AP National News

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A stampede at a popular Hindu shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir has killed at least 12 people and injured 13 others, officials say. An investigation has been ordered into what caused the stampede early Saturday at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine, where thousands of Hindu devotees were gathered to pay their respect

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Stetson Bennett threw three touchdown passes, Nakobe Dean led an angry Georgia defense and the third-ranked Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship. Georgia earned a

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square will come just as the year prior began, with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future. The city said it would limit the number of people Friday to about 15,000 in-person spectators.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two people have been shot and wounded following an apparent altercation at the Mall of America, sending New Year’s Eve shoppers scrambling for safety and placing the Minneapolis mall on temporary lockdown. Bloomington Police Department officials say the shooting happened about 4:30 p.m. Friday. One man suffered a gunshot wound to the

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Scientists and medical chiefs who have led Britain’s response to the pandemic have been awarded knighthoods in the country’s annual New Year Honors List, which recognized the achievements of hundreds of people from James Bond star Daniel Craig to teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu. Queen Elizabeth II

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to further bolster his military capability, maintain draconian anti-virus measures and push hard to improve the economy during a speech at a key political conference this week. A state media report on Saturday on Kim’s speech during

W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press HENDERSON (AP) — Josh Jacobs couldn’t have produced the best game of his three-year-old career for a better time. With Las Vegas spiraling downward into what’s become an annual late-season collapse, Jacobs turned in a career-best tying 129 yards on 27 attempts to lead the Raiders to a 17-13 win over

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito is offering prayers for those who died during the pandemic, taking to video for the second straight year for his New Year’s greeting. Before the pandemic, the imperial palace in central Tokyo would open at the start of each year to cheering, flag-waving crowds.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The enormous pedestal where the Robert E. Lee monument in Virginia’s capital resided for over 130 years until September has been fully removed and hauled away. WRIC-TV reported that every piece of the pedestal where the bronze statue stood over Monument Avenue in Richmond was gone from its site at a

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two people have been shot and wounded following an apparent altercation at the Mall of America, sending New Year’s Eve shoppers scrambling for safety and placing the Minneapolis mall on temporary lockdown. Bloomington Police Department officials say the shooting happened about 4:30 p.m. Friday. One man suffered a gunshot wound to the

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Top-ranked Alabama is headed to another national championship game. Brian Robinson ran for a career-high 204 yards, Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young threw three touchdowns and the defending Crimson Tide beat Cincinnati 27-6 in the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl. The Bearcats had been undefeated and

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Body camera footage released by authorities showed a man screaming in pain and pleading for help just before a sheriff’s deputy shot a Malayan tiger that had grabbed the man’s arm at a Florida zoo. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office says the man was seriously injured Wednesday evening when he entered

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America LAS VEGAS (AP) — Organizers of the CES tech convention in Las Vegas say it will run from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, one day shorter than originally planned. The Consumer Technology Association says Friday it’s still holding the event but shortening it as a safety

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts says the federal judiciary needs to do more to ensure judges don’t participate in cases where they have financial conflicts of interest. Roberts made the comments as part of his annual report on the federal judiciary released Friday evening. Roberts pointed

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — After tough talk between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin over the Russian troop buildup on the Ukraine border, both sides insist they are hopeful that a pathway to easing tensions could open during diplomatic talks set for January. But with less than two weeks to

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — China has opened an embassy in Nicaragua for the first time since 1990, acting just over three weeks after President Daniel Ortega’s government broke off relations with Taiwan. Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said Friday that there is an “ideological affinity” between the two countries. Moncada also thanked China for donating one

LONDON (AP) — U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II in the British monarch’s annual New Year’s list following the teenager’s breakthrough performance at Flushing Meadows. The 19-year-old Raducanu was made an MBE by the queen, or Member of the Order of the British Empire. It caps a remarkable year

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A western Colorado woman has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder after her children, ages 18 and 11, were fatally stabbed. The Glenwood Springs Police Department says 37-year-old Claudia Camacho-Duenas was arrested Thursday by officers responding to a reported stabbing at 2:30 p.m. The victims were

WASHINGTON (AP) — The airline industry is trying to delay next week’s scheduled rollout of 5G wireless service near dozens of major U.S. airports. An trade group called Airlines for America says the service could interfere with critical systems on planes, and it wants the issue studied further. The airlines say pilots won’t be able