30+ min ago (888+ words) But as the White House now ponders whether the U.S. military should strike Venezuela, Maduro is embracing English, singing John Lennon's Imagine, advocating for peace and dancing to a remix of his latest English catchphrase, "No War, Yes Peace." While his turnaround is seen as a sign of desperation by supporters of Venezuela's political opposition, whose leaders have repeatedly told their backers in Washington that the threat of military action would crack Maduro's inner circle, months of pressure have yet to produce defections or a government transition. Behind this knack for staying in power is a system that punishes disloyal associates harshly and allows loyal ministers, justices, military leaders and other officials to enrich themselves. Underpinning the loyalty-or-punishment principle are corruption networks blessed by Ch'vez and Maduro that give the loyal permission to get richer. The policy has vexed previous efforts…...

30+ min ago (888+ words) But as the White House now ponders whether the U.S. military should strike Venezuela, Maduro is embracing English, singing John Lennon's Imagine, advocating for peace and dancing to a remix of his latest English catchphrase, "No War, Yes Peace." While his turnaround is seen as a sign of desperation by supporters of Venezuela's political opposition, whose leaders have repeatedly told their backers in Washington that the threat of military action would crack Maduro's inner circle, months of pressure have yet to produce defections or a government transition. Behind this knack for staying in power is a system that punishes disloyal associates harshly and allows loyal ministers, justices, military leaders and other officials to enrich themselves. Underpinning the loyalty-or-punishment principle are corruption networks blessed by Ch'vez and Maduro that give the loyal permission to get richer. The policy has vexed previous efforts…...

55+ min ago (58+ words) On the last day of his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV stopped by the small Armenian church in Istanbul to greet the faithful, a look behind-the-scenes with AP's Vatican Correspondent Associated Press. (AP video by Trisha Thomas) Behind the scenes as AP covers Pope Leo XIV's visit to small Armenian church in Istanbul...

1+ hour, 33+ min ago (828+ words) And the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach wasn't in much of a mood to talk about it. A little more than four minutes' worth, in fact. "Look, the season's just ended a few minutes ago, OK?" Belichick said after the 42-19 loss at N.C. State on Saturday night. "So now we're going to move into the offseason. That's what we're going to do." UNC started the year with buzz and a national spotlight, teeming with optimism " or maybe merely hope " that the NFL icon could elevate the program into something more as a first-time college coach. By season's end, Belichick had fielded a team that had more losses by double-digit margins (five) than total wins while offering frequent helpings of unwanted off-field headlines. He offered few insights, too, down to what message he gave his first college team after a season of…...

1+ hour, 36+ min ago (462+ words) En un comunicado el domingo, la oficina del primer ministro afirm" que Netanyahu hab'a presentado una solicitud de indulto al departamento legal de la Oficina del Presidente. La Oficina del Presidente lo calific" como una "solicitud extraordinaria" que conlleva "implicaciones significativas". Netanyahu es el "nico primer ministro en la historia de Israel que enfrenta un juicio durante su mandato tras ser acusado de fraude, abuso de confianza y aceptaci"n de sobornos en tres casos separados que lo acusan de intercambiar favores con ricos partidarios pol'ticos. A"n no ha sido condenado por nada. Netanyahu rechaza las acusaciones y ha tachado el caso como una caza de brujas orquestada por los medios, la polic'a y el poder judicial. La solicitud se produce semanas despu's de que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, instara a Israel a indultar a Netanyahu....

1+ hour, 43+ min ago (513+ words) Netanyahu, who has been at war against the country's legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous changes in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from his opponents, who said it would weaken Israel's democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the rule of law. In a statement Sunday the prime minister's office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president's office called it an "extraordinary request," carrying with it "significant implications." Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters. He has…...

1+ hour, 43+ min ago (211+ words) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the president for a pardon during his ongoing corruption trial. On Sunday, the prime minister's office confirmed that Netanyahu submitted the request to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president's office described it as an "extraordinary request" with "significant implications." Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes. He has not been convicted yet. The request follows U.S. President Donald Trump's recent urging for Israel to pardon Netanyahu. Netanyahu submits request for a pardon amid his ongoing corruption trial In a statement Sunday the prime minister's office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The Office of the President called it an…...

1+ hour, 54+ min ago (85+ words) Pope Leo XIV is expected to arrive in Beirut on Sunday continuing his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon. - Entertainment SECTIONS Movies What to Stream Television Celebrity Interviews Music Books Newsletters AP Entertainment Wire Get AP's first personalized newsletter delivering you entertainment news twice a week. See All Newsletters Pope Leo XIV is expected to arrive in Beirut on Sunday continuing his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon. Lebanon finalizes preparations ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit on historic first foreign trip...

2+ hour, 20+ min ago (61+ words) Pope Leo XIV prayed at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul on Sunday in a gesture of support for Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey. Pope Leo XIV prayed at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul on Sunday in a gesture of support for Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey. Pope Leo XIV prays at Armenian cathedral in Istanbul...

2+ hour, 28+ min ago (1172+ words) Although AI-powered purchases are in early stages, the shopping assistants and agents rolled out by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and Google can do more than the chatbots of holidays past. The latest versions were designed to provide personalized product recommendations, track prices and to place some orders through unscripted "conversations" with customers. Those features are on top of shopping updates from AI platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini. In one of the season's most talked-about launches, Google this month introduced an AI agent that can be instructed to call local stores to ask if a desired product is in stock. San Francisco software company Salesforce estimated that AI would influence $73 billion, or 22%, of all global sales in one way or another from the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through Monday after the holiday, according to Caila Schwartz, Salesforce's director of…...