Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO’s secretary-general said Wednesday that he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia. Mark Rutte was holding talks with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders. But Rutte appeared frustrated at growing speculation in NATO capitals
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it. The justices will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the law impermissibly restricts speech in
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Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., health officials said Wednesday. The patient is in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms, according to Louisiana health officials. The person, who is over 65 and has underlying medical problems,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte is reeling from Cyclone Chido, the most intense storm to hit the French territory in 90 years, according to officials. At least 22 people have been killed since Chido made landfall on Saturday, as high winds swept away entire neighborhoods, damaged major infrastructure and uprooted trees. While
Continue ReadingBy John Fritze and Devan Cole, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether a controversial ban on the social media app TikTok violates the First Amendment, adding a major case to its docket this term just before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The high court agreed to expedite the case
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Several children have died during a stampede on Wednesday at a holiday funfair in southwestern Nigeria, authorities said. The incident happened at the Islamic High School in Basorun, Oyo State, near the economic hub of Lagos. Security forces attended the scene and arrested the event organizers, state governor Seyi
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Six-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier took an unexpected approach to the final installment of his four-part “Djesse” album series. The volumes feature collaborations with artists across the globe. But on “Djesse Vol. 4,” he harnessed voices of the audience at his shows to create harmonies for the album. One track
Continue ReadingThe U.S. market gained more than 25% for the year to date through mid-December 2024. That’s a healthy showing by any measure. It doesn’t seem like it would be a market environment that’s conducive to tax-loss selling. But unless your strategy is to buy only U.S. stocks, you may indeed have opportunities to realize tax
Continue ReadingAssociated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A fur seal was spotted on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, attracting attention from locals and tourists. The animal is typically seen along Brazil’s coastline during winter and spring, so its appearance a few days before the start of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer was unusual.
Continue ReadingBy Mostafa Salem and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN (CNN) — Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and his years-long regime have fallen, but the country remains a battleground for an array of actors seeking to secure interests in what may emerge to be a dangerous power vacuum. As Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) assumes de facto leadership, Syria is still
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government says it still plans to hand over a contested Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important military base, to Mauritius. It comes after that country’s new leader backed away from the contentious deal. The U.K. and Mauritius announced an agreement in October to transfer
Continue ReadingMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama police sergeant has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison after pleading guilty in August to beating a man in a jail cell. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that former Daleville Sgt. Ryan Phillips will serve 16 months in prison for a civil rights
Continue ReadingBy Gianluca Mezzofiore, Billy Stockwell, Darya Tarasova, Anna Chernova and Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Long stretches of Russia’s Black Sea coastline are covered in oil spilled by the wreck of two Russian tankers over the weekend, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warning of an “environmental disaster.” Videos geolocated by CNN show blackened waves washing
Continue ReadingCNN By Alayna Treene, Manu Raju and Sarah Ferris, CNN (CNN) — The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. The report is now expected to be
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war fragmented the country, crumbled the economy and created fertile ground for the production of the highly addictive drug Captagon. Militias, warlords and the government of Bashar Assad transformed Captagon from a small-scale operation run by small criminal groups into a billion-dollar industrial revenue stream. The
Continue ReadingAP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — No one was expecting it. In late 2023, André 3000 released his debut solo album, “New Blue Sun.” It was 18 years after his legendary rap group Outkast’s last studio album, “Idlewild.” “New Blue Sun” is a six-track instrumental album of ambient alt-jazz. There are “no bars,” he
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In Nigeria, roughly 85 million people do not have access to electricity. Yet large solar projects that could improve this situation have faltered. Developers struggle to get financing for new projects and connect them with a woefully inadequate electrical grid. Sales of solar lights and chargers have grown quickly
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion. It also strips coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defense authorization bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and hasn’t
Continue ReadingBy Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — A widespread anticorruption campaign within the senior levels of the Chinese military and government is impeding its push to build up its military by 2027, the Pentagon says in a new report released on Wednesday. “In the second half of 2023 alone, at least 15 high ranking military officials
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday granted two requests from California to enforce strict standards for vehicle emissions, including a rule aimed at banning sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The incoming Trump administration is likely to try to reverse the action. The California rule is
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