Associated Press stories, Page 421
Dwayne Johnson’s $200 million-plus Christmas movie opens to $34.1 million
LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers were not exactly feeling the Christmas spirit this weekend, or at least not based on their attendance at “Red One” showings. The big budget, star-driven action comedy with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans sold $34.1 million in tickets in its first weekend in theaters, according to...
Wildfire threat continues in much of the U.S. Northeast as dry conditions persist
Firefighters in New York said Sunday that a voluntary evacuation overnight helped them protect more than 160 homes from a stubborn wildfire near the New Jersey border as officials in much of the Northeast coped with hundreds of brush fires in tinder-dry and windy conditions. Communities in New England dealt...
Hollywood stars gather for honorary Oscars event celebrating Quincy Jones, Bond producers, more
LOS ANGELES — Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars are set to gather in Los Angeles Sunday night for the annual Governors Awards. The event, put on by the film academy’s board of governors, is honoring the late Quincy Jones, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard...
Rafael Nadal will head into retirement after Spain hosts the Davis Cup
MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal’s impending retirement will loom over the Davis Cup Final 8 from the moment it begins Tuesday in southern Spain. If that weren’t already obvious, just glance at the banner measuring 28,000 square feet (2,600 square meters) — about half the size of a football field...
Biden becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon rainforest
MANAUS, Brazil — Joe Biden toured the drought-shrunken waters of the Amazon River’s greatest tributary Sunday as the first sitting American president to set foot in the legendary rainforest, while the incoming Trump administration seems poised to scale back the U.S. commitment to combating climate change. The massive Amazon region,...
A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says
BEIRUT — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman on Sunday, an official with the militant group said. Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Hamas for over a year....
Bela Karolyi, gymnastics coach who mentored Mary Lou Retton, dies
Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power, died. He was 82. USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given. Karolyi and wife Martha trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions...
QB Garrett Greene returns, but West Virginia loses at home to BaylorVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sawyer Robertson threw for a career-high 329 yards and three touchdowns, Bryson Washington ran for three scores and caught a TD pass, and Baylor won its fourth straight, beating West Virginia, 49-35, on Saturday. Baylor (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) became bowl eligible for the third time under...
Drew Allar, Tyler Warren pace No. 4 Penn State to rout of PurdueVideo
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Drew Allar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 4 Penn State to a 49-10 rout of Purdue on Saturday. Allar, who completed his first 10 passes, connected on 17 of 19 passes for the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) in three...
Robert Morris loses to Central Connecticut State on deflected 2-point pass in 2nd OT
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Isaac Boston caught a 2-point conversion pass that deflected off his own lineman’s helmet and gave Central Connecticut State a 35-33 double-overtime victory over Robert Morris on Saturday to send them into a conference championship showdown. The Blue Devils (6-5, 4-1) will host Duquesne, unbeaten in...
Duquesne clinches share of NEC title with rout of Wagner
PITTSBURGH — Darius Perrantes threw six touchdown passes and Tedy Afful had more than 200 receiving yards as Duquesne clinched a share of the Northeast Conference championship with a 42-21 win over Wagner on Saturday afternoon. The Dukes (8-2) are now 5-0 in conference play and can clinch the outright...
McDonald’s investing $100 million to bring customers back after E. coli outbreak
McDonald’s is investing $100 million to bring customers back to stores after an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions on the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The investments include $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchises, the company said. The U.S. Centers for Disease...
8 killed, 17 injured after knife attack at vocational school in China
BEIJING — Eight people were killed and 17 others injured after a stabbing attack at a vocational school in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi on Saturday night, local police said. The attack occurred at the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing county at around 18:30 local...
Forget downtown or the ’burbs. The far-flung exurbs are where people are moving
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Not long ago, Polk County’s biggest draw was citrus instead of people. Located between Tampa and Orlando, Florida’s citrus capital produces more boxes of citrus than any other county in the state and has devoted tens of thousands of acres to growing millions of trees. But...
Indiana rewards Curt Cignetti for 10-0 season with new 8-year contract
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti, a Pittsburgh native, has been rewarded for a historic season with a new eight-year contract worth an annual average of $8 million, university officials announced Saturday. The contract, which runs through 2032, includes a $1 million retention bonus. University officials made the...
Investigation reveals Russian factory’s plan to mix decoys with a new deadly weapon in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — A high-tech factory in central Russia has created a new, deadly force to attack Ukraine: a small number of highly destructive thermobaric drones surrounded by huge swarms of cheap foam decoys. The plan, which Russia dubbed Operation False Target, is intended to force Ukraine to expend scarce...
Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion, Lebanese media say
BEIRUT — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back Saturday after battles with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported. The clashes and further Israeli bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, came as Lebanese and Hezbollah officials study...
Jake Paul beats 58-year-old Mike Tyson as the hits don’t match the hype
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson as the hits didn’t match the hype in a fight between a young YouTuber-turned-boxer and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Friday night. All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even stopping to pay homage...
Isaiah Rivera scores 18 points as DePaul takes down Duquesne
CHICAGO — Isaiah Rivera’s 18 points helped DePaul defeat Duquesne, 84-58, on Friday night. It was the Dukes’ third straight loss to start the season. Rivera went 7 of 9 from the field (4 for 6 from 3-point range) for the Blue Demons (4-0). David Skogman scored 16 points and...
Fire engulfs hospital ward in northern India, killing 10 newborn babies
LUCKNOW, India — A fire tore through a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital in northern India, killing 10 newborn babies and injuring 16 others, authorities said. The fire occurred late Friday at a hospital in Jhansi city in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. Officials said the blaze spread quickly...
Ace Baldwin Jr., Zach Hicks both score 19 as Penn State breezes past Virginia TechVideo
BALTIMORE — Ace Baldwin Jr. and Zach Hicks scored 19 points apiece, and Penn State rolled to an 86-64 victory over Virginia Tech at the Hall of Fame Series on Friday night. Baldwin added 10 assists for his first double-double of the season for the Nittany Lions (4-0). He made...
Why are so many NFL kickers getting hurt?
EAGAN, Minn. — The kicker carousel has spun frequently around the NFL this fall. The riders keep getting hurt. Traditionally viewed in this tough-guy sport as the quirky specialists who get to steer clear of the danger that lurks on the field, the kicking community has experienced an outsized amount...
Analysis: It doesn’t have to take years to rebuild in NFL, especially with right coach
Teams considering a coaching change should be encouraged by some of the quick turnarounds around the NFL. Three teams with new coaches entered Week 11 holding a playoff position. Dan Quinn’s Washington Commanders (7-4) led that group in victories despite a 26-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night....
Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton says he’ll play this weekend against SteelersVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton was a full participant in practice Friday and said he’ll play this weekend at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hamilton injured his ankle last week against Cincinnati, but the Ravens ruled out only one player for Sunday’s game — cornerback Arthur Maulet with...
Pakistani province declares health emergency due to smog and locks down 2 cities
LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani province declared a health emergency Friday due to smog and imposed a shutdown in two major cities. Smog has choked Punjab for weeks, sickening nearly 2 million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze. A senior provincial minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb,...
