AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time: Black Friday, the bargain bonanza that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. Department stores, shopping malls
Continue ReadingBy Hilary Whiteman, CNN Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Australia’s parliament has passed a world-first law banning social media for children under 16, putting tech companies on notice to tighten security before a cut-off date that’s yet to be set. The Senate approved the social media ban late on Thursday, the last sitting day of the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s biggest police force has launched an investigation into more than five people who may have assisted former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed carry out more than 100 alleged acts of sexual abuse. In an update on its investigation, London’s Metropolitan Police said it is looking at individuals who could
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — There’s no easy way to bridge the political divides that have created rifts in communities, families and friendships. But workplace morale and productivity can take a hit when ideological differences are left to fester, affecting teamwork and feelings of mutual respect. Finding a safe space to process emotions while
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Authorities say a youth suspected of planning to build pipe bombs to carry out an Islamic extremist attack has been arrested in western Germany. Prosecutors said the suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday, is accused of preparing a serious act of violence. The suspect is believed to have became radicalized online and
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Investigators say a doctor who was arrested in Berlin in August is now suspected of killing eight patients and in some cases trying to cover up the evidence by setting fires. The doctor, who was part of a nursing service’s palliative care team, was suspected at the time of his arrest of
Continue ReadingWARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish company has denied any laws were broken when it sent Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, after the Swiss government placed some export restrictions on the company over concerns that the ammunition ended up in Ukraine. Switzerland’s government said last week it was barring exports to the Polish military hardware supplier,
Continue ReadingBy Dawn Sawyer, CNN (CNN) — US Army Staff Sgt. Payton May and his military dog Yyacob spent their first Thanksgiving together in the throes of a mission in Iraq. Yyacob was experienced at explosives detection. And May, back in the fall of 2021, was a new K-9 handler deployed overseas for the first time.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — A former British soldier who claimed he was trying to work as a double agent has been convicted of spying for Iran. Daniel Khalife, who’s 23, was found guilty Thursday by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court on violations of the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act. He was cleared
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military says its warplanes have fired on southern Lebanon after detecting activity by the militant Hezbollah group at a rocket storage facility there. Thursday’s attack was first Israeli airstrike after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold. It came hours after the Israeli military said it fired
Continue ReadingBlack Friday has become something of an anachronism in the e-commerce era. The day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday shopping season, but retailers already have spent weeks flooding their websites and customers’ email inboxes with early Black Friday offers. If history is any guide and advertisers are to be believed, the
Continue ReadingBy Taylor Galgano, CNN (CNN) — On a warm day in 2022, Hawaii native Hannah Kobayashi jumped into the Subaru Baja of her friend Allisa Peterson for an hourlong journey on Maui – from her home community of Haiku to a friend’s farm in Nahiku. The farm had an excess of flowers, and there the
Continue ReadingSyria’s opposition groups say armed forces launched a large-scale attack on areas controlled by government forces and seized territory in northwestern Syria. Activists said the government and its allies responded with airstrikes and shelling to ward off the insurgent advances. Syria’s armed forces said Thursday the offensive was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS,
Continue ReadingBy Kit Maher, Abel Alvarado, Steve Contorno and Kaanita Iyer, CNN (CNN) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied proposing to US President-elect Donald Trump that Mexico will close its border with the United States as he claimed in a post on Truth Social. “Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you,
Continue ReadingBy Arlette Saenz, CNN (CNN) — Ronen and Orna Neutra are gathering this Thanksgiving with friends in Long Island, New York, for a moment of quiet reflection as their son Omer, an Israeli-American citizen, continues to be held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. “For us, it’s no holiday. Our holiday table is empty a second
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Six Cambodian activists charged with treason for comments criticizing the government on Facebook have been deported from Thailand to stand trial, a pro-democracy group said. The Khmer Movement for Democracy, a movement formed by opposition leaders in exile, criticized the deportations, saying Thursday the activists will face “inhuman
Continue ReadingNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 15 people have died and 113 others are missing after landslides buried homes in six villages in eastern Uganda. Uganda police say that 15 injured people had been rescued and admitted to Buluganya Health Center. Local media reports say authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30. The
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The president of Cyprus says the Mediterranean island nation could apply to become a member of NATO when its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with U.S. help to bring it up to the standards of the world’s premier military alliance. President Nikos Christodoulides says that European
Continue ReadingBy Steven Jiang and Nectar Gan, CNN Beijing (CNN) — China has suspended a top military official and placed him under investigation for corruption, the defense ministry said, as leader Xi Jinping broadens a sweeping purge in the upper ranks of the world’s largest military. Admiral Miao Hua, a member of the powerful Central Military
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek officials say that four migrants, including two children, died when a boat struck rocks near the Greek island of Samos. They said on Thursday that 16 other people were rescued, but it remained unclear how many were aboard the boat. It was the second deadly shipwreck off Samos
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