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Oregon linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei (10) bobbles the ball before coming up with an interception during the second half of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Texas Tech, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)2026-01-01T11:00:08Z MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) The first thing that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore did after winning the Orange Bowl was salute the thousands of fans who made the cross-country trip to South Florida.If the Ducks defense keeps playing like this, those fans might be back in Miami before long.Matayo Uiagalelei caused a fumble to set up an Oregon touchdown, freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had three takeaways two interceptions and a fumble recovery and the fifth-seeded Ducks silenced No. 4 Texas Techs offense for a 23-0 win in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday.Theyve earned this opportunity, Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. I told them go get their pound of flesh today. They did that today.Jordon Davison rushed for two scores, Moore threw for 234 yards and Atticus Sappington kicked three field goals for Oregon (13-1), which will play either No. 1 Indiana or No. 9 Alabama in the Peach Bowl a CFP semifinal on Jan. 9. The Peach Bowl winner will be back in Miami Gardens for the national title game on Jan. 19.I believe we have the best defense in the country, Finney said. Texas Tech probably wouldnt argue with that.Texas Tech which finished at 12-2 came into the day second nationally in points per game (42.5) and fifth nationally in yards per game (480.3) but got absolutely nothing going. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, were stopped on fourth downs three other times and had four three-and-outs. Tech quarterback Behren Morton who finished 18 of 32 passing for just 137 yards was stripped by Uiagalelei early in the third quarter in Red Raider territory. Uiagalelei rumbled deep into the red zone and Davison scored one play later to make it 13-0.Morton threw a red-zone interception early in the fourth quarter and a fourth-down stop from their own 30 midway through the fourth quarter doomed whatever comeback chances existed for the Red Raiders. Davison plunged in from the 1 with 16 seconds left to cap the scoring. And once again, a CFP bye meant a team went bye-bye.It was the sixth quarterfinal under this 12-team tournament format that started last year there were two others coming later Thursday and the sixth time that the team coming off an extended break lost to a team that played a first-round game.In 2024, Boise State (against Penn State), Arizona State (against Texas), Georgia (against Notre Dame) and Oregon (against Ohio State) all went out in the quarterfinals after first-round byes. Miami added to that list Wednesday night, beating Ohio State in a quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. In those six games, including Thursday, the team with the bye has held the lead for less than five minutes combined of regulation.Texas Tech thought it could avoid that fate. It could not, and Oregon finished off its first shutout of an AP-ranked opponent since 2012. Oregon was playing a top-10 team for the 113th time and for the first time, allowed zero points.Oregon played James Madison in Round 1 this year, winning 51-34, and generally was unhappy afterward with how it played defensively. There wasnt anything to not like from that side of the ball on Thursday.Last week a lot of people talked about our defense, Lanning said. They showed up today.The takeawayOregon: The Ducks are flying home to Eugene, instead of staying in the Eastern time zone to prepare for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta next week. It was a decision the Ducks made not long after seeing how the CFP bracket could shake out.Texas Tech: It simply was an uncharacteristic offensive showing from the Red Raiders, who had scored at least 10 points before halftime in 26 of their last 27 games going back to 2023 and hadnt been shut out in the first two quarters of a game since Nov. 20, 2021.Up nextOregon: The Ducks, who have tied the school record for wins in a season, await the Indiana-Alabama winner.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are scheduled to open the 2026 season at home against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5. ___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football TIM REYNOLDS Reynolds is an Associated Press sports writer, based in South Florida. twitter mailto

Matayo Uiagalelei caused a fumble to set up a touchdown as the Ducks silenced Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals.

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2026-01-01T20:50:44Z JERUSALEM (AP) The U.N. said Thursday that a Palestinian boy in the Gaza Strip drowned in floods that engulfed his tent camp, with videos showing rescuers trying to pry his body out of muddy waters by pulling him by the ankle. It was the latest sign of the miseries that winter is inflicting on the territorys population, with many left homeless by the devastation from two years of war. Health officials also reported the death of another 9 year-old boy in Gaza Thursday, but the circumstances were not clear. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli forces carried out a sweep of arrests, seizing around 50 Palestinians, many from their homes, a Palestinian group representing prisoners said. As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. But Palestinians are still being killed almost daily by Israeli fire, and the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of abating. At least three Israeli soldiers have died in Gaza since the ceasefire came down, killed by militant attacks or explosive detonations. Young boy drowned from floodingUNICEF said Thursday that 7-year-old Ata Mai had drowned Saturday in severe flooding that engulfed his tent camp in Gaza City. Mais was the latest child death reported in Gaza as storms, cold weather and flooding worsen already brutal living conditions. Almost the entire population of more than 2 million people have lost their homes, and most are living in squalid tent camps with little protection from the weather. UNICEF said Mai had been living with his younger siblings and family in a camp of around 40 tents. They lost their mother earlier in the war. Video from Civil Defense teams, shown on Al Jazeera, showed rescue workers trying to get Mais body out of what appeared to be a pit filled with muddy water surrounded by wreckage of bombed buildings. The men waded into the water, pulling at the boys ankle, the only part of his body visible. Later, the body is shown wrapped in a muddy cloth being loaded into an ambulance. Over past weeks, cold winter rains have repeatedly lashed the sprawling tent cities, causing flooding, turning Gazas dirt roads into mud and causing buildings damaged in Israeli bombardment to collapse. UNICEF says at least six children, including Mai, have now died of weather-related causes, including a 4-year-old who died in a building collapse.The Gaza Ministry of Health says three children have died of hypothermia. Teams visiting displacement camps reported appalling conditions that no child should endure, with many tents blown away or collapsing entirely, said Edouard Beigbeder, regional director for UNICEFs Middle East and North Africa division. West Bank arrest raidThe Palestinian Prisoners Society said Israeli troops had arrested at least 50 Palestinians across the West Bank and interrogated many of them overnight. Most of the arrests occurred in the Ramallah area, said the group, which is an official body within the Palestinian Authority. These operations were accompanied by widespread raids, abuse and assault against detainees and their families, in addition to extensive acts of vandalism and destruction inside citizens homes, the group alleged. Israels military did not immediately comment on the raid. The society says that Israel has arrested 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year, and 21,000 since the war began Oct. 7, 2023. The number arrested from Gaza is not made public by Israel. Violence in the West Bank has surged during the war in Gaza, with the Israeli military carrying out large-scale operations targeting militants that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands. There has also been a rise in Israeli settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Boy in Gaza diesA nine-year-old boy, Youssef Shandaghi, died in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, not far from the so-called Yellow Line, the ceasefire demarcation between the more than half of the Gaza Strip still held by the Israeli military and the rest of the territory, where most of the population lives. Two officials from Gazas Shifa Hospital, Director Mohammed Abu Selmiya and Managing Director Rami Mhanna, said the boy was killed by Israeli gunfire coming from across the Yellow Line. Abu Selmiya cited the report from the doctor who received Shandaghis body. Israels military said it had no knowledge of the incident. But an uncle of the boy said he was killed by unexploded ordnance he had come across while playing. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Israeli troops almost daily open fire on Palestinians who come too close to the Yellow Line, often killing or wounding some, according to medical personnel and witnesses. The Israeli military says it fires warning shots if someone crosses the line and fires at anyone judged to be posing a threat to troops. It has acknowledged some civilians have been killed, including young children. Since the ceasefire began, 416 Palestinians have been killed and 1,142 wounded in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll from the war is at least 71,271. The ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. JULIA FRANKEL Frankel, based in Jerusalem, has reported from across Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Her reporting focuses on war, human rights, displacement and criminal justice. twitter mailto

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Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) makes a touchdown catch past Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. (5) during the second half of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)2026-01-01T18:51:55Z PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdown passes, Indianas defense thoroughly throttled Alabama, and the top-seeded Hoosiers roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 38-3 victory in the 112th Rose Bowl on Thursday.Mendoza passed for 192 yards in his first game since winning his schools first Heisman Trophy, but the hard-nosed Hoosiers (14-0, No. 1 CFP seed) won the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history by dominating the Crimson Tide (11-4, No. 9 CFP seed) at the line of scrimmage.Indiana scored the games first 24 points before pouring it on with fourth-quarter rushing TDs from Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, wrapping up a jubilant win in the 112th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt caught TD passes, while Black rushed for 99 yards. Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193, steadily delighting a decidedly pro-Indiana crowd that celebrated its long-struggling teams first Rose Bowl game appearance since 1968 with chants of Hoosier Daddy? in the final minutes. Indiana had not won any bowl game since the Copper Bowl in 1991, but history has been no match for Curt Cignetti and his dominant Hoosiers during the coachs two transcendent seasons. The Hoosiers are headed to the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 for a CFP semifinal rematch with fifth-seeded Oregon, which routed Texas Tech 23-0 earlier Thursday in the Orange Bowl.Indiana beat the then-No. 3 Ducks 30-20 in Eugene last October in one of Cignettis most impressive Big Ten victories. Indiana is two wins away from the first national championship in school history after becoming the first team to advance following a first-round bye in the current 12-team playoff format. The first six bye teams including the first two this season couldnt come back strong from an extra-long layoff, but the Hoosiers took care of business while improving to 25-2 under Cignetti. The Crimson Tides second season under Kalen DeBoer ended in the same venue as their final season under Nick Saban two years ago. Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards before the meaningless final minutes of this blowout.Ty Simpson passed for 67 yards before backup Austin Mack replaced him in the third quarter. Mack immediately got the Tide rolling on a 65-yard drive leading to a short field goal, but the Hoosiers responded with two unstoppable TD drives.Indiana dominated the famous Rose Bowl turf, which stayed pristine despite nearly 24 hours of steady rain before kickoff. The storms dissipated while the Hoosiers took their first-half lead, and blue skies appeared in the second half.After the first scoreless first quarter in a Rose Bowl in 26 years, Indianas second drive stretched 84 yards and 16 plays over nearly nine minutes before Nicolas Radicics 31-yard field goal on the first snap of the second quarter.Indianas defense then stopped Alabama on fourth and 1 at the Tide 34, and Mendoza fired a long, high pass to the leaping Becker four plays later for a 21-yard touchdown. Simpson fumbled in Indiana territory after a courageous first-down scramble late in the first half, and the Hoosiers methodically drove for Mendozas 1-yard TD pass with 17 seconds left to Cooper, the hero of Indianas dramatic victory over Penn State.After halftime, Mendoza led a steady 79-yard drive ending in his 24-yard TD pass to the leaping Sarratt.The victory is the latest step in the monumental two-season turnaround of what was the losingest program in college football when Cignetti took charge. After winning 11 games and reaching the CFP last season, the Hoosiers steamrolled through their schedule this fall before beating defending national champion Ohio State for the Big Ten title and ascending to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time.TakeawaysAlabama: It was remarkable to see the most successful program of the 21st century get dominated up front. The Tides inability to run the ball was a season-long problem, but it was particularly painful in Pasadena. Whether through personnel or scheme, DeBoers offense must take a step forward next year to reach the standard expected at Bama.Indiana: The Hoosiers acted like theyve been here before, even though they havent. Cignettis group has a businesslike demeanor that wasnt remotely altered by Alabamas reputation and history. Up nextAlabama: Host East Carolina on Sept. 5.Indiana: A trip to Atlanta to face the powerhouse Ducks, who lost last seasons Rose Bowl to Ohio State as the No. 1 seed.___AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football GREG BEACHAM Beacham is a sports writer in California.

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President Nicolas Maduro joins a rally marking the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, which took place during Venezuela's 19th-century Federal War, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)2026-01-02T01:48:11Z CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Venezuela is open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking, the South American countrys President Nicols Maduro said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday on state television, but he declined to comment on a CIA-led strike last week at a Venezuelan docking area that the Trump administration believed was used by cartels.Maduro, in an interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, reiterated that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force, Maduro said, later adding that it is time for both nations to start talking seriously, with data in hand. The U.S. government knows, because weve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, were ready, he said. If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it. Chevron Corp. is the only major oil company exporting Venezuelan crude to the U.S. Venezuela has the worlds largest proven oil reserves. The interview was taped on New Years Eve, the same day the U.S. military announced strikes against five alleged drug-smuggling boats. The latest attacks bring the total number of known boat strikes to 35 and the number of people killed to at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. Venezuelans are among the victims. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The strikes began off Venezuelas Caribbean coast and later expanded to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, the CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter. It was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the boat strikes began, a significant escalation in the administrations pressure campaign on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S.Asked about the operation on Venezuelan soil, Maduro said he could talk about it in a few days.___Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

Segev Kalfon, an Israeli hostage who spent two years in captivity in a Hamas tunnel and was released from the Gaza Strip in a ceasefire deal on Oct. 13, looks on at his home in Dimona, southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)2026-01-02T05:46:23Z DIMONA, Israel (AP) During the two years he was held captive in Gaza, Segev Kalfon had a recurring dream: slowly walking through a supermarket, browsing each aisle for his favorite foods, taking in the brightly colored packages and smells. Since being released on Oct. 13, his dreams have flipped: Most nights when he closes his eyes, he is back on a dirty piece of foam mattress in the 2-square-meter (22-square-foot) room in a Hamas tunnel where he was kept with five other hostages, counting each tile and crack in the cement to distract himself from severe hunger and near-daily physical torture.I was in the lowest place a person can be before death, the lowest. I had no control over anything, when to eat, when to shower, how much I want to eat, said Kalfon, 27. During the worst parts of captivity, he was so skinny he could count the individual vertebrae jutting from his spine. Now that hes back home in Dimona in southern Israel, Kalfon is trying to piece together a post-captivity life. He spends much of his time juggling appointments with an array of doctors and psychologists.One of the strangest aspects of his release, Kalfon said, is that for two years, his entire life revolved around trying to please his captors, so they might share more food or spare a beating. Now that hes out, everyone is trying to please me, he said. From a family bakery to a Hamas tunnelBefore being taken hostage at the Nova music festival, Kalfon worked at his familys bakery in the town of Arad and was studying finance and investments.When rockets started flying at the start of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Kalfon said he and his closest friend tried to help others at the festival escape. Kalfon remembers pleading with a group of people who had taken cover in a yellow dumpster, telling them to come with him, that they were in a death trap. For two years, Kalfon wondered what happened to them. After his release, he learned they were all killed. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages during their cross-border assault that day. Israels ensuing offensive has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.While in captivity, every moment felt like an eternity, Kalfon said. The only thing that broke up the monotony was a meager portion of food and water once a day. There were so many times he felt close to death: during frequent bombardment by the Israeli military, going through COVID and other illnesses with no medicine, enduring starvation and frequent physical torture. He said his captors used bicycle chains as whips and pummeled the hostages while wearing large rings to leave painful welts. We didnt even have energy to yell out, because no one hears you, he said. Youre in a tunnel 30 meters underground; no one knows whats going on.The worst part was the last three months of his captivity, Kalfon said, when he was kept in isolation and felt like he was losing his sanity. In the darkest places, faith brings a ray of lightBoth Kalfon and his family, advocating in Israel for his release, further turned to their Jewish faith to get through the dark times. Kalfons family filled their homes with additional Jewish books, ritual objects and prayers from senior rabbis. Kalfon and the other five hostages made a tradition of marking the start of Jewish holidays or the Sabbath by saying prayers over a bit of water and moldy pita. The hostages used a square of precious toilet paper, where one roll had to last six people for two months, for the ritual skullcap that Jewish men traditionally wear during prayers. A radio the captors had given to the hostages in hopes of converting them to Islam through recordings of the Quran sometimes allowed them to capture signals from Israeli news. Once, when Kalfon was at his lowest and considering an escape attempt, which likely would have led to his death, he turned on the radio and heard his mothers voice. He said it felt like a divine message to hold on for a little longer. I was living in the body of a dead person, living in a grave, Kalfon said. To get out of this grave, its nothing else if not a miracle.Kalfon was released along with 19 other living hostages as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. He considers U.S. President Donald Trump a messenger from God, sure that no one else could have halted the fighting. His family has hung nearly a dozen American flags around the house in recognition of the U.S. contribution to his return. War is starting with my soulSince his return, Kalfon is getting used to a new life, one where he is famous after his name and face were broadcast across Israel during the fight to release the hostages.Everyone wants to support me and say, Youre such a hero, Kalfon said. I dont feel like a hero. Every person would want to survive. Kalfon knows he has a long journey to recovery after his years in captivity and a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis from before he was taken hostage.Although the war in Gaza is over, now my war is starting with my soul, to try to deal with thoughts that are very difficult, he said.He tries to keep his schedule busy to distract himself. But every night when Im alone, it comes up, Kalfon said. Even a small noise can startle him awake and thrust him into a terrifying flashback, so he barely sleeps.For the immediate future, he wants to share his story more widely. He said he has been shocked by the rise in global antisemitism and anti-Israel fervor since he was captured and wants to make sure people hear his story, especially those who tore down posters of the hostages or accuse Israel of lying. Im proof that it happened, he said. I felt it with my body. I saw it with my own eyes. ___Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel. MELANIE LIDMAN Lidman is an Associated Press reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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Shortly after Pete Golding and Ole Miss finished an upset of Georgia on Thursday, a source told ESPN's Mark Schlabach to expect some "fireworks," as LSU coach Lane Kiffin decides how many of his assistants can remain with the Rebels for the CFP semifinal.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)2026-01-02T09:32:42Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) U.S. President Donald Trump and a top Iranian security official exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening economic protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June.Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning Iran that if it violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their rescue. At least seven people have been killed so far in violence surrounding demonstrations.We are locked and loaded and ready to go, Trump wrote, without elaborating.Shortly after, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, alleged on the social platform X that Israel and the U.S. were stoking the demonstrations. He offered no evidence to support the allegation, which Iranian officials have repeatedly made during years of protests sweeping the country. Trump should know that intervention by the U.S. in the domestic problem corresponds (to) chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the U.S. interests, Larijani wrote on X, which the Iranian government blocks. The people of the U.S. should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers. Larijanis remarks likely referenced Americas wide military footprint in the region. Iran in June attacked Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites during Israels 12-day war on the Islamic Republic. The current protests, now in their sixth day, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. Irans civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Irans rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials. That sparked the initial protests.The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Irans theocracy as well. Months after the war, Iran said it was no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks have yet to happen as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, leader Kim Jong Un, center right, his wife Ri Sol Ju, third left, and their daughter, center, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, visit Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)2026-01-02T05:16:32Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum, a step that experts say bolstered her status as her fathers potential heir.The visit, which occurred on New Years Day on Thursday, even sparked speculation that the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and aged about 13, could be named a high-level official at the upcoming ruling Workers Party congress.Images carried by North Koreas state media on Friday showed Kim Ju Ae standing in the front row with her parents and deeply bowing at Pyongyangs Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display.The palace is a place that symbolizes legitimacy of the North Korean regime and her visit there ahead of the Workers Party congress is a politically orchestrated move, said Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy head of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. Kim Jong Un, 41, is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea since the countrys foundation in 1948. He often marks key state anniversaries by visiting the Kumsusan palace and paying respect to his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung. Cheong predicted that Kim Jong Un could give his daughter the first secretary post at the Workers Party, the partys No. 2 job, at the congress. Other experts say she is too young to accept such a high-profile post and might be provided with lower-level jobs. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on The congress, the first of its kind in five years, is meant to establish new priorities in state policies and reshuffle officials. North Korea hasnt said when it will hold it, but the National Intelligence Service, South Koreas spy agency, said it likely will be held either in January or February. Since first appearing in state media in November 2022, Kim Ju Ae has accompanied her father at a slew of events including military parades and missile launches. In September, Kim Jong Un brought her on his trip to Beijing. During New Years Day celebrations this week, she kissed her father on the cheek, showing their closeness. Im In January 2024, the NIS said it viewed Kim Ju Ae as her fathers likely heir. Some outside experts disagree with that assessment, citing Kim Jong Uns relatively young age and the extremely male-dominated nature of North Koreas power hierarchy. The NIS told lawmakers in November that Kim appeared to have no major health problems.Revealing the young Kim Ju Ae was a surprise to foreign experts because neither Kim Jong Un nor Kim Jong Il were mentioned in North Korean state media before they became adults. Some observers say Kim Jong Un likely aimed to shore up public support for his plan to extend the familys rule by repeatedly disclosing Kim Ju Ae in public events. HYUNG-JIN KIM Hyung-jin is an Associated Press reporter in Seoul, South Korea. He reports on security, political and other general news on the Korean Peninsula. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, leader Kim Jong Un, center right, his wife Ri Sol Ju, third left, and their daughter, center, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, visit Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)2026-01-02T03:26:39Z A woman was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack while she was hiking alone in the mountains of northern Colorado on Thursday, in what would be the first fatal attack by one of the predators in the state in more than 25 years, authorities said.Wildlife officers later in the day located two mountain lions in the area and fatally shot the animals, said Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife The attack occurred in the mountains south of the small community of Glen Haven, about 7 miles northeast of Estes Park and considered the gateway to the eastern entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. Shortly before noon, two hikers encountered a mountain lion near the womans body along a remote section of the Crosier Mountain trail, which is on a national forest.The hikers threw rocks at the animal to scare it from the immediate area so they could try to help the woman, Van Hoose said. One of the hikers was a physician who attended to the victim and did not find a pulse, she said. Details on the womans injuries and cause of death were not immediately released.Van Hoose said the search for other mountain lions in the area was ongoing. She said circumstances would dictate whether any additional lions that are found are killed. Sightings of mountain lions are common in the forested area where the suspected attack occurred, but there have not been any recent documented attacks on humans, Van Hoose said. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on This is a very common time of year to take mountain lion sightings and reports and especially in Larimer County, where this is very good mountain lion habitat, she said. Trails in this area are in pretty remote land, so its wooded, its rocky, theres elevation gains and dips. Mountain lion attacks are rare and Colorados last suspected fatal attack was in 1999, when a 3-year-old was killed. Two years before that, a 10-year-old boy was killed by a lion and dragged away while hiking with family members in Rocky Mountain National Park. Last year in Northern California two brothers were stalked and then attacked by a lion that they tried to fight off. One of the brothers was killed.The animals, also known as cougars, catamounts and other names, can weigh 130 pounds (60 kilograms) and grow to more than six feet (1.8meters) long1. They eat primarily deer. Colorado has an estimated 3,800-4,400 of the animals, which are classified as a big game species in the state and can be hunted. MATTHEW BROWN Brown is based in Billings, Montana. He covers breaking news, the environment, politics, energy, crime and more.

The sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations is seen in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)2026-01-02T05:50:27Z CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before hed been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers.The 16-year-old from Paris escaped the inferno, which broke out after midnight Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. But about 40 other partygoers died, including one of Claviers friends, falling victim to one of the worst tragedies in Switzerlands history.The blaze also injured about 115 people, many of them in their teens to mid-20s, as it ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said. Clavier told The Associated Press that two or three of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster. People lay candles near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Years celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni) People lay candles near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Years celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Late Thursday, mourners left candles and flowers in an impromptu memorial near the bar. Hundreds of others prayed for the victims at the nearby Church of Montana-Station.Representatives from France and Italy said their nationals are among the missing. Fires cause remains under investigationValais Canton police commander Frdric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the dead and inform their families, adding that the community is devastated.Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased. Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack, Pilloud said.She later said the number of people who were in the bar is unknown, and its maximum capacity will be part of the investigation. For the time being, we dont have any suspects, she added, when asked if anyone had been arrested over the fire. An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire. People lay candles and flowers near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Years celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni) People lay candles and flowers near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Years celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More An evening of celebration turns tragicClavier, the Parisian teenager, said he didnt see the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with burning sparklers. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but I am still alive and its just stuff.Im still in shock, he added.Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door. People cry at the scene after a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Years celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) People cry at the scene after a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Years celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street. Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre, where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012. A hearse drives past as police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Years celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) A hearse drives past as police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Years celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Resort town sits in the heart of the AlpsIn a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain the areas already overwhelmed medical resources.With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 meters (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais regions snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best mens and womens downhill racers, including Lindsey Vonn, for their final events before the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. The towns Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the largely ceremonial job, said many emergency staff had been confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress.Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help. ___Dazio reported from Berlin and Leicester reported from Paris. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report. JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter STEFANIE DAZIO Dazio covers Northern Europe from Berlin for The Associated Press. She previously covered crime and criminal justice from Los Angeles.