Associated Press EIN ZIVAN, Golan Heights (AP) — A dry mountain wind whipped through a cluster of Israeli flags at the entrance of a kibbutz in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where the tranquility belies the tumultuous events unfolding nearby. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted after nearly 25 years in power. Within
Continue ReadingAnalysis by Mick Krever, CNN (CNN) — This time last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the doldrums. “He started very low,” said Nadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked closely with Netanyahu. “The lowest point that he had.” Many Israelis accused him of being asleep at the wheel on October 7,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ZAMALKA, Syria (AP) — A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country’s capital, Damascus, says the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day. The family members locked themselves inside a windowless room in their home for hours, escaping the fate of dozens
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A survivor of the worst gang attack on Haitian journalists in recent memory describes seeing colleagues cut down by bullets and reporters with head and chest wounds going without help. Photographer Jean Fregens Regala said Wednesday there had been no apparent security preparations _ indeed, little preparation of any
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of Taiwan’s capital. Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting bribes related to a real estate development during his
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state are bracing for potentially devastating wild fires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years. With temperatures in Victoria state reaching 37 degrees Celsius on Thursday and with wind changes expected throughout the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Idil Abdullahi Goley’s journey seeking a better life in Europe started in Somalia with a $6,500 payment to smugglers. It ended a month later with fellow migrants around her dying at sea. One of them was screaming and reciting the Muslim profession of faith. The deaths of 25 migrants
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LeBron James and the Lakers delivered once more when big man Anthony Davis went down. Davis didn’t return for Los Angeles against Golden State on Wednesday night after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter. “It’s always difficult to play without AD, so I guess our
Continue ReadingBy Mohammad Al Sawalhi and CNN’s Abeer Salman, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Irene Nasser (CNN) — Five journalists have been killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit their vehicle in Gaza, a hospital and their news outlet said in a statement on Thursday. The vehicle, belonging to Al-Quds Today Television, was parked outside Al-Awda Hospital
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Some churches held Christmas Day services today across the Coachella Valley. One of those churches: St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. Churchgoers say they were happy to be a part of a larger community celebrating Christmas Day, including Andrew Battaglino, from New Jersey, and his mother, Stephanie Battaglino. “It’s always amazing to have the
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say a taxi driver hit six pedestrians in midtown Manhattan. A New York Police Department spokesperson said Wednesday that the taxi driver may have suffered a possible medical episode, but that the investigation had yet to confirm that. The spokesman said three people were transported to hospitals,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami hit the region in one of modern history’s worst natural disasters. Many wept as they placed flowers at a mass grave in Ulee Lheue
Continue ReadingBy Aaron Pellish, CNN (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his pick for US ambassador to Panama. Trump named Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his choice for the post after suggesting that the US should take control of the Panama Canal – a proposal he first floated over the weekend while
Continue ReadingBy Lauren Izo and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Tel Aviv, Israel (CNN) — Families and relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza lit the first candle of Hanukkah on Wednesday, marking the start of the second such holiday without their loved ones, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters. Thousands of
Continue ReadingBy Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — A Portland-based pet food company issued a nationwide voluntary recall after a house cat in Oregon died from eating one of its products, which tested positive for bird flu. Northwest Naturals, owned by Morasch Meats, announced the recall Tuesday for one batch of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe
Continue ReadingPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company based in Portland, Oregon, said Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound
Continue ReadingOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A man in Oakland was found dead Christmas morning after his house caught on fire, officials said. Firefighters responded around 6:15 a.m. to a residential fire in the area. A 37-year-old man had alerted his family to the fire and rescued his father and aunt as well as his brother, according
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — A man accused of using a knife to slash a man and a woman in Manhattan’s Grand Central subway station is facing assault and menacing charges. Police say that the man was arrested on multiple charges after the attack at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. They say a 42-year-old man was left with
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