Here's what's happening across the United States and around the world today.
French lawmaker: Terror suspects want to die as martyrs
DAMMARTIN-EN-GOELE, France (AP) — French security forces are converging on a small town northeast of Paris, where two brothers suspect of carrying out Wednesday's terror attack on a newspaper are holed up in a printing house, possibly with a hostage.
A lawmaker inside a police command post says authorities have made contact with Cherif (sheh-REEF') and Said Kouachi (sah-EED' koo-AH'-shee), and they say they want to die as martyrs.
The location is near Charles de Gaulle airport and two runways have been closed.
Signals heard in Java Sea, but unclear if from AirAsia jet
PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian official says ping-like sounds were heard in an area where searchers are scouring the Java Sea for the crashed AirAsia plane.
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Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
The Search operations director says the signals were picked up intermittently today, but it's unclear if they came from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders since no pieces of metal were detected nearby. The black boxes are located in the rear of the plane, but he says the sounds were heard about a half a mile from the tail's location.
A day earlier, part of the plane's tail was photographed on the ocean's floor — the first confirmed major wreckage from the plane since Flight 8501 went down Dec. 28.
A transportation safety investigator says the signals could not be confirmed.
Islamic cleric set for sentencing in NY terrorism case
NEW YORK (AP) — An Islamic cleric convicted of terrorism charges will appear in federal court in New York today for sentencing.
Mustafa Kamel Mustafa was found guilty of helping terrorists who kidnapped tourists in Yemen and of helping others plot to open a terror training camp in Oregon.
Four tourists were killed in the Yemen kidnapping. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a life sentence.
Seoul may deport American over positive North Korea comments
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials say they're considering whether to deport a Korean-American woman accused of praising rival North Korea during a recent lecture.
Prosecutors have asked the Korea Immigration Service to deport California-resident Shin Eun-mi after determining her comments violated South Korea's anti-Pyongyang security law.
In South Korea, praising North Korea can be punished by up to seven years in prison under its anti-Pyongyang security law.
7 kids reunite with parents lost in Nigeria Islamic uprising
YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian officials say they have reunited just seven children with parents lost in the chaos of attacks in the northeastern Islamic insurgency. Hundreds more children remain alone.
The coordinator of five camps hosting scores of lonely children, says some of their parents probably have been killed.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the past year and more than 1 million people are displaced within Nigeria because of the 5-year insurgency, according to the Washington-based Council for Foreign Relations. Hundreds of thousands of others have sought refuge across borders.
Coordinator Sa'ad Bello says they have reunited seven children but 138 remain in five camps in Yola, the capital of Adamawa state. Red Cross officials say they are working to count hundreds more unaccompanied children in other northeastern states.
Ukraine says separatists intensifying rocket attacks
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian military officials say separatists in the east have intensified their shelling of government positions ahead of peace talks expected in the coming week.
The press office for military operations in eastern Ukraine said Friday that army outposts were targeted 50 times by small arms fire, mortars and rockets.
Intensification in hostilities comes one month after a renewed truce led to a lull in the fighting that broke out in the spring.
An AP reporter heard rockets being fired Thursday evening into the separatist stronghold of Donetsk — an indication that government forces are also likely breaching the cease-fire.
The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are expected to meet Thursday in Kazakhstan to consider solutions to the conflict. The talks have not yet been confirmed.
Oklahoma City policeman facing sex assault charges is fired
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City's police chief says one of his officers allegedly committed the "greatest abuse of police authority."
Daniel Holtzclaw has been kicked off Oklahoma City's police force after being accused of sexually assaulting 13 women while on duty.
Holtzclaw has pleaded not guilty to 36 charges. Police began investigating Holtzclaw in June after a woman complained.
The charges against him include first-degree rape, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and indecent exposure.
Aaron Hernandez murder trial to begin with jury selection
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Jury selection is set to begin today in Fall River, Massachusetts in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez.
Hernandez is accused of killing semiprofessional football player Odin (OH'-dihn) Lloyd in 2013.
Among those who could be called as witnesses are Patriots coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft.
Family members save 3-year-old from abductor
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in Santa Clarita, California, say a 3-year-old is safe after family members chased down her abductor.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says a man reached through the girl's bedroom window last night, grabbed her and ran down the street with her. Family members ran after him and got the child back.
Authorities say when sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene they set up a perimeter and arrested the man without incident.
They say the girl was startled, but she's OK.
Officials have not released the name of the girl or the suspect.
Andrae Crouch, legendary gospel figure, dies at 72
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gospel singer and songwriter Andrae Crouch is dead at age 72.
Crouch died Thursday at a hospital in Northridge, California, where he had been admitted Saturday after suffering a heart attack.
Bill Cosby jokes woman should be careful drinking near him
LONDON, Ontario (AP) — Comedian Bill Cosby has been joking about his recent troubles.
At a performance in Canada Thursday night, Cosby asked a woman who stood up where she was going.
When the woman said she was going to get a drink, Cosby told her, "You have to be careful about drinking around me."
The remark was met with loud applause. But a few minutes later a heckler yelled at Cosby that he was a rapist.
More than 15 women have accused Cosby of sexually assaulting them years ago. Some say Cosby slipped something in their drink before the assault.
Nepalese women team 1st to scale world's highest peaks
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Seven Nepalese climbers have returned home from Antarctica after becoming the first all-women's team to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents.
The women started their quest in 2008 by climbing Mount Everest and ended by scaling Mount Vinson in Antarctica on Dec. 23.
They flew home to Nepal today.
Team leader Shailee Basnet says they'll continue to climb mountains even after achieving their goal.
Some of the other mountains they've scaled are Elbrus in Europe, Kilimanjaro in Africa, and Denali or McKinley in North America.
Nepal has thousands of climbers and eight of the 13 highest mountains in the world, but few climbers from the Himalayan country are women.
That's what's happening. Read more stories to jump start your day in our special Breakfast Buzz section.
