AP-National

POMOMA, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles-area church was destroyed in a massive fire just hours before a Christmas play and a toy giveaway. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that firefighters arrived at Victory Outreach church in Pomona at about 2:45 a.m. Sunday. A fire department spokeswoman

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “Wonka” debuted with $39 million in box office sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it a strong start for the Timothée Chalamet -starring Willy Wonka musical that underscored the young star’s draw. Musicals have been

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal drug officials are warning Georgia to shelve its plans to be the first state to allow pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana. News outlets report that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Nov. 27 warned pharmacies that dispensing medical marijuana violates federal law. The Georgia Board of Pharmacy had licensed 23 independent

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police in Texas are trying to determine who injured three bystanders as officers shot and killed a man who pointed a firearm at them at a bar in an Austin entertainment district. Police said three officers fired at the suspect, who was shot multiple times late Saturday night. Interim Police Chief

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police on Sunday sought a court order to imprison a Russian man who had been living under an alias in the Nordic country and is accused of committing war crimes against wounded or surrendered soldiers in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015. Yan Petrovsky, who had been living in Finland under

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A prolific Chicago artist who was the first Black sculptor to receive a solo retrospective at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art and whose public works drew praise from presidents has died at age 88. Richard Hunt “passed away peacefully” Saturday at his home in Chicago.

LUTON, England (AP) — Luton captain Tom Lockyer was undergoing tests and scans at hospital on Sunday after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Premier League game, his club said. Lockyer, who collapsed during a game in May and underwent heart surgery, fell to the ground during Luton’s match against Bournemouth on Saturday, which was

By ARIEL SCHALIT and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it has discovered a large tunnel shaft in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants’ deadly

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (AP) — An intense late-year storm barreled up the East Coast on Sunday with heavy rains and strong winds that shattered rainfall records, forced water rescues from flooded streets and washed out holiday celebrations. Authorities rescued dozens of motorists stranded by floodwaters in South Carolina’s waterfront community of Georgetown, Georgetown County spokesperson Jackie

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court last week gave Democrats a chance to redraw the state’s congressional districts, a major victory as the party tries to win control of the U.S. House next year. Now the question is how far the state’s Democrat-dominated Legislature will try to push

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian state new agencies have reported that delegates from Russia’s ruling party have unanimously backed President Vladimir Putin’s bid for reelection at a party conference in Moscow. The move on Sunday came just a day after supporters formally nominated the Kremlin leader on Saturday to run in the 2024 presidential election as

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Priests in the Church of England have blessed same-sex partnerships for the first time. However, same-sex couple still can’t get married in church amid deep Anglican divisions on the issue. Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce had their union blessed Sunday at St John the Baptist church in

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile in the sea in a possible display of defiance against the steps by Washington and Seoul to tighten nuclear deterrence against North Korean threats. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — It’s the fortnight before Christmas and all through the world’s Catholic convents, nuns and monks are extra busy preparing the traditional delicacies they sell to a loyal fan base even in rapidly secularizing countries. For many monastic communities, especially those devoted to

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A member of Britain’s House of Lords has acknowledged that she repeatedly lied about her links to a company that was awarded lucrative contracts to supply protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Underwear tycoon Michelle Mone said in a BBC interview on Sunday that she had made

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has decided to shut down a Slovenian-based religious community founded by a controversial ex-Jesuit artist. The archdiocese of Ljubljana, Slovenia said in a statement Friday that the Loyola Community would have one year to implement the Oct.20 decree ordering its dissolution. The reason given was because of “serious problems concerning the

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope. Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children

JERUSALEM (AP) — Some of Israel’s closest European allies pressed for a cease-fire in the war with Hamas on Sunday, underscoring growing international unease with the devastating impact of the conflict on Gaza’s civilian population. The concerted push by top European diplomats comes before a visit to Israel on Monday by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd

By KARL RITTER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine reportedly launched mass drone attacks at each other’s territories for a second straight day Sunday, one of which apparently targeted a Russian military airport. At least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over three regions in southwestern Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tantrums, tears, temperature, toilet accidents. These travails of childhood are familiar to any parent. But for Doron Katz Asher, the daily whims of children took on a new, frightening dimension while in Hamas captivity with her two young daughters. If the girls cried, militants would