A Michigan man is apologizing for trying to throw a football loaded with drugs and cellphones into a state prison yard.

Christen D. Moore on Wednesday called the June attempt "a thoughtless and immature decision." The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports (http://bit.ly/1qYsTLj ) the 22-year-old's comments came during his sentencing hearing, where he got 17 to 60 months on two counts of furnishing contraband to a prisoner.

Police in Philadelphia say a man used a banana he swiped from a convenience store counter to simulate a gun while he robbed the place.

Police on Wednesday posted surveillance video (http://bit.ly/1thASUL ) of the holdup reported in the East Parkside neighborhood.

It's like Florida's version of The Blob. Slow moving glops of toxic algae in the northeast Gulf of Mexico are killing sea turtles, sharks and fish, and threatening the waters and beaches that fuel the region's economy.

Known as "red tide," this particular strain called Karenia brevis is present nearly every year off Florida, but large blooms can be particularly devastating. Right now, the algae is collecting in an area about 60 miles wide and 100 miles long, about 5 to 15 miles off St. Petersburg in the south and stretching north to Florida's Big Bend, where the peninsula ends and the Panhandle begins.

Pope Francis has signed off on Sri Lanka's first saint, bending Vatican rules to bypass confirmation of a miracle.

Francis is expected to canonize the Rev. Giuseppe Baz, a 17th century missionary, during his January visit to Sri Lanka.

Real Madrid started the defense of its Champions League crown with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Basel on Tuesday, while Liverpool celebrated its return to Europe's top club competition with a dramatic 2-1 win against Bulgarian side Ludogorets.

Madrid's win should end talk of crisis following a poor start to the club's domestic season.

Franck Ribery will miss Bayern Munich's opening Champions League game against Manchester City on Wednesday because of a recurrence of his knee problem.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola says the Frenchman, who scored in his comeback against Stuttgart on Saturday, will definitely not play, but Arjen Robben could make an appearance.

The NFL players' union appealed Ray Rice's indefinite suspension Tuesday night.

Rice was originally handed a two-game suspension in July under the NFL's personal conduct policy after he was charged with assault following a February 15 altercation with his then-fiancee in a casino elevator.

Organizers have announced the basic outline of ticket prices for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

Organizers said Tuesday that 7.5 million tickets will be issued for the Rio Games. Half of them — 3.8 million — will be priced under $30. Organizers said the cheapest ticket will be about $20.

Leonardo DiCaprio's movie roles have made him an international star, but his long and little-known commitment to preserving the global environment has led to his new role — as a U.N. Messenger of Peace.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Tuesday that the 39-year-old American actor will join 11 other prominent world figures who advocate on behalf of the U.N. as Messengers of Peace including Stevie Wonder, Michael Douglas, George Clooney, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, primatologist Jane Goodall and conductor Daniel Barenboim.

The young homeless man who accompanied Miley Cyrus to the MTV Video Music Awards arrived 45 minutes late for his arraignment Tuesday on a charge that he violated his probation in Oregon.

Polk County Judge Monte Campbell was ready to wrap up his court hearings for the day, and likely issue an arrest warrant for Jesse Helt, when Helt's lawyer announced his client had arrived at the courthouse.