian Orthodox Church has cut ties with the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Africa following his decision to recognize Ukraine's...
Global stocks mixed, Wall Street rises amid trade optimism
BEIJING — Global stock markets were mixed Friday after Wall Street rose amid optimism that U.S.-Chinese trade relations are improving.
Israel’s Netanyahu shores up base but obstacles remain
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shored up his base with a landslide primary victory announced early Friday, but he will need a b...
Pitt rallies to beat Eastern Michigan in Quick Lane Bowl
DETROIT — Kenny Pickett threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Taysir Mack with 47 seconds left and Pittsburgh held on to beat Eastern Michigan 34-30 in th...
Japan OKs divisive plan to send naval troops to Mideast
TOKYO — Japan on Friday approved a contentious plan to send its naval troops to the Middle East to ensure the safety of Japanese ships transporting oi...
Longtime political writer William Greider dies at 83
WASHINGTON — William Greider, a longtime political writer for The Nation, Rolling Stone and The Washington Post, died Wednesday at the age of 83, acco...
Israel’s embattled Netanyahu wins landslide in primary
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a landslide victory in a primary election for leadership of the ruling Likud party.
Police release teen suspect in Barnard student’s killing
NEW YORK — A 14-year-old boy suspected of fatally stabbing a Barnard College freshman was released from police custody on Thursday, mere hours after N...
Los Angeles prosecutors reviewing 8 cases against Weinstein
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing eight cases accusing disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, an official said ...
14 dead in Niger after Islamic extremists attack convoy
NIAMEY, Niger — Islamic extremists on motorcycles killed 14 security force members who were escorting election officials in the West African nation of...
California jails use kinder approach to solitary confinement
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An inmate in solitary confinement at a California jail was refusing to leave his cell. The jailers' usual response: Send an “extr...
QB Jacob Eason leaves Washington early, will enter NFL draft
SEATTLE — Washington quarterback Jacob Eason announced Thursday he will skip his final year of college and enter the NFL draft.
Humorist Mo Rocca’s ‘Mobituaries’ makes for lively reading
LOS ANGELES — A conversation with Mo Rocca is akin to his “Mobituaries” podcasts and his new book of Rocca-style obituaries: A swooping exploration of...
2 die, 8 injured in bus crash in Russia
MOSCOW — A bus crash in southwestern Russia killed two people and injured eight others Thursday, authorities said.
Ari Behn, Spacey accuser and ex of Norwegian princess, dies
Scandinavian writer Ari Behn — the ex-husband of Norwegian Princess Martha Louise and among the people who had accused actor Kevin Spacey of sexual mi...
Markets in 2019: record stocks, lower rates, so-so IPOs
NEW YORK — On January 3, the S&P 500 sank 2.5% when Apple warned of sagging demand for the iPhone, an inauspicious start to 2019 following a 14% d...
States are on front lines of 2020 election-security efforts
SPRINGFIELD, Va. — Inside a hotel ballroom near the nation’s capital, a U.S. Army officer with battlefield experience told 120 state and local electio...
Simone Soars: Biles named 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year
They’re called “Simone Things,” a catchall phrase for the casual ease with which Simone Biles seems to soar through her sport and her life.
New Mexico police investigate killing of 4 on Christmas Day
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Police in New Mexico on Thursday were investigating the shooting of four people found dead on Christmas Day in a home in a suburb o...
Switzerland avalanche hits marked ski trail; 2 injured
FRANKFURT, Germany — An avalanche swept across a marked ski trail near the Swiss town of Andermatt on Thursday, injuring two people.
West Coast fishery rebounds in rare conservation ‘home run’
WARRENTON, Ore. — A rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the U.S. West Coast.
Iowa Democrat faces daunting prospect: winning rural voters
WINTERSET, Iowa — When Cindy Axne crunched through fresh snow and into the American Legion hall in Winterset, the freshman Iowa congresswoman knew mos...
Calif law will force small businesses to rethink staffing
NEW YORK — A California law that makes it harder for companies to treat workers as independent contractors takes effect next week, forcing small busin...
To overcome travel ban, some Americans taking cases to court
NEW YORK — Mohammed Hafar paced around the airport terminal — first to the monitor to check flight arrivals, then to the gift shop and lastly to the d...
At each end of Pacific, skepticism over China farm purchases
OMAHA, Neb. — President Donald Trump likes to joke that America's farmers have a nice problem on their hands: They're going to need bigger tractors to...
Pennsylvania dioceses offer $84M to 564 clergy abuse victims
Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid nearly $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse, a tally that’s sure to grow substantially in the ...
Russian authorities raid opposition leader Navalny’s offices
MOSCOW — Security officers in Moscow raided the offices of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent foe of President Vladimir Putin and the governing United...
Burundi’s president again says he won’t run for another term
NAIROBI, Kenya — Burundi’s president has again indicated he will not run for another term next year in the politically volatile East African nation.