By Hilary Whiteman, CNN Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Australia is working to verify the authenticity of a video that purportedly shows one of its nationals captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine. The video, posted to Russian Telegram accounts, shows a man with a muddied face being questioned in a forested area by another
Continue ReadingBy Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — It was June 2021 when my phone first rang with a call from a Russian number. I was working from home, seated at my dining room table in the middle of the afternoon, and suspected it was spam. Instead, it was Paul Whelan. That phone call was the first
Continue ReadingBy Sam Fossum, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden announced Monday that he is taking 37 people off federal death row to serve out life sentences behind bars — a decision that leaves only three federal prisoners awaiting execution when President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. The move spares the lives of people
Continue ReadingLONDON (AP) — The British economy flatlined in the third quarter of the year, according to downwardly revised official figures in another blow to the new Labour government that has made growth its number one mission. In its latest revision of the July to September period, the Office for National Statistics said Monday the economy
Continue ReadingHONG KONG (AP) — A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park Monday, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras. An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab that had “Merry Christmas” written on it with
Continue ReadingBy Karina Tsui, Amanda Jackson and Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN (CNN) — What was intended to be a dazzling festive spectacle ended in injury to a 7-year-old boy after several drones unexpectedly fell from the sky during a show in Florida on Saturday night, according to CNN affiliate reports. Videos shared by spectators of the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the world’s third-largest automaker by sales, as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beloved former Emperor Akihito marked his 91st birthday on Monday, as he continues to pursue his lifetime research into goby fish, care for his wife and pray for peace. Akihito, who abdicated in 2019 and handed over the Chrysanthemum throne to his son, Emperor Naruhito, now holds the title
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones in the ruins of a Catholic church in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike during the war with Hezbollah. It’s a small and modest tree. There are no lights because the war destroyed power lines. The ground is
Continue ReadingBy Hilary Whiteman, CNN Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australia’s Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom. Daniel Duggan, a naturalized Australian, was arrested in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press KANGPOKPI, India (AP) — Phalneivah Khonsai ran for her life when violence struck her neighborhood in India’s restive northeast, carrying just the bare essentials in the hope that she and her family could return soon. Khonsai, her husband and three children left behind their house, which was torched by a mob, and made
Continue ReadingBy Victoria Butenko and Nectar Gan, CNN (CNN) — North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield. Ukraine’s special operations forces said in a statement
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators. Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-old’s nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the U.S. Duggan,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial. Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music, drawing crowds and bolstering both holiday and community spirit. In a cul-de-sac in Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music, drawing crowds and bolstering both holiday and community spirit. In a cul-de-sac in Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Opponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S. This month, the Texas attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to a patient there via
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Stepping onto the set of “Squid Game” season two, Lee Jung-jae felt like he had never left. “Including promotion, I’d been living with Gi-hun for about two years,” said Lee in a recent interview. “I really felt like I was him,” he said in a recent interview. “Squid Game” follows an underground competition
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PHOENIX (AP) — As Washington heaved over the possibility of a partial government shutdown, leading far-right figures gathered with thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters and, for the most part, gloried in splintering the president-elect’s party. Speakers and attendees at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2024 hailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for
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