By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — The holidays may not be so happy for two households in North Carolina and Maryland after Cincinnati customs officers seized large counterfeit jewelry shipments addressed to residences in both states, according to the US Customs and Border Protection. In the first week of December, officers with the CBP’s
Continue Reading CNN By Will Ripley, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Abeer Salman, CNN Bethlehem, West Bank (CNN) — Church bells echo through the labyrinth-like streets of Bethlehem. With Christmas approaching, the city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank should be teeming with visitors. But this year, it is almost deserted. Local leaders made the decision last month to scale back festivities in solidarity with
Continue Reading By Xiaofei Xu, CNN (CNN) — Beijing recorded its longest cold wave since records began in 1951 as the biting temperatures and snowfall experienced in the Chinese capital and elsewhere began to ease. The temperature recorded at Beijing’s Nanjiao weather station rose to above zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) Sunday afternoon for the first
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A member of a rare and endangered species related to the giraffe was recently born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, according to zoo officials. The okapi, which zoo officials announced as a boy, was born December 17 to its mother, Kuvua, and father, Kiloro, a news
Continue Reading By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN (CNN) — A mystery donation of rare Air Jordans left at an Oregon homeless shelter earlier this year led to more than $50,000 in auction proceeds returning to the organization. It all started in April, when a pair of gold shoes were anonymously dropped down a donation chute at the
Continue Reading CNN By Sara Smart, CNN (CNN) — A North Dakota state lawmaker made homophobic and discriminatory remarks toward a police officer while being placed under arrest on DUI charges earlier this month, authorities said. On December 15, Republican Representative Nico Rios was arrested and issued a citation for a DUI, DUI refusal and an open
Continue Reading By Sara Smart, CNN (CNN) — A North Dakota state lawmaker made homophobic and discriminatory remarks toward a police officer while being placed under arrest on DUI charges earlier this month, authorities said. On December 15, Republican Representative Nico Rios was arrested and issued a citation for a DUI, DUI refusal and an open container,
Continue Reading By Sarah Dewberry, CNN (CNN) — Police in Florida have issued an arrest warrant for a man wanted in connection with a Christmas weekend shooting inside an Ocala mall that left one man dead and another injured on Saturday. Authorities issued the warrant for 39-year-old Albert J. Shell Jr. for premeditated first-degree murder and attempted
Continue Reading By Sophie Tanno, CNN London (CNN) — Britain’s Home Secretary James Cleverly has apologized for joking about spiking his wife’s drink with a date-rape drug. According to a report in British tabloid the Sunday Mirror, Cleverly made the joke to female guests while attending a Downing Street reception earlier this month. According to the paper,
Continue Reading By Amanda Jackson, CNN (CNN) — Santa Claus has packed his sleigh with toys for all the good kids and he has made sure the reindeer are secured for takeoff. Now, they are traveling around the world to visit millions of households. While you are waiting to hear the jingle of bells in the air that means
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A 90-year-old woman earned her master’s degree and marked a historic milestone in the process, becoming the oldest person to complete coursework at the University of North Texas, according to university officials. Minnie Payne, originally from South Carolina, finished her degree program in interdisciplinary studies online in July,
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A 12-year-old stray dog found roaming in an English village turned out to have been missing for several years – until an animal rescue and the community that fed her helped bring her to safety. Volunteer nonprofit Lost Dog Recovery UK South said in a Facebook post someone
Continue Reading By Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — The final full moon of 2023 will peer over the horizon on Monday, the night of Christmas, and reach its peak the following evening — offering a warm lunar glow during the cool holiday nights. December’s full moon could appear wholly round to the naked eye as early as
Continue Reading By Heather Chen, CNN (CNN) — A furnace explosion at a Chinese-owned nickel factory in Indonesia on Sunday has killed at least 13 workers and injured 38 others, officials say. The incident took place at a factory in the Morowali Industrial Park on the island of Sulawesi. The factory is operated by Chinese steel and nickel
Continue Reading By Sara Smart and Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A dog’s protective instincts kicked in when it scared off a moose that attacked its owner on a walking trail, according to Alaska State Troopers. The incident happened the afternoon of December 18 in Soldotna, Alaska, while the man and his dog walked the Tsalteshi
Continue Reading By Will Ripley, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Abeer Salman, CNN Bethlehem, West Bank (CNN) — Church bells echo through the labyrinth-like streets of Bethlehem. With Christmas approaching, the city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank should be teeming with visitors. But this year, it is almost deserted. Local leaders made the decision last month to scale back festivities in solidarity with the
Continue Reading By Chris Lau and Simone McCarthy, CNN (CNN) — A woman who was left incapacitated for decades after being poisoned as a college student in a high-profile cold case in China has died at the age of 50. Zhu Ling died in Beijing on Friday, her alma mater Tsinghua University announced in a post on
Continue Reading By Xiaofei Xu and Heather Chen, CNN Paris, France (CNN) — French authorities grounded a passenger plane carrying 303 Indian citizens, including 11 non-accompanied minors, at the airport of Vatry, on suspicion of human trafficking, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told CNN on Saturday. The plane, belonging to Legend Airlines, a company based in Romania, was
Continue Reading By Nic F. Anderson, CNN (CNN) — Human remains discovered in a Virginia city’s woods last year have been identified as belonging to 5-year-old boy who went missing more than 20 years ago, authorities said. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office discovered the remains in Galax, Virginia, in September 2022, and determined they had been there
Continue Reading By Sarah Dewberry, CNN (CNN) — One man is dead, and a woman is injured after a shooting inside an Ocala, Florida mall Saturday afternoon, according to Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken. Balken said police received 911 calls about multiple shots fired inside the Paddock Mall. He added the call came in describing an “active
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