China prepares for return of spacecraft with moon samples

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese ground crews are standing by for the landing of the first new samples of rocks and soil from the moon in more than 40 years.

The Latest: Northeast preps for impending major snow storm

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest developments on the winter storm moving across the Northeast (all times local):

From matzo to gumbo: Museum explores Southern Jewish life

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A new museum under construction in New Orleans will explore the journey of immigrant Jews and subsequent generations to the American South who brought with them a religious way of life they strug…

Human rights envoy criticizes Albania's handling of protests

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A top European human rights envoy on Wednesday said Albanian authorities should have shown restraint and avoided the use of excessive force in policing recent demonstrations over a man's fata…

New trial date for Nashville officer in fatal shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A new trial date has been set for a white Tennessee police officer charged with fatally shooting an armed Black man from behind during a chase.

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UK survey: Ethnic minorities less likely to take COVID jab

LONDON (AP) — People from ethnic minority backgrounds or with lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine being rolled out in Britain, research suggested Wednesday, raising concerns about whether …

New body camera video shows moments after Arbery shooting

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Police began arriving almost immediately after Ahmaud Arbery was shot in a coastal Georgia subdivision, finding the unarmed Black man lying facedown in his own blood while the man who shot him …

Stocks drift mostly lower a day after setting more records

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are off to a weak start on Wall Street as investors keep a cautious eye on Washington, where lawmakers appear to be getting close to an agreement on supplying more badly needed aid for the ec…

Former DNC leader Don Fowler dies; was mainstay of politics

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Don Fowler, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee and mainstay of South Carolina and national politics for decades, has died. He was 85.

Ruling on Russian doping case to be announced Thursday

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The ruling on whether Russia can keep its name and flag for the Olympics will be announced on Thursday.

AP Entertainment Digest for Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020

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Paris court convicts former Vatican envoy of sexual assault

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court on Wednesday convicted a former Vatican ambassador to France of sexually assaulting five men in 2018 and 2019, and handed him a suspended 8-month prison sentence.

Belarus opposition wins rights prize, urges EU to be braver

BRUSSELS (AP) — Former Belarus presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the European Union to step up its support for embattled democracy protesters in her country, as she picked up the EU’s top human …

Sickly dancing bears leaving Pakistan for new life in Jordan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A pair of sick and badly neglected dancing Himalayan brown bears will leave Islamabad’s notorious zoo Wednesday for a sanctuary in Jordan, closing down a zoo that once housed 960 animals.