Biggest news you missed this weekend
Candidates stay true to form in Democratic debate
It's telling that the most-talked about moment during Saturday's Democratic debate in New Hampshire was Hillary Clinton returning late to the podium after a commercial break. Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley generally stuck to their previously tested campaign battle plans. An issue that could have created some fireworks — the disclosure that Sanders' campaign had improperly accessed Clinton campaign voter data — was defused when Sanders apologized, and Clinton accepted. Here's the debate fact-check.
Visa for San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik wasn't fully vetted
Immigration officials did a poor job reviewing the financée visa application of Tashfeen Malik, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said Saturday. Goodlatte said he reviewed the application and found there was insufficient evidence to prove Malik and U.S. citizen Syed Farook, had met in person — a requirement for a foreign national seeking a K-1 financée visa. The couple carried out the Dec. 2 massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., that left 14 dead.
New 'Star Wars' destroys records with $238M weekend
Apparently, there's nothing more powerful in the box-office universe than the Force. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh movie in the popular sci-fi franchise, put a Sith chokehold on cinema screens this weekend and broke every major opening record. The film, which introduced Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac as new heroes in a galaxy far, far away, tallied $238 million for the weekend, according to studio estimates. It blows up the record of $208.8 million set in June by Jurassic World.
Spain votes in historic election
Voting was underway Sunday it what was expected to be Spain's most volatile election since its transition from a monarchy in the 1970s, as voters decide whether to reject the nation's two leading political parties after years of economic turmoil and political corruption. Polling showed that nearly one out of three of the nation's 36.5 million registered voters were still wrestling with their ballot choice at the last minute.
Paris-bound Air France flight diverted, no bomb found
A Paris-bound Air France flight from the tiny East African nation of Mauritius made an emergency landing in Mombasa, Kenya, on Sunday because of a suspicious package that turned out to be a fake, authorities said. The Kenya Airports Authority said all 473 people aboard Flight 463 were screened at Mombasa's Moi International Airport and taken to hotels, while Kenyan authorities combed the plane for clues and other devices, the authority said on Twitter. Later, Air France CEO Frederic Gagey said the package, found in a bathroom, was "an ensemble of cardboard, papers and something that resembled a kitchen timer."
More details on U.S. airstrike near Fallujah that killed Iraqi soldiers
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday that an American airstrike near the embattled city of Fallujah that killed several Iraqi soldiers was a "mistake that involved both sides." Fallujah is under the control of the Islamic State. Iraqi forces backed by coalition airstrikes have been fighting militants there and in Ramadi, about 30 miles west. The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq is investigating the attack.
In a first, Spanish contestant wins Miss World competition
Congratulations to Spain's Mireia Lalaguna Royo, who was named the winner of the Miss World 2015 competition Saturday in China. "I think this is a good decision, because Miss World is not looking for our body, they are looking for a soul," Lalaguna said. It's a competition that hasn't been without controversy. China refused a visa to Canada's contestant, Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, who has been vocal about China's political repression and poor human rights record.
Kurt Masur, who led New York Philharmonic for 11 years, dies at 88?
Conductor Kurt Masur, who was credited with helping prevent violence after the collapse of communism in East Germany and later reinvigorated the New York Philharmonic during an 11-year stint as music director, died Saturday at 88. He had Parkinson's disease. The conductor was named the Philharmonic's music director emeritus, an honorary title previously held only by Leonard Bernstein.
Contributing: Associated Press