Kentucky and Vanderbilt made significant jumps in The Associated Press women's basketball Top 25. This follows a week where four of the top 10 teams lost, causing a shakeup in the rankings. UConn remains No. 1, followed by Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA. Oklahoma has moved up to fifth. Kentucky and Vanderbilt each rose five spots to sixth and seventh after defeating LSU. Vanderbilt's win was its first against a top-five team in 17 years. Maryland and Michigan both dropped after losses. Only four teams remain undefeated: UConn, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Texas Tech.

Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and said American companies would revitalize it after capturing President Nicolás Maduro. While the U.S. action is unlikely to have an immediate impact on crude prices given the current glut in the market, it could upend energy markets. Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair after years of neglect and international sanctions. Some oil industry analysts believe that Venezuela could double or triple its current output of about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and return the nation to historic production levels relatively quickly, others see a much longer road ahead.

The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for visas to enter the United States. Thirteen countries, all but two of them in Africa, are now on the list. It makes the process of obtaining a visa unaffordable for many but U.S. officials say it is an effective deterrent to prevent foreigners from overstaying their visas. The State Department last week quietly added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list. Those designations took effect on Jan. 1. It’s the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten requirements for visa applicants.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is ending his bid for a third term as governor amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on a fraud investigation into child care programs in the state. Less than four months after announcing his reelection campaign, Walz said Monday he could no longer devote the energy necessary to win another term, even as he expressed confidence he could win. A person close to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said she is considering running for governor. Around a dozen Republicans are already in the race.

Approaching the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy is nowhere to be found. It’s not on display at the Capitol, as is required by law. Its whereabouts are not publicly known, though it’s believed to be in storage. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to formally unveil the plaque. And the Trump administration’s Justice Department is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit asking that it be displayed. Instead, some 100 members of Congress, mostly Democrats, have mounted poster board-style replicas of the Jan. 6 plaque outside their office doors.

CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss investigators say they believe sparklers on Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year’s revelers. Dozens…

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington. This is a…

A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man. On Monday, the court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from cyberbullying awareness training to eight-month suspended prison sentences. The defendants, aged 41 to 65, posted malicious comments linking Macron's age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Brigitte Macron did not attend the trial but said she launched legal proceedings to set an example against harassment. Her daughter testified about the impact on their family.

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is set to make his first appearance in an American courtroom. Maduro and his wife are expected to appear at noon Monday before a judge in New York. He is accused of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. The Trump administration used the criminal charges to justify capturing Maduro and removing him to U.S. soil. Maduro’s lawyers are expected to contest the legality of his arrest, arguing that he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state. Venezuela’s new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has demanded that the U.S. return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Celebrities attended the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday as Hollywood gathered to honor standout achievements in film and television. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Oil prices slipped and precious metal prices jumped after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid. U.S. futures were flat, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 surged and benchmarks in other Asian markets also advanced. Gold gained 2.4% and the price of silver soared 6%. Oil prices barely wavered, since after years of neglect and international sanctions, Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair. It could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. On Friday, U.S. stocks mostly edged higher on Wall Street in a wobbly start to the new year. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Dow gained 0.7%, but the Nasdaq was roughly flat.