PYN MAG

BEIRUT (AP) — At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Lebanon Building Collapse

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

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The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon's second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards.

Lebanon's Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state's expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of "blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security," and said it is "not an isolated incident."

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

MILAN (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni condemned recentanti-Olympics protestsin Milan and alleged sabotage of train infrastructure, calling those responsible "enemies of Italy and Italians" early Sunday.

The protesters "demonstrate 'against the Olympics,' causing these images to end up on televisions around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent the trains from leaving," Meloni said in a statement on Facebook, adding that thousands of Italians are working to keep the Games running smoothly, many of whom are volunteers.

"Solidarity, once again, with the police, the city of Milan, and all those who will see their work undermined by these gangs of criminals," she said.

Italy's transport ministry said it has opened a terrorism investigation into the synchronized sabotage of railway lines in northern Italy on Saturday, the first day of the Games.

No one has claimed responsibility, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The alleged sabotage first hit the central Bologna hub, which governs rail traffic between northern and southern Italy, around 6 a.m. Saturday when it was still dark out, ANSA reported. It then struck Pesaro-area trains along the Adriatic coast.

Infrastructure was burned or cut to cause the sabotage in both cases, the news agency said.

The transport ministry didn't provide details, but said it would seek millions of euros in compensation from the perpetrators. Thousands of passengers were impacted by the hourslong delays.

In Milan, Italian police fired tear gas and a water cannon on Saturday evening at dozens of protesters who threw firecrackers and tried to access a highway near aWinter Olympicsvenue. The brief confrontation came at the end of a peaceful march by thousands against the environmental impact of the Games and the presence ofU.S. agents in Italy.

The skirmish comes days after Meloni's governmentapproved a security decreethat allows police to detain people for up to 12 hours when there are reasonable grounds to believe they may act as agitators and disrupt peaceful protests. Opposition lawmakers criticized the measure as an attack on freedom of expression.

Peaceful protest is legitimate, but "we draw a line at violence," International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said during the IOC's daily media briefing. "That has no place at the Olympic Games."

Police on Saturday held off the violent demonstrators, who appeared to be trying to reach the Santagiulia Olympic ice hockey rink, after the skirmish. By then, the larger peaceful protest, including families with small children and students, had dispersed.

At the earlier, larger demonstration, which police said numbered 10,000, people carried cardboard cutouts to represent trees felled to build the new bobsled run in Cortina. A group of dancers performed to beating drums. Music blasted from a truck leading the march, one a profanity-laced anthem against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

Beforehand, a group of masked protesters had set off smoke bombs and firecrackers on a bridge overlooking a construction site about 800 meters (a half-mile) from the Olympic Village that's housing around 1,500 athletes.

The demonstration coincided with U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to Milan as head of the American delegation. Vance and his family visitedLeonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper"closer to the city center, far from the protest, which also was against the deployment of ICE agents to provide security to the U.S. delegation.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm at theforefront of the immigration crackdownin the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers are being sent to Italy.

The demonstration on Saturday followedanother one last week, when hundreds protested the deployment of ICE agents.

Like last week, demonstrators Saturday said they were opposed to ICE agents' presence, despite official statements that a small number of agents from an investigative arm would be present in U.S. diplomatic territory, and not operational on the streets.

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

LONDON (AP) — British Prime MinisterKeir Starmer's chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furor surrounding the appointment ofPeter Mandelsonas the U.K. ambassador to the U.S. despite his ties toJeffrey Epstein.

Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain's most important diplomatic post in 2024.

"The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," McSweeney said in a statement. "When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice."

Starmer is facing a political storm and questions about his judgement after newly published documents, part ofa huge trove of Epstein filesmade public in the United States, suggested that Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to the convicted sex offender when he was the U.K. government's business secretary during the 2008 financial crisis.

Starmer's government has promised to release its own emails and other documentation related to Mandelson's appointment, which it says will show that Mandelson misled officials.

The prime minister apologized this week for "having believed Mandelson's lies."

He acknowledged that when Mandelson was chosen for the top diplomat job in 2024, the vetting process had revealed that Mandelson's friendship with Epstein continued after the latter's 2008 conviction. But Starmer maintained that "none of us knew the depth of the darkness" of that relationship at the time.

A number of lawmakers said Starmer is ultimately responsible for the scandal.

"Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions," said Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party.

Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, has not been arrested or charged.

Metropolitan Police officers searched Mandelson's London home and another property linked to him on Friday. Police said the investigation is complex and will require "a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis."

The U.K. police investigation centers on potential misconduct in public office, and Mandelson is not accused of any sexual offenses.

Starmer hadfired Mandelsonin September from his ambassadorial job over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties. But critics say the emails recently published by the U.S. Justice Department have brought serious concerns about Starmer's judgment to the fore. They argue that he should have known better than to appoint Mandelson in the first place.

The new revelations include documents suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis. They also include records of payments totaling $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 from Epstein to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Aside from his association with Epstein, Mandelson previously had to resign twice from senior government posts because of scandals over money or ethics.

Starmer had faced growing pressure over the past week to fire McSweeney, who is regarded as a key adviser in Downing Street and seen as a close ally of Mandelson.

Starmer on Sunday credited McSweeney as a central figure in running Labour's recent election campaign and the party's 2004 landslide victory. His statement did not mention the Mandelson scandal.

MILAN (AP) — It had been four long years since American figure skater Vadym Kolesnik saw family members still living in Ukraine.

Four years of Russian bombslanding on Kharkiv, reducing their homes to rubble. Four years of war that destroyed the appliance and lighting business run by Kolesnik's father, Igor. Four years of drones flying over the head of his brother, also named Igor, who enlisted in the Ukrainian army following the Russian invasion in 2022.

"It seems like it's been a lifetime," Kolesnik said.

Yet thanks to a GoFundMe set up with modest expectations in January, shortly after Kolesnik qualified forthe Milan Cortina Gameswith his ice dance partner, Emilea Zingas, the wait ended Saturday. Family members Snezhana Kolesnik and Irina Kobchenko were able to fly to northern Italy to watch Kolesnik participate in the Winter Games this week.

Earlier that day, Russia had carried out its latest major attack, one involving hundreds of drones and 32 ballistic missiles.

"I'm just so, so thankful," Kolesnik told The Associated Press after a practice session at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, where he'll open competition with the rhythm dance Monday night. "They wouldn't have been here without everyone's help."

The goal had been $25,000, and that was easily surpassed by the time Kolesnik's family landed in Milan. The 24-year-old plans to use any money left over to help cover training and coaching costs after the Olympics.

"We never expected that much," Zingas said.

The path from Ukraine to US

Kolesnik came to the U.S. in 2016 for a tryout with renowned coach Igor Shpilband. But he soon learned how difficult it can be for an immigrant when, after a brief return to Ukraine, he was denied re-entry. He eventually secured a long-term visa to train in the U.S., but he was largely on his own until his mother, Svitlana, joined him about three years ago.

Kolesnik's father remained in Ukraine to care for his grandmother, while his older brother ultimately headed off to war.

Given what his family has endured, it makes sense that Kolesnik is againstRussian athletesat the Milan Cortina Games. Several were vetted for connections to the Russian military and cleared to compete, including figure skatersAdeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, who will be considered neutral athletes.

"To me, they're a terrorist country," Kolesnik said. "They're killing Ukrainians every day. Until the war is over, they have no place."

Kolesnik, who obtained his U.S. citizenship last summer, told the AP he has learned to compartmentalize what is happening in Ukraine with life in America. When he's not training with Zingas, he works at the Novi Ice Arena in suburban Detroit.

"When the war just started," he said, "it was definitely affecting my life drastically, especially my skating life. I was just trying to pour all the feelings, all the emotions I had into skating, and this is not a good way of training. I wanted it so bad, to be successful.

"But all of this happening outside of skating life was affecting me, so I learned through sports psychology the way to block it. I have to go out there, tell the story, focus on my job, and whatever happens outside of skating is outside of it."

Zingas and Koesnik both said they use figure skating as an escape.

"You have to remember this war is really close to his heart," Zingas said. "Every day he gets sent videos and messages about friends dying or getting injured. It's not an easy thing. For the last four years, every day, he's had some big weight put on him."

Watching an Olympic dream

While Kolesnik was able to fly two family members from Ukraine for the Olympics, his mother made the brutal choice to stay behind in Michigan. She wouldn't have had an issue getting to Europe, he said, but returning to the U.S. could have been a problem.

"Our lawyer advised us that it was not a good idea," Zingas explained. "She has a visa and all the right paperwork, but they've heard stories about people having all the right paperwork and something happens, and they get denied entry anyway."

Kolesnik's mother has a visa through 2027, but he is hoping to secure a green card so she can stay indefinitely.

"They're so proud of me, especially my dad," Kolesnik said. "My mom wasn't so supportive of my figure skating dream. My dad was always behind it. He sent me to the U.S. to follow my dreams. My mom wanted me to choose a different path, something more safe, but my dad knew when I was growing up that I would rather go skating than do anything else."

Now, Kolesnik is getting to do it on the biggest stage in the sport.

With some of his family on hand to watch.

AP Olympic coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

An NFL season that has rarely played to expectations will end Sunday with Super Bowl 60 and a matchup few would have seen coming during training camp six months ago.

The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

With no dominant teams emerging during the regular season, and preseason contenders such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions not even making the playoffs, the postseason was wide open for the teams that could put together one strong month. Those happened to be Seattle and New England, even though their rosters had the least prior postseason experience among the 14 teams to make the playoffs.

The Patriots won the AFC by surviving bad weather and their own uncharacteristic offensive woes. The Seahawks won the NFC while writing a ready-made redemption story for quarterback Sam Darnold, who is only the third quarterback to start a Super Bowl while on his fifth team or later.

Finally, after all of the talk, we'll see who wins it. Before kickoff, our experts weigh in on who they see taking the Lombardi Trophy.

Which quarterback do you trust more?

Tim Rohan:It's close but I'll give Sam Darnold the edge. The tiebreaker? He gets to throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the NFL's offensive player of the year, who had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the NFC championship game. Darnold has struggled against pressure throughout his career, but Smith-Njigba is an elite route-runner who always seems to be open, which gives Darnold an escape hatch.

Drake Maye has proved he deserves to be mentioned among the league's best, especially after he nearly won the MVP award. But his weapons aren't nearly as dynamic as Darnold's.

David K. Li:Sam Darnold. Yes, this will be the most pressure-packed game of his eight-year career. But do you know what real pressure here is? Real stress and tension is playing your way out of the dreaded "first-round bust" designation.

Darnold's already shown maximum resolve by scrambling his way off the ash heap of underachievement history, where the likes of Zach Wilson, Josh Rosen and Johnny Manziel all reside.

Rohan Nadkarni:Well, only one quarterback was an MVP finalist, so I have to go with Drake Maye. While he hasn't been sharp during the postseason, Maye has still made plays in big moments during the Pats' run to the Super Bowl.

As we saw in New England's win over the Broncos, one advantage of Maye's game is his ability to make plays with his feet. Going against an aggressive defense, Maye will have to make off-schedule plays and generate random offense to give the Patriots a chance.

Andrew Greif:I trust Darnold to be steadier, but I trust Drake Maye as more likely to make a "wow" play — especially when you consider his ability to improvise as a runner. As my colleagues have pointed out, Maye's pass-catching options aren't as numerous as Darnold's, but I do think it's valuable that Maye comes into this game having already been hardened against an extremely tough defense in this postseason during New England's win against Houston. The stiff test he'll see against Seattle won't be a drastic increase in his learning curve.

Who will be an X factor besides the quarterback?

K. Li:For two teams that dominated football this year, winning 14 games apiece, turnovers were a small or non-factor in their success.

New England was +3 in turnovers, while Seattle was -3, ranking them both in the middle of the turnover differential pack.

So could Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who went to school at nearby Cal, possibly pick off his old Pac-12 rival Sam Darnold? Or perhaps linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson could force a fumble that would boost his underdog Patriots?

Nadkarni:Seahawks' hybrid safety/linebacker/nickelback Nick Emmanwori is perhaps the key to this whole game. Though only a rookie, Emmanwori can play the run and pass equally great, which has been the key to the Seahawks' incredible defense. After tweaking his ankle during practice in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, Emmanwori has since been taken off the injury report, but any hitch in his game would be a boon for the Patriots.

Otherwise, Emmanwori is the kind of player who can single-handedly wreck offensive drives. New England's No. 1 objective may be trying to neutralize what Seattle does when its defense is in a nickel package on early downs.

Greif:Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams. His two sacks of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in last year's Super Bowl earned Williams a championship and a big contract in free agency from the Patriots, who hoped he could reprise that protection-busting role again for them in big games. He's played very well in the postseason while being challenged by coach Mike Vrabel.

Pressuring Darnold has caused him to play erratically throughout his career, though less so this season. If the Patriots want to disrupt Seattle, which doesn't have much of a run game, it needs to happen in the pass rush.

Rohan:Will Campbell, the Patriots' rookie left tackle. He was carted off the field in late November with a knee injury. Campbell missed four games and returned in time for the playoffs, but he told reporters he didn't feel like himself again until the AFC championship game in late January. Luckily for the Patriots, Campbell had another two weeks to recover before the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks have a ferocious pass rush. If Campbell can't hold up against pressure and give Drake Maye time to make plays, this game could get out of hand quickly.

Defensive storyline to watch

Greif: It has to begin and end with whether Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba can be contained, because as he goes, so goes the Seahawks offense. He accounts for 43.3% of his team's entire receiving yardage. It mights sound obvious, but this matchup is the one that NFL defenses couldn't solve all season, and it's the first problem New England's defense must confront Sunday.

Rohan: Can linebacker Ernest Jones IV and the Seattle defense keep Drake Maye in the pocket? Maye has shown he's a threat to scramble. In the AFC championship game, he ran 10 times for 65 yards and sealed the game on a QB keeper in the snow.

Jones is an active, athletic linebacker in the center of the Seattle defense who's often asked to drop back into coverage. He has five interceptions this season, a high number for a nondefensive back. If Seattle can pressure Maye and keep him from scrambling, it could be a long night for the young Patriots quarterback.

K. Li:What can Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and his teammates in the New England secondary do to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba? Not only does New England need to limit damage inflicted by the NFL's leader in receiving yards, but it has to be done efficiently.

The moment JSN starts drawing additional eyeballs from New England defenders, that's when the resurgent Cooper Kupp shows flashes of his old L.A. self and Kenneth Walker III can get loose.

Nadkarni:The Patriots' defense has been remarkable during the playoffs, and a big factor in this game will be how New England defends the run. The Seahawks aren't a great rushing team, and the Patriots have been dominant in the trenches, particularly when Milton Williams is on the field.

Can New England force Sam Darnold to convert on third and long over and over again? The Patriots' best chance of winning is likely forcing Darnold into a shootout with Maye or to make Darnold play from behind. One way to do that would be to completely snuff out the Seattle run game.

Super Bowl prediction

K. Li:Seahawks 24, Patriots 14.

This isn't college football, so no one gets style points for a "quality win." But if there were such an NFL measure, it'd be hard to undercut Seattle's 14-win, division championship season, coming out of the murderous NFC West.

The Patriots, meanwhile, filled up on the empty carbs that were Tennessee, Cleveland, the New York Giants and division rivals Miami and the New York Jets.

Rohan:Seahawks 24, Patriots 17.

Seattle has the better all-around team. The Seahawks' defense can pressure you, can cover you, and they have the depth to just keep coming. On offense, Seattle has multiple options and can always throw to Jaxson Smith-Njigba if all else fails.

New England keeps it close because of two people: coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye. Vrabel won the NFL's coach of the year award, and Maye was nearly named the MVP. Vrabel, Maye and the Patriots are coming. But this is the Seahawks' year.

Nadkarni:Seahawks 28, Patriots 24.

The Seahawks have been the best team in the NFL all season and are undoubtedly more talented overall. Super Bowls have a tendency to be weird, though, and I have a feeling Mike Vrabel is going to have a trick or two up his sleeve for the Patriots. New England also has the upper hand at quarterback, which would make this game extra fascinating if it's close late in the fourth quarter.

Seattle has just been so great, though, and I think the team that's been more battle tested over the course of the season will pull this one out.

Greif:Patriots 31, Seahawks 28

The Patriots tend to play in bizarre Super Bowls. Think "Helmet Catch." Think 28-3. Think, of course, Malcolm Butler. So, although my head says Seahawks, I have a nagging sense the Patriots feel less pressure. Vrabel is masterful at clock management and strategy, and I think it helps New England muster an upset.

Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs plan to discuss the star tight end's playing future following Super Bowl LX, NFL Network reported on Sunday.

Kelce, 36, is set to become a free agent next month after finishing his two-year, $34.25 million extension this past season.

The Chiefs reportedly would like to welcome back Kelce with open arms, however the team is in excess of $55 million over the projected cap of more than $300 million.

Kelce has kept his cards close to the vest about his future, however he openly celebrated the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on a recent "New Heights" podcast.

"I can't wait to see him back in the building, man," Kelce said. "He's one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time. I've had so many unbelievable growing moments under him as a player, as a person, and I just love the guy."

The Chiefs' lackluster 6-11 season ended with a whimper, leading some to wonder if the four-time All-Pro wanted to end his career on that note.

Prior to the season, Kelce admitted that he contemplated retirement. He also said his life has changed in some ways since he began dating the biggest pop star on the planet in Taylor Swift, to whom he is engaged.

Last season, Kelce joined Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history with at least 12 consecutive seasons producing at least 800 receiving yards.

Kelce led the team in receptions (76), yards (851) and receiving touchdowns (five, tied with Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown).

The three-time Super Bowl champion and 11-time Pro Bowl selection is the Chiefs' all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and touchdown receptions (82).

--Field Level Media

HONG KONG —Hong Kongpro-democracy activistJimmy Laiis set to be sentenced Monday after hisconviction in a landmark national security trialthat has drawn international attention and become a symbol of Beijing'scrackdown on dissentin the Chinese territory.

Lai, a 78-year-old media tycoon who was one of the most prominent critics of China's ruling Communist Party, faces possible life in prison. The case has been criticized by the U.S. and other governments as politically motivated and a sign of shrinking space for dissent in Hong Kong, a former British colony thatreturned to Chinese rulein 1997.

"The eyes of the world will be on Hong Kong," Aleksandra Bielakowska of Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom advocacy group, said in a statement Friday. "The outcome will resonate far beyond Jimmy Lai himself, sending a decisive signal about the future of press freedom in the territory."

Rights groups and members of Lai's family have also expressed concern about his health after he's spent more than 1,800 days in custody, much of it in solitary confinement. Hong Kong officials say Lai has received appropriate medical care and that he had requested to be kept separate from other prisoners.

Lai was arrested and charged in 2020, shortly after Beijing imposed asweeping national security lawin response to months of anti-government protests the previous year. Hong Kong authorities say the law was necessary to restore stability after the protests, which sometimes turned violent, and that Lai's case has nothing to do with press freedom.

The case has drawn scrutiny from foreign leaders including PresidentDonald Trump, who hadvowed to secure Lai's releaseand said he felt "so badly" after Lai was convicted in December on charges of sedition and colluding with foreign forces. British Prime MinisterKeir Starmer, who met with Chinese leaderXi Jinpingin Beijing last month, also said he had raised the issue of Lai, who is a British citizen.

Hong Kong officials have defended the independence of the local judicial system, which is separate from that of mainland China, and accused foreign governments of interfering in internal affairs. Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Hong Kong's top judge, said in a speech last month that calls for Lai's premature release "strike at the very heart of the rule of law itself."

Lai — the founder of Apple Daily, a popular pro-democracy tabloid that wasforced to shut downin 2021 — was convicted on one charge of conspiring to publish seditious articles and two charges of conspiring to lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures againstChinaand Hong Kong.

In their 855-page verdict, the three handpicked judges cited Lai's interactions with senior U.S. government officials, including meetings he had at the height of the 2019 protests with Vice PresidentMike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton and multiple members of Congress.

Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges. Also being sentenced in the case on Monday are six former Apple Daily journalists and two activists, some of whom testified against Lai, and all of whom pleaded guilty in the hope of receiving reduced sentences.

Lai had already been convicted separately on a number of lesser charges including fraud and unlawful assembly. In December 2022, he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in the fraud case.