AP National News

By CHARLOTTE ANTOINE-PERRON Associated Press NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — Voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to stay part of France in an independence referendum marred by a boycott from separatist forces. They had called for the vote to be delayed because of the pandemic and were angry over

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said the “world’s largest economies are united” in warning Russia that an invasion of Ukraine would have “massive” consequences. Russia’s military buildup near the Ukrainian border has dominated talks among Group of Seven foreign ministers in the English city of

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Austria has ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country. Sunday’s relaxation of the strict rules comes three weeks after reimposing them to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections. The measures vary by region within the country. They largely allow for the reopening

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Germany’s new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is coming to Warsaw Sunday afternoon for talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki about migration, energy, European Union matters and tensions east of the bloc’s border. Germany has voiced support for Poland which has sealed its eastern frontier to migrants it says are encouraged by

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he will travel to the United Arab Emirates, the first visit to the country by an Israeli premier. The trip Sunday is part of a blitz of regional diplomacy amid the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran. Israel has watched

By CHARLOTTE ANTOINE-PERRON Associated Press NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — Voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to stay part of France in an independence referendum marred by a boycott from separatist forces. They had called for the vote to be delayed because of the pandemic and were angry over

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister says he wil make the first official visit by a sitting premier to the United Arab Emirates as part of a blitz of regional diplomacy amid the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran. Naftali Bennett’s office said he will be meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed on

Gothic novelist Anne Rice has died due to complications from a stroke. Rice’s son Christopher Rice announced her death late Saturday on her Facebook page and his Twitter page. Rice was widely known for her bestselling novel “Interview With the Vampire.” The 1976 book was adapted into a movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt

By KATIE TAM and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — More than a thousand men and women plunged into the cool water of Hong Kong’s Victoria Bay on Sunday morning, competing to see who could swim the fastest across the harbor in open water. The New World Harbour Race has been suspended the

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Event organizers say the Foo Fighters rock band has called off its concert at the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi due to “unforeseen medical circumstances.” The organizers offered no further details about the medical issue, other than to say that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters were “unable

By BRUCE SCHREINER and DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor is warning the state’s death toll from an outbreak of tornadoes could top 100. Rescuers in an increasingly bleak search are picking through the splintered ruins of homes and businesses, including a candle factory that was bustling with night-shift employees when

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A major storm is headed toward Northern California this weekend, promising to drop heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and rain throughout the region. Forecasters say the storm is on track to hit coastal areas north of San Francisco Saturday night and bring light rain. The heaviest rainfall is expected to

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Unusually warm temperatures and a storm system moving east linked to the La Nina weather pattern helped create the conditions necessary for the monstrous tornadoes and severe weather that tore through parts of the the Midwest and South. Tornadoes in December are unusual, but

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to empower private citizens to enforce a ban on the manufacture and sale of assault weapons in the state. Newsom’s proposal is similar to a Texas law that outlaws abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The U.S. Supreme

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Alabama’s Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, beating out Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to give the Crimson Tide consecutive winners of college football’s most famous individual award. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett finished third and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was fourth in