ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man died after falling from the ninth to the fifth deck on board a Carnival Cruise Line ship on Friday, according to a report on WINK-TV, based in Fort Myers.

The cruise line confirmed the unidentified passenger died on board the Carnival Horizon on its way back to Miami from a six-night Western Caribbean voyage.

"We can ...Read more

SYDNEY -- A thick smoke haze from bushfires around New South Wales blanketed the city of Sydney and its outskirts Tuesday as three Australian states head into tough days with searing temperatures and high winds.

Sydney residents have been urged to "stay vigilant" amid severe fire dangers as temperatures surpassed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees ...Read more

SACRAMENTO -- California and Los Angeles County officials announced a lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc. on Monday, alleging the vaping brand targeted young people through advertising and failed to give warnings about health risks posed by using e-cigarettes with nicotine.

Although the state bars sales of the devices to people under age 21, the ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- From Ithaca, N.Y., to State College, Penn., to Pullman, Wash., to San Diego, parents are in grief and asking a painful question:

Why did my child die in an incident that, on some level, involved a fraternity?

It's an old, intractable problem that has been particularly horrifying this fall.

Since early October, a fraternity member...Read more

The actions of a Santa Clara County, Calif., prosecutor have come under scrutiny after authorities say he used his teenage daughter as bait to catch a man accused of molesting her.

The father, who works for the Santa Clara County district attorney's office and who has not been identified, videotaped an encounter earlier this month between his ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- In a now-familiar warning, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. notified hundreds of thousands of customers Monday that it may shut off power amid dry and windy conditions posing an increased fire risk.

The utility said 264,000 customers in parts of 22 counties in the Sierra foothills and north Bay Area -- including Alameda, Butte, El ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- After nearly two decades in death row solitary confinement in a Pennsylvania state prison, Jimmy Dennis could no longer endure the humiliation of being strip-searched and shackled to move between the cage of his 8-by-12-foot cell, the cage of a work station in the law library, the cage of the small, fenced-in exercise yard, and ...Read more

MIAMI -- Two Venezuelans charged with smuggling about $5 million worth of gold bars in a private plane to South Florida have cut plea deals with federal prosecutors to gain light prison sentences along with immediate deportation to Venezuela.

Pilot Victor Fossi Grieco, 51, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to transport 230 pounds of gold ...Read more

MIAMI -- A University of Miami professor who studies organized crime and drug cartels was accused Monday of engaging in a plot to launder millions in dirty money from Venezuela.

Federal prosecutors in New York announced that Bruce Bagley, 73, was charged with money laundering and conspiracy after he "opened bank accounts for the express purpose...Read more

WASHINGTON -- She went out of her way to confront Adam B. Schiff.

The House Intelligence Committee was gathered for its second open hearing of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump when Elise Stefanik stormed into the spotlight.

"This is the fifth time you have interrupted members of Congress, duly elected members of Congress," ...Read more

ATLANTA -- Atlanta-based Chick-Fil-A has stopped donating to The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, two organizations that have come under fire from LGBTQ activists.

The company told the Thomson Reuters Foundation it has stopped donating to the organizations on Monday, according to CNBC.

"We made multiyear commitments to ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Disputes over potential add-ons were holding up a deal Monday on a monthlong stopgap funding measure needed to avoid a partial government shutdown starting Thursday at midnight.

The continuing resolution is expected to keep the government open through Dec. 20 and fund agencies mostly at their current spending rates held over from ...Read more

MEXICO CITY -- The Andean nation of Bolivia, home to 11 million, has been engulfed in political turmoil since disputed elections were held last month. Ex-President Evo Morales is now in exile in Mexico.

Some questions and answers about the Bolivian crisis.

-- Who is Evo Morales?

Morales, 60, was elected in 2005 on a socialist platform and ...Read more