AP National News

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — The Marrakech International Film Festival has bestowed its top prize on “Happy Holidays,” a Palestinian drama set in Israel whose screenplay won an award at the Venice Film Festival in September. It awarded its jury prize Saturday to two additional films from Somalia and Argentina. The winning films each tackled social

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Some residents of seven Louisiana nursing homes who were sent to ride out 2021’s Hurricane Ida in a warehouse are being offered shares of a nearly $9 million settlement. Retired state Judge William “Rusty” Knight says all the 427 former residents who filed legal claims are being sent letters outlining the

Associated Press SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — The United States will provide nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money it has left to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. The

Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Nearly 50 survivors of a migrant boat tragedy last month that left 25 people dead in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar have arrived back in Somalia and were received by government officials. The survivors aged 17 to 50 wore outfits Saturday made of fabric with the Somali national flag

Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A political party in North Macedonia has demanded authorities ban social networks whose content incites violence and self-destructive behavior after several young people were seriously injured in connection with the popular “Superman challenge” on TikTok. Health authorities said at least 17 students, ages 10 to 17, were brought

ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios has died when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died Friday. The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Authorities say a motorcycle loaded with explosives has detonated at a police checkpoint in southwestern Colombia killing the driver and injuring 14 others. Officers had been conducting inspections in the community of Las Penas in the Jamundi municipality to prevent possible violence by illegal armed groups. That’s according to commander of

BERWYN, Ill. (AP) — Far-right influencer Nick Fuentes is due in court later this month after a woman accused him of pepper-spraying her when she showed up at his suburban Chicago home following his “Your body, my choice” post on X. According to court documents, the 57-year-old woman approached Fuentes’ home in Berwyn on Nov.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man accused of a hate crime for killing a gay man is asking a judge to dismiss the charges, saying he acted in self-defense. Gerald Radford testified on Friday that he feared for his own life when he shot John “Walt” Lay at a Tampa dog park on Feb.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — South Korean author Han Kang, this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, has spoken passionately about the process of writing and her evolution as a writer — all the way back to when she was 8 years old. Han, the first Asian woman and the first South Korean writer to

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prosecutor says he will seek to vacate as many as 2,600 convictions of people who bought crack cocaine manufactured by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for sting operations between 1988 and 1990. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in 1993 that people couldn’t be charged in cases where the

AP Entertainment Writer ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones’ legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character. Pierre

Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A judge has handed down long sentences to three former officers of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police over the 2022 death a Black man who was killed by asphyxiation inside an SUV’s smoke-filled trunk. Video of officers forcibly keeping Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, 38, in the back of their

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis appeared with a significant bruise on his chin Saturday, but presided over a ceremony to install new cardinals without apparent problems. The Vatican said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion on Friday morning, when Francis his a night stand with his chin. The pontiff, who

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says the U.S. should avoid engaging militarily in Syria, where an opposition offensive is threatening the rule of the country’s Russian- and Iran-allied leader. Trump’s first extensive comments on the dramatic rebel push came Saturday via his social media website. National security adviser Jake Sullivan separately said

BERLIN (AP) — The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland have strongly condemned “the disproportionate use of force” against peaceful protesters and the targeting of the opposition and media representatives in Georgia. Mass protests there fueled by the governing party’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union entered a second week on

Authorities in Azerbaijan have detained six journalists on smuggling charges. The independent Azerbaijani news outlet Meydan TV, whose website has been blocked in Azerbaijan since 2019, says five of the journalists are its employees. It described a sixth person as an independent reporter. Meydan TV, which is headquartered in Berlin, has complained of harassment by

PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire five years ago nearly destroyed the beloved 12th-century cathedral. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers are gathering Saturday in Paris to celebrate the restoration of the landmark widely considered a pinnacle of French architectural heritage. Saturday’s events began with Archbishop