The Associated Press

When no Americans replied to her ads seeking a dance instructor, studio owner Chris Sabourin looked overseas. But she was stymied again by a federal tightening of visa application rules she and others contend is hampering the ballroom dance industry. Sabourin had to eventually give up after a year and thousands of dollars trying to hire a top ballroom dancer...

Russian scientists on Monday showed off a prehistoric puppy, believed to be 18,000 years old, found in permafrost in the country’s Far East. Discovered last year in a lump of frozen mud near the city of Yakutsk, the puppy is unusually well-preserved, with its hair, teeth, whiskers and eyelashes still intact. “This puppy has all its limbs, pelage – fur,...

Climate change, gun violence, the very nature of democracy and an angsty little movie star called Forky helped propel “existential” to Dictionary.com’s word of the year. The choice reflects months of high-stakes threats and crises, real and pondered, across the news, the world and throughout 2019. “In our data, it speaks to this sense of grappling with our survival, both...

A man accused of firing a gun into the crowded bleachers of a New Jersey high school football game, killing a 10-year-old boy, will be held in jail until his trial.

An Alabama district attorney said Monday that authorities have “good reason” to believe human remains found in a wooded area belong to the missing stepdaughter of a UFC heavyweight fighter. The remains were found on a county road in neighboring Macon County, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes told The Associated Press. “I can confirm that human remains have been...

After bloody race riots rocked China’s far west a decade ago, the ruling Communist Party turned to a rare figure in their ranks to restore order: a Han Chinese official fluent in Uighur, the language of the local Turkic Muslim minority. Now, newly revealed, confidential documents show that the official, Zhu Hailun, played a key role in planning and executing...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment is expected to sharpen the battle lines in Israel’s already deadlocked political system and could test the loyalty of his right-wing allies, Israeli commentators said Friday. The serious corruption charges announced Thursday appear to have dashed already slim hopes for a unity government following September’s elections, paving the way for an unprecedented repeat vote in...

The American Medical Association on Tuesday called for an immediate ban on all electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. The group adopted the sweeping stance at a policy-making meeting in San Diego. It aims to lobby for state and federal laws, regulations or legal action to achieve a ban, but the industry is sure to fight back.

Wails filled a church in Haiti’s capital on Tuesday during funeral services for five people killed in anti-government protests that began more than two months ago. Among those killed was 15-year-old Jasmine Pierre, whose father told The Associated Press that she was hit inside their home by a stray bullet when police began firing at protesters.

Two correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein when he took his own life are expected to face criminal charges this week for falsifying prison records, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The federal charges could come as soon as Tuesday and are the first in connection with Epstein’s death. The wealthy financier died at the...

Two men and woman are dead after a shooting outside a Walmart in Duncan, Oklahoma.

Two men and a woman were fatally shot Monday morning outside a Walmart store in southwestern Oklahoma, and the shooter is among the dead, authorities said. Two victims were shot inside a car and the third died in the parking lot just before 10 a.m. outside the store in Duncan, Police Chief Danny Ford said. Authorities did not immediately describe...

Singer Ariana Grande is telling her fans that she has a bad sinus condition that has made her “very sick” and might force her to cancel upcoming shows on her world tour. Grande, 26, says in videos posted Saturday on Instagram that “my throat and head are still in so much pain.” While she sounds OK, “I’m just in a...

Bolivia’s political crisis turned deadly again when security forces opened fire on supporters of Evo Morales. At least five people died and dozens were injured, threatening the interim government’s efforts to restore stability following the resignation of the former president in an election dispute. Most of the dead and injured Friday in Sacaba, near the city of Cochabamba, had been...

A scandal over alleged sexual molestation and abuse at the Vatican’s youth seminary is growing, with more former papal altar boys alleging inappropriate behavior by priests inside the Vatican walls. Le Iene, an Italian investigative television program, plans to air the new allegations Sunday; the show provided the broadcast to The Associated Press ahead of time. The Vatican announced in...

The last remaining survivor of the Hindenburg disaster, Werner Gustav Doehner, has died at age 90. His son said a church service was held Friday for Doehner, who died on Nov. 8 at a hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire.

Drug-resistant “superbug” infections have been called a developing nightmare that could set medicine back a century, making conquered germs once again untreatable. So there’s some surprising news in a report released Wednesday: U.S. superbug deaths appear to be going down. About 36,000 Americans died from drug-resistant infections in 2017, down 18% from an estimated 44,000 in 2013, the Centers for...

The FBI has begun a corruption investigation into how Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration came to issue permits for construction on a multibillion-dollar pipeline project to carry highly volatile natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned.

The pilgrims arrive early and from all over, gathering hours before daybreak in an old pecan grove that surrounds a country church. They come, they say, for a dose of simple decency and devotion wrapped up in a Bible lesson. The teacher is the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Nearly four decades after he left office and...

The 1953 painting by Rafael Tufiño Figueroa features his mother with a red scarf on her head, a determined look on her face and heavy expression lines, a depiction of a working-class woman that broke from conventional portraits of the time that focused largely on wealthy men.