By Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt and Michael Conte, CNN (CNN) — The United States has removed the long-standing $10 million bounty on the de-facto leader of Syria following a high-level US delegation meeting with the former jihadist Friday. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, one of three US officials who sat
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An Iranian officer blamed for the 2022 killing of an American in Iraq has been charged in New York with federal murder and terrorism crimes. Federal authorities in New York City announced the charges on Friday against Mohammad Reza Nouri, an officer in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Acting U.S.
Continue ReadingCAIRO (AP) — Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew. The Middle Eastern and North African nations that attempted to transition to democracy in recent years can attest to that. Now it’s Syria’s turn to try to get it right.
Continue ReadingAP Baseball Writer Third baseman Gio Urshela has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Athletics, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. Urshela’s deal is pending a physical, the person said Friday, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract wasn’t finalized. Third base was a
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes was named as the chief of police in Seattle on Friday, five days after he was thrust into the national spotlight because of a shooting at a religious school in Wisconsin that killed a teacher and student. Barnes’ departure comes as Madison police are
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chances of staying on in power have become more tenuous after the opposition party that backed his government for years announced it will vote no confidence in the government when Parliament resumes. An embattled Trudeau reshuffled his Cabinet on Friday — but whether he will
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela’s attorney general says an opposition politician met with prosecutors after leaving the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, where he had sheltered for nine months to avoid arrest. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement that Fernando Martínez “voluntarily presented himself” before authorities and gave
Continue ReadingAP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — While recording “Crash,” Kehlani faced a career-defining decision: Stick with the familiar R&B sound that helped build their name, or risk it all to showcase their full artistic range. For Kehlani, choosing the latter was a gamble, but trusting their instincts paid off in the long run. The
Continue ReadingVILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The Lithuanian government says an investigation of last month’s crash of a DHL cargo plane as it approached the airport in Vilnius has found no indication of “unauthorized interference.” The plane crashed and skidded into a house in the early morning of Nov. 25. A Spanish crew member was killed and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency Friday, an accomplishment that exceeds his predecessor’s total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis on the federal courts following Donald Trump’s far-reaching first term, when he filled three seats on the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years — including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery — it has constructed a template for the commercialization of
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According to UCLA Health, Americans consume twice as much alcohol during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year. The holiday season is a time of cheer, but it also brings significant stress. A study from the American Psychological Association shows that 89% of U.S. adults experience stress during the holidays, with 41% reporting higher stress
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A storm was looming when the inmate serving 20 years for armed robbery was assigned to transport fellow prisoners to their jobs at private manufacturers supplying goods to companies like Home Depot and Wayfair. It didn’t matter that Jake Jones once had escaped or that he had failed two
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer Workers at Starbucks stores began a five-day strike Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country by Christmas Eve. Starbucks
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By Kara Fox, Catherine Nicholls and Lex Harvey, CNN (CNN) — French President Emmanuel Macron has faced jeers from locals on the cyclone-battered French overseas territory of Mayotte, telling them they should be “happy to be in France, because if it wasn’t France you’d be 10,000 times even more in the s***.” Macron has come
Continue ReadingSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s mountain rescue service says one person has died in an avalanche on Pirin Mountain, in the south of the country, rescue efforts are underway to find several others buried under the snow. According to initial information, the slide of a huge snow mass was caused by skiers who were descending
Continue ReadingAssociated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — It’s perhaps Rio de Janeiro’s hardest trail. It features one particularly daunting section requiring a perilous scramble that can cause hikers to freeze up with fright. But 40-year-old paraplegic Ezequiel da Luz traversed jungle and surmounted rocks this week to reach Pedra da Gavea’s peak that towers over
Continue ReadingROME (AP) — Italy’s data protection authority says it has fined OpenAI $15.6 million after wrapping up a probe into the collection of personal data by its generative artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. The country’s privacy watchdog, known as Garante, said its investigation showed that OpenAI processed users’ personal data to train ChatGPT “without having an
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our
Continue ReadingCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — People seeking copies of police and jail videos in Ohio may have to pay up to $750 per department if Gov. Mike DeWine signs a measure approved by the state Legislature. The amendment to the state’s sunshine laws was quietly introduced and passed early Thursday by the GOP-controlled Legislature. It’s not
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