Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese officials say the wife and daughter of one of deposed Syrian president Bashar Assad’s cousins have been arrested at the Beirut airport. They were attempting to fly out with allegedly forged passports. Assad’s uncle departed the day before. The wife of Duraid Assad — son of former Syrian Vice
Continue ReadingMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is developing a cellphone app that will allow migrants to warn relatives and consulates if they think they are about to be detained by U.S. immigration officials. The move comes in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations after he takes office on Jan. 20. Mexico’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The leading human rights organization in Belarus says a well-known opposition activist has been convicted of public order offenses and sentenced to six years in prison. Dzmitry Kuchuk, whose Green Party was shut down last year, was arrested on Feb. 16 in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, near the Russian
Continue ReadingThe former Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors and their 1970 album of the same name, was significantly damaged by a fire that erupted in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The four-story building, which has been vacant more than a decade, burned for nearly two hours before more than 100 firefighters brought the flames
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s prime minister has announced the closure of “all foreign military bases” in the country, a statement essentially aimed at France, the African nation’s former colonial ruler. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko did not set out a timeline for the exit of troops in making the announcement on Friday, during
Continue ReadingAP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully made the closest approach to the sun, the space agency confirmed Friday. Earlier this week, the spacecraft passed within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles (6 million kilometers) of the scorching star. NASA received an all-clear message from Parker on Thursday night confirming
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Netflix is once again releasing a British thriller miniseries on New Year’s Day, based on a Harlan Coben bestseller. Like 2024’s hit adaptation “Fool Me Once,” “Missing You” moves from the U.S. of the book to the north of England. Rosalind Eleazar stars as a woman who discovers her ex-fiance
Continue ReadingAssociated Press 2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people’s lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home now when you turn on the lights or turn up the thermostat — large banks of batteries. Storing extra power in batteries effectively extends the hours of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The impeachment of South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials are unprecedented, and the deputy prime minister and finance
Continue ReadingBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian university students have left piles of old school books outside the education ministry building as part of daily street protests demanding accountability over the collapse nearly two months ago of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people in the country’s north. Scattered traffic blockades were also held at various locations
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — The office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says his brother has died. Nick Starmer, who was 60, had cancer. The prime minister, who is 62, paid tribute in a statement to his brother, describing him as a “wonderful man.” Starmer also took the opportunity to thank all those who treated his
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Avicii, the groundbreaking Swedish DJ-producer, died six years ago at 28. Two new movies hitting Netflix next week aim to celebrate his life. His death was a tragedy that reverberated around the world — much like his music, which brought unexpected genres and collaborators into his melodic EDM
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — States with restrictive abortion laws generally have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press. Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennessee residents of childbearing age are more likely to live in maternal care
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty. But she’s infuriated by Tennessee’s meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling in a state where abortion is
Continue ReadingBEIJING (AP) — A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings. Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement, the court in the southern city of
Continue ReadingThe news can be tough in a world often marked by suffering, disaster and war. Sometimes you need to stop and remember that good things happen all the time, all across the world, and 2024 was no different. Take a look at some of the stories that made us smile. Moo Deng Thailand’s adorable pygmy
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — The bodies of two Italian climbers have been found on the Gran Sasso massif five days after the men disappeared during an excursion, rescuers said. Rescue teams supported by a helicopter managed to reach the area on Friday where the two went missing in Italy’s central Abruzzo region. The area is a
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The Malian authorities have announced that almost 70 migrants, including 25 Malians, died when their boat sank last week while they were trying to reach Europe. The Ministry for Malians Living Abroad said that the boat contained some 80 people and there were only 11 survivors. The mayor of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults
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