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Alaska Airlines tech issue briefly grounds planes in Seattle, disrupts bookings on Cyber Monday

SEATTLE (AP) — Alaska Airlines says an unspecified technology issue caused the temporary grounding of flights in Seattle and continuing problems with booking flights online. The company said in a statement that the issue Monday morning resulted in a significant disruption to its operation, including delayed flights. The airline said it requested a 40-minute ground

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What is ‘lake-effect snow’? Warm air from large bodies of water is the key ingredient

Associated Press When towns along the Great Lakes get buried in drifts of blowing snow, like several have over the past few days, weather experts start talking about the “lake effect.” Lake-effect snow often occurs in relatively narrow bands that dump copious amounts of snow. The weather phenomenon can drastically increase snowfall totals, and it

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Matías Tarnopolsky to become New York Philharmonic CEO, teaming with Gustavo Dudamel

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Matías Tarnopolsky will become president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic on Jan. 1, after six years heading the Philadelphia Orchestra. Tarnopolsky has a long friendship with incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel The 54-year-old, who has American, British and Argentine citizenship, fills a void created when Gary Ginstling

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North Carolina Republicans close in on enacting bill that weakens incoming Democratic governor

Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislative Republicans are closing in on enacting a measure that would erode powers of the incoming governor and other statewide Democratic officials who got elected last month. The GOP-dominated state Senate voted successfully on Monday to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill. The bill

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Delaware judge reaffirms ruling that invalidated massive Tesla pay package for Elon Musk

AP Business Writer DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware judge has reaffirmed her ruling that Tesla must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick on Monday denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented

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Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed, a Canadian minister says

Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they

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FTC opens Microsoft antitrust investigation that Trump administration must carry on or drop

AP Technology Writer Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft’s cloud computing business and related product lines such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, according to

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Trump’s tariff threats create division between Canada and Mexico over security at borders

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Threats by President-elect Donald Trump to impose U.S. tariffs on its immediate neighbors appear to have created a split between Canada and Mexico, after Canadian officials said problems with the two countries’ borders were not comparable. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected those comments made following a meeting between Trump and Prime

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Better drugs through AI? Insitro CEO on what machine learning can teach Big Pharma

AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is changing the way industries do business. But executives in the pharmaceutical industry are still waiting to see whether AI can tackle their biggest challenge: finding faster, cheaper ways to develop new drugs. Despite billions poured into research and development, new medicines still typically take a decade

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French government faces no-confidence vote over Barnier’s austerity budget

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is bracing for a no-confidence vote this week, a political reckoning poised to topple his fragile government and send shockwaves across the eurozone. Barnier on Monday invoked a rarely used constitutional mechanism to push through the contentious 2025 budget without parliamentary approval, arguing it was

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Some Democrats are frustrated over Joe Biden reversing course and pardoning his son Hunter

Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Already reeling from their November defeats, Democrats now are grappling with President Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son for federal crimes after the party spent years slamming Donald Trump as a threat to democracy who disregarded the law. The president pardoned Hunter Biden late Sunday evening, reversing his previous pledges

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Romanian constitutional court validates first round of presidential race after vote recount

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A top Romanian court has validated the first round of a presidential race in which a far-right outsider emerged as the frontrunner, plunging the country into a week of turmoil amid allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling. The Constitutional Court’s decision Monday came after it asked the Central

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A small migrant caravan sets out from southern Mexico but it’s unlikely to reach the US border

Associated Press TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — A small migrant caravan has set out from southern Mexico, heading north, but is unlikely to reach the U.S. border after authorities broke up two other small caravans headed to the United States over the weekend. About 1,500 migrants — mostly from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras

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Suspect facing hate crime and terrorism charges in shooting of Jewish man in Chicago dies in apparent suicide, sheriff says

By Brad Parks, CNN (CNN) — A man facing felony terrorism and hate crime charges after authorities said he shot a Jewish man and fired at responding officers during an October shootout in Chicago has died by apparent suicide, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said. Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was found unresponsive during a routine security

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In a world of great need there are more ways to donate money than ever. How should you give?

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Established nonprofits, everyday individuals and mutual aid groups all want your dollars to make a difference. But with so many worthy causes and the rise of new giving technologies, how should you donate? The choices can be immobilizing. Many value conventional charities. But others like to crowdfund by pooling

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Islamic rebels kill at least 10 people and abduct others in attack in eastern Congo, authorities say

Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military spokesperson says at least 10 people were killed and an unspecified number of others were abducted in eastern Congo by extremist rebels linked to the Islamic State group. He says the rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces, an IS-affiliate in the region, attacked the area of Batangi-Mbau

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Protests lay bare a clash of values and interests as Georgia navigates a Russia-West standoff

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia is convulsed by political upheaval again after its pro-Moscow government, fresh off parliamentary elections denounced as rigged by its critics, decided to suspend negotiations for the small former Soviet republic to join the European Union. The small but ancient Caucasus country has long inhabited a crossroads between Slavic, Turkish and

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Missouri governor denies clemency, clears way for execution of man convicted of killing girl

Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s governor has denied clemency for Christopher Collings, an inmate who is scheduled to be executed Tuesday for sexually assaulting and killing a 9-year-old girl. The 49-year-old prisoner was condemned to die for the 2007 killing of Rowan Ford, a fourth-grader whose body was left in a sinkhole. Parson’s

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US will send Ukraine $725 million more in counter-drone systems, anti-personnel land mines

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is preparing to send Ukraine an additional $725 million in military assistance. It includes counter-drone systems and munitions for its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which could indicate more of the longer range missiles are headed to the battlefield. It was unclear whether the munitions for the HIMARS

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Israeli strikes kill 11 in Lebanon after fire exchanges with Hezbollah that test ceasefire’s limits

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes across Lebanon since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last week, killing at least 11 people on Monday after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations. The projectiles were apparently

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Swiss authorities release right-to-die activist after ruling out homicide in ‘suicide capsule’ case

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss prosecutors say a right-to-die activist was released after more than two months in police custody over the reported first use of a so-called “suicide capsule,” after ruling out the possibility of an intentional homicide. Florian Willet, head of advocacy group The Last Resort, was released by authorities in the northern Schaffhausen

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What to know about the legal cases circling Spain’s prime minister that he calls a ‘smear campaign’

Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was reelected as secretary-general of his Socialist Party over the weekend despite corruption probes besetting his inner circle. One of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, Sánchez has displayed adroit skills in staying in power since 2018. But with mounting legal cases touching his inner circle, the right-wing

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Greek islands Rhodes and Lemnos declare state of emergency after deadly storm wreaks havoc

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities on the Greek islands Rhodes and Lemnos have declared a state of emergency after powerful storms caused extensive flooding and infrastructure damage. The flooding was blamed for the weekend deaths of two people on Lemnos. Rescue teams, assisted by the military and local authorities, rescued many older residents in flood-hit

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Namibia’s female VP leads in presidential election marred by problems and opposition complaints

WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Namibia’s ruling party presidential candidate leads in early results of an election characterized by technical problems which caused voting to be extended for three days. Opposition parties have rejected the results and claim the extension was illegal. The controversy undermines the vote in a southern African country that has a largely

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Notre Dame’s reopening will have solemn rituals, grand opera, heads of state and high security

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The reopening of Notre Dame this coming weekend will be a high-security affair, with a repeat of some measures used during the Paris Olympics. After more than five years of reconstruction following the devastating fire in 2019, invitation-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday will usher in Notre Dame’s rebirth. Police chief

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BBC under scrutiny as ‘MasterChef’ host Gregg Wallace apologizes over misconduct allegations

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government’s culture secretary has held talks with the BBC as the broadcaster comes under growing scrutiny after one of its TV hosts drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct allegations made against him. Gregg Wallace, a long-time co-presenter on the popular cooking contest show “MasterChef,” has been

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Romania’s pro-Western parties win parliamentary election as far-right makes gains

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Pro-Western parties have won the most votes in Romania’s parliamentary election and will look to form a coalition government as the European Union country faces a surge of support for far-right nationalists who made huge gains in the country’s legislature. Data on Monday showed that the leftist Social Democratic

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China condemns Lithuania’s expulsion of its diplomats

Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has condemned Lithuania’s expulsion of three Chinese diplomats as relations between the two countries continue to sour. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Lithuania of expelling its diplomats and declaring them persona non grata “without any reason,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website on Monday.

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Volkswagen workers hold 2-hour strikes to push back against proposed pay cuts and plant closures

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen workers have launched rolling two-hour strikes at nine plants across Germany to underscore their resistance to pay cuts and factory closures. The company says cuts are necessary to cope with a slack European auto market. The strikes are taking place as part of negotiations for a new labor agreement after

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