Associated Press stories, Page 1427
German watchdog puts Google under closer antitrust scrutiny
LONDON — Germany’s antitrust watchdog paved the way Wednesday for extra scrutiny of Google by designating it a company of “paramount significance,” the first to get that label since regulators got more power to curb abusive practices by big digital companies. The Bundeskartellamt said its decision comes after rules were...
North Korea fires ballistic missile, in 1st test in 2 months
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, its first weapons launch in about two months and a signal it isn’t interested in rejoining denuclearization talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting its weapons arsenal. The launch...
Colorado fire evacuees aided by good road access, daylight
DENVER — A late-season wildfire pushed by hurricane-force winds tore through two densely populated Denver suburbs and seemed destined to leave a trail of deaths. Yet, only two people are unaccounted for out of some 35,000 forced from their homes. It’s a remarkably low number of possible casualties, according to...
Another man arrested in Mall of America shooting in Minnesota
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A second man has been arrested in a shooting at the Mall of America in a Minneapolis suburb last week that left two people wounded, police said. The 18-year-old St. Paul man was arrested in nearby Roseville, Bloomington police said Tuesday. He was being held on a...
Niger police seize 440 pounds of cocaine from mayor of town
NIAMEY, Niger — Police in Niger have seized more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cocaine from the vehicle of the mayor of a small town in the country’s north, the government said Wednesday. Nearly 200 bricks of cocaine were apprehended in Agadez over the weekend from the official vehicle...
UN peacekeepers attacked in south Lebanon near Israel border
BEIRUT — Unknown perpetrators attacked a group of U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, vandalizing their vehicles and stealing official items from them, a U.N. official said Wednesday. Such scuffles with U.N. peacekeepers are not uncommon in southern Lebanon since the peacekeeping force was expanded following the 2006 war between Israel...
This date in sports history: Jan. 5
1964 — Keith Lincoln of the San Diego Chargers, rushes for 206 yards in 13 carries, catches seven passes for 123 yards, completes one pass for 20 and scores two touchdowns in a 51-10 rout of the Boston Patriots for the AFL title. 1983 — In his 42nd game, Edmonton’s...
Novak Djokovic given medical exemption to play at Australian Open
BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict covid-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament. The top-ranked Djokovic wrote on Instagram on...
Kirby Smart, Georgia trying to stop skid against Nick Saban, AlabamaVideo
The Georgia Bulldogs aren’t the only team having a tough time beating fellow SEC powerhouse Alabama. They’re just the only one that gets another shot in the season’s biggest game. The No. 3 Bulldogs have the kind of talent-rich roster that appears built to give the top-ranked Crimson Tide a...
Prosecutor: Illinois cop was disarmed, killed with own gun
KANKAKEE, Ill. — A police officer who was killed at a northern Illinois hotel pleaded for her life before a man allegedly shot her with her own gun after she was disarmed during a struggle, a prosecutor said. Bradley police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and her partner, Officer Tyler Bailey, were...
Cincinnati CB Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner departing early for NFL DraftVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati has lost two stars from its College Football Playoff team to the NFL Draft. The school announced Tuesday that junior cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner declared for the draft, one day after junior running back Jerome Ford said he would do the same. The pair helped the Bearcats...
NFL’s 2nd season of covid just as trying as 1st, maybe moreVideo
The NFL worked around covid-19 with pauses and postponements during a 2020 season that figured to be the worst in dealing with the virus. Now the league — and its teams, coaches and players — are just working through coronavirus concerns in 2021, even with positive tests skyrocketing compared to...
Fire damages iconic Blue Streak roller coaster at Conneaut Lake Park
CONNEAUT LAKE — A fire at a northwestern Pennsylvania amusement park has damaged a wooden roller coaster built more than eight decades ago. WICU-TV says reports from Conneaut Lake Park late Tuesday afternoon indicated that a controlled burn near the carousel got out of hand. The fire spread to nearby...
Tied atop NHL, Capitals get players back from virus protocolVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — Tied for the most points in the NHL, the Washington Capitals are faring better in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus than many of their rivals. The Capitals navigated a stretch in which top players Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and others went into league covid-19...
Titans linebacker Bud Dupree cited for misdemeanor assaultVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee outside linebacker Bud Dupree was charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with a physical altercation at a Walgreen’s hours after the Titans clinched their second straight AFC South title. Metro Nashville police detectives cited Dupree on Tuesday morning after consulting with the district attorney’s office. Dupree...
Trump cancels Florida press conference scheduled for Jan. 6
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a...
Jan. 6 panel seeks interview with Fox News host Sean HannityVideo
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection on Tuesday requested an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the media, as the committee continues to widen its scope. In a letter to Hannity, Mississippi Rep. Bennie...
CFP championship: Matchups that will decide ‘Bama-Georgia IIVideo
The last time No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia played, things could not have gone much better for the Crimson Tide. Alabama dropped 41 points on the Bulldogs, more than double the next-highest total they have allowed this season, in the SEC title game Dec. 4. Bryce Young shredded...
Navy blocked from acting against 35 covid vaccine refusers
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Texas has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Navy from acting against 35 sailors for refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against covid-19. The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to make vaccinations...
Doug Ferguson: New year starts with a familiar question about WoodsVideo
KAPALUA, Hawaii — The largest winners-only field ever assembled at Kapalua can make it seem as though getting to paradise isn’t as difficult as it used to be. Try telling that to Dustin Johnson, who will not be starting a new year on Maui for only the second time since...
Judge tosses lawsuit of man who was nude baby on Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit of a 30-year-old man who alleged that the image of him nude as a 4-month-old on the 1991 cover of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album is child pornography. Judge Fernando M. Olguin on Monday granted a motion to dismiss the suit from...
Police boot protesters from Florida Gov. DeSantis’ briefingVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police in Florida removed a handful of community activists from a news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday after the group demanded to challenge the governor’s coronavirus policies. A live video feed of the confrontation showed police handcuffing a protester and leading the rest of the...
Josh Shapiro backs Pittsburgh-area lawmaker to be running mateVideo
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for governor this year, endorsed a Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker, Austin Davis, to be his running mate and lieutenant governor Tuesday. Davis announced his candidacy alongside Shapiro and top Democrats from the area at a park in McKeesport next to...
Joe Manchin wary of changing Senate rules to advance voting billVideo
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin sounded a skeptical note Tuesday about the prospects of easing the Senate’s filibuster rules, raising doubts about whether he will provide crucial support to the Democrats’ renewed push to advance stalled voting legislation they say is needed to protect democracy. Manchin told reporters it was...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield will have shoulder surgery, miss season finaleVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield’s broken fourth season with the Browns has mercifully ended with one game left. His time in Cleveland could be running short as well. Mayfield is sitting out the season finale against Cincinnati so he can undergo surgery on his left shoulder, an injury that affected his...
