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
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — An Arkansas man who picked up what he thought was a piece of glass at a state park says he later learned his jelly bean-sized find was something much more valuable: It was a 4.87-carat diamond. Jerry Evans visited Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, for
Continue Reading By Olga Voitovych, CNN (CNN) — A senior Ukrainian Defence Ministry official has been detained over allegations he embezzled 1.5 billion Ukrainian hryvnia ($40 million) relating to an artillery shells contract, according to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The SBU says the official signed an agreement with a special export company to purchase a wholesale
Continue Reading By Brammhi Balarajan, CNN (CNN) — A raffle ticket to win a new 1959 Chevrolet; credit cards with no magnetic strip; family photos in black and white: All tucked away behind a bathroom wall in the Plaza Theatre, untouched for decades. Until 65 years later, when contractors discovered a hidden space behind a crumbled wall
Continue Reading By Paradise Afshar, CNN (CNN) — Former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams’ cause of death has been determined to be dental-related sepsis, according to an initial case summary report released by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. Williams died on September 12 in Tampa, Florida, following a construction accident, CNN previously reported. The 36-year-old sustained a work-related accident
Continue Reading By Chandelis Duster and Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN (CNN) — Roslyn Brock wants every generation of her family to see the musical remake of “The Color Purple.” So, she is renting out a theater in Dothan, Alabama, on Christmas Day for 165 of her relatives to watch the film together. Everyone, she said, has been asked to
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — Five words from famed daytime talk show host Maury Povich helped Denver Zoo officials solve the monthslong mystery of which orangutan fathered baby girl Siska: “Berani, you are the father!” When the pregnancy of Sumatran orangutan Eirina, Siska’s mother, was confirmed last spring, zoo officials weren’t sure who
Continue Reading By Ashley R. Williams, CNN (CNN) — As expectant mothers often realize, newborn babies don’t always arrive on schedule. That was the case for recent Ferris State University graduate Grace Szymchack, 24, who was pregnant with a baby girl scheduled to be delivered via C-section on December 18. Szymchack intended to graduate from the Michigan
Continue Reading By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN (CNN) — A jury in San Francisco has acquitted a man who was accused of assaulting a former city official with a metal pipe earlier this year, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and his public defender confirmed to CNN Friday. Garret Doty, 25, was found not guilty of three
Continue Reading By Ivana Kottasová, CNN Bohemia, Czech Republic (CNN) — Czech Republic observed a national day of mourning on Saturday after the worst peacetime shooting in the history of the country left 14 dead and dozens wounded at Charles University in Prague. Among the victims were number of young students, a beloved lecturer and a respected department
Continue Reading CNN By Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — There has been no shortage of bleak climate news this year: unprecedented global heat fueled deadly extreme weather events, scientists issued dire warnings that next year may be worse still, and the world’s carbon pollution kept rising. But amid the gloom, there have also been signs of progress.
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