AP News Digest 10 a.m.

APTOPIX South Africa Tutu

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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TOP STORIES

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COLORADO-WILDFIRES —Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked a massive fire in a suburban area near Denver that burned neighborhoods to the ground and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and other buildings. SENT; developing.

COLORADO WILDFIRES-CLIMATE CHANGE — Experts say the winter grassland fire that blew up along Colorado’s front range was rare. But similar events will be common in the coming years as climate change warms the planet and suburbs grow in fire-prone areas. SENT: 820 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS— With infections soaring as winter vacation ticks down, this week’s return to school will be different than planned for some as administrators again make real-time adjustments in response to the shifting pandemic. Even those promising to bring students back as planned are signaling a need to stay flexible. SENT: 1080 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (developing)

CAPITOL RIOT- JUSTICE INVESTIGATION — Many rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol a year ago are shedding tears and expressing remorse when judges sentence them for their part in the insurrection. But their excuses for joining the mob often fall flat in the face of overwhelmingly contradictory evidence. SENT: 1430 words, photos. An abridged version also is available.

CAPITOL RIOT-CONGRESS INVESTIGATION — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is planning televised hearings and a series of reports in the coming months to present its findings and bring its private interviews out into the open. SENT: 1170 words, photos.

SOUTH AFRICA-PARLIAMENT FIRE — Firefighters are battling a major blaze at South Africa’s national Parliament complex. SENT; developing.

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TRENDING NEWS

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KODAK BLACK-RAPPER ARRESTED — Authorities say rapper Kodak Black has been arrested on a trespassing charge Saturday in South Florida. SENT: 170 words, photos.

HKN-CANUCKS LETTER — Brian “Red” Hamilton was in the middle of moving equipment on the Vancouver Canucks’ bench in between periods on Oct. 23 in Seattle when he noticed a woman behind the bench pressing her phone against the plexiglass. The message expressed concern that a mole on the back of Hamilton’s neck was cancerous. SENT: 740 words, photos.

HKO-RUSSIA FLIGHT DISTURBANCE — Members of the Russian and Czech Republic world junior hockey teams were removed from a New Year’s Eve flight from Calgary to Frankfurt, Germany, with fellow passengers saying the Russian squad caused a disturbance by smoking and refusing to wear masks. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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MORE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS PROTEST — Thousands of people in the capital of the Netherlands have defied a ban to gather for a demonstration against the Dutch government’s coronavirus lockdown measures. SENT: 320 words, photos.

VACCINE MANDATE-HEAD START PROGRAM — A Louisiana federal judge has ruled that President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19. SENT: 310 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Egyptian officials are pushing for Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip to rein in hostilities and adhere to a cease-fire in place since the war in May. SENT; developing.

LEBANON — The head of Lebanon’s largest Christian parliamentary bloc says a 15-year-old alliance with the country’s powerful Shiite group Hezbollah was no longer working and must evolve. SENT: 580 words, photos.

EUROPE NUCLEAR — Draft European Union plans that would allow nuclear and gas energy to remain part of the bloc’s path to a climate-friendly future came under immediate criticism over the weekend from both environmentalists and some governing political parties in EU member nations. SENT: 650 words, photos.

KOREAS-BORDER CROSSING — South Korea’s military said Sunday that an unidentified person crossed the heavily fortified border into North Korea. SENT: 310 words, photos.

SOUTH AFRICA-TUTU — The remains of South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu have been interred during a private family service at Cape Town’s Anglican cathedral. SENT: 260 words, photos.

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong online news site says it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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SEVERE WEATHER-SOUTH — A line of severe storms damaged homes, knocked out power and downed trees in parts of the southern United States late Saturday into Sunday morning. SENT; developing.

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HEALTH AND SCIENCE

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AUTISM-SPECIAL MICE — A 16-year-old with autism recently got the chance to meet the first mice in the world engineered to have the same genetic abnormality he has. The goal is to study and find ways to treat his rare disorder – and look for answers to the larger puzzle of autism, SENT: 1260 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FBC-T25-SUGAR BOWL — A Sugar Bowl showdown against Mississippi and coach Lane Kiffin’s explosive, Southeastern Conference-leading offense provided a high-profile platform for Baylor to validate its old-school formula of ball control and aggressive defense. SENT: 960 words, photos.

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