National-World

Associated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — In Damascus, the streets were buzzing with excitement Tuesday as Syrians welcomed in a new year that seemed to many to bring a promise of a brighter future after the unexpected fall of Bashar Assad’s government weeks earlier. While Syrians in the capital looked forward to a new beginning after

Associated Press Aaron Brown, a veteran television news anchor whose steady hand helped guide CNN viewers through the unfolding tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has died. Brown died Sunday of pneumonia in Washington, D.C., where he lived, family spokesperson Molly Levinson said. He was 76. Brown began his career in Minneapolis as a

AP National Writer SHARPSBURG, Pa. (AP) — When did we know for sure? Was it April, when Nature Made introduced its pickle-flavored gummy vitamins? Was it November, when Petco’s “Pickle Mania” promotion offered 26 different pickle-themed toys for dogs and cats? Maybe it was the December day that a food scholar was heard to utter,

NEW YORK (AP) — The woman who died after being set on fire in a New York subway train this month was a 57-year-old from New Jersey, police announced Tuesday. The woman, Debrina Kawam, had worked at the pharmaceutical giant Merck in from 2000 until 2002, but her life at some point took a rocky

AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock markets will close on Thursday of next week in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, continuing a long-held Wall Street tradition in mourning the nation’s leaders. Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq announced this week that they plan to close their equity and options

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Author Stephen King’s rock ‘n’ roll radio station is going to continue rocking into the new year. Two businessmen purchased Maine-based WKIT-FM from the best-selling writer after he announced that the station and two others would go silent after New Year’s Eve. King is a lifelong rocker and performed with the

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland have expressed concern about “the political crisis” in Georgia, two days after former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of the South Caucasus nation, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s

Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of people led by students in Bangladesh have called for the prosecution of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and those responsible for hundreds of deaths in a mass uprising against her. The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized the “March for Unity” at a national monument in Dhaka. Protesters chanted

Associated Press PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro has extradited a South Korean mogul known as “the cryptocurrency king” to the United States. The move on Tuesday follows a decision of the Balkan country’s justice ministry earlier this month to hand him over to the U.S. rather than to his native South Korea. Montenegro’s police said

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin police say they have detained a man who attacked and injured two people in the city’s Charlottenburg neighborhood, further jolting Germany days after a deadly Christmas market attack elsewhere in the country. Police said Tuesday the attacker was a Syrian citizen with residency in Sweden. Police told The Associated Press that

AP Business Writer A looming TikTok ban could affect the millions of small businesses that use the short-video social media app to grow their business. Though TikTok has been around only since 2016, small business owners are using the platform in a variety of ways, from growing a customer base to advertising and marketing, as

AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Friday, it will be the year’s first chance to see fireballs in the sky. A waning crescent moon means good visibility under clear and dark conditions. Most meteor showers are named for the constellations where they appear to originate from in the

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A military appeals court has ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s effort to throw out the plea deals reached for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants in the 9/11 attacks, a U.S. official said. The decision puts back on track the agreements that would have the three men plead

Associated Press GHENT, Belgium (AP) — Belgian ultra runner Hilde Dosogne feels she has done all it takes to become the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year. She only has the paperwork left to send to the Guinness World Records so it can vet and approve her record. On

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Revelers in the U.K. may have to wring themselves out as they ring in the New Year. A storm system bringing high winds, heavy rain, the possibility of snow and the threat of flooding washed out plans Tuesday for several fireworks displays — in some cases more than 24 hours

AP Film Writer The cheese-loving English inventor Wallace and his loyal dog Gromit are coming back to the small screen. “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” debuts Friday on Netflix. It’s their first feature film since the Oscar-winning “Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” from 2005, and brings back a fan favorite as a villain. That’s the

Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early on Tuesday as the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s, leaving more than 1.3 million clients in the dark. Officials said it could take up to two days to restore power. The outage hit at dawn, plunging

Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — As with many voters on Maui, Joshua Kamalo thought the race for president wasn’t the only big contest on the November ballot. He also was focused on a hotly contested seat for the local governing board. He made sure to return his ballot in the virtually all vote-by-mail state early,

Associated Press DOVER, Del. (AP) — It was her last day in session as a Delaware state senator, and Sarah McBride sat in her tiny office at the state Capitol, preparing farewell remarks. She had made history here, as the first openly transgender state senator in the country. Now she was making history again, recently

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) — A flight attendant aboard a Swiss passenger plane that made an emergency landing in Austria due to smoke in the cabin has died. The flight from Bucharest to Zurich on Dec. 23 diverted to Graz after engine problems and smoke filled the cockpit and the cabin. Swiss airline said the attendant

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Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A team of U.S. investigators including representatives from Boeing on Tuesday examined the site of a plane crash that killed 179 people in South Korea while authorities were conducting safety inspections on all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines. All but two of the 181 people

Dozens of patients and the wounded have been evacuated for treatment outside the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations says Israel’s attacks on and around hospitals have pushed health care to the brink. The 45 patients left the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis early Tuesday and traveled through the Kerem

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine on Tuesday, striking the capital and other regions with multiple missiles and drones. Ukraine’s air force reported a ballistic missile threat at 3:00 a.m. (0100 GMT), with at least two explosions heard in Kyiv minutes later. Another missile alert was issued at

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — From Sydney to Mumbai to Paris to Rio de Janeiro, communities around the world welcomed 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges. The New Year’s Eve ball dropped in soggy Times Square, where thousands of revelers stuck it out in heavy rain to celebrate the start of

Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s security forces suffered their highest casualties in nearly a decade while battling insurgency in 2024, an Islamabad-based research group said in a report. “On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily,” according to the report by the Center for Research and Security Studies, which tallied “at least 685

AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott J. Nord approved the agreement Tuesday, a day after Jolie and Pitt

Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — People in Zimbabwe are shunning traditional grocery stores to do their shopping at informal and illegal markets that pop up at night to avoid police raids. The government had hoped the introduction of a new currency in April would resolve a money crisis that has seen southern African countries

HONG KONG (AP) — China has reported its factory activity expanded at a slower pace in December, despite recent stimulus measures and in the face of increasing trade risks. the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday that the official Purchasing Managers’ Index, based on a survey of factory managers, slipped to 50.1 from 50.3 in

AP Business Writer Stock indexes closed mostly lower Tuesday as the market delivered a downbeat finish on the final day of another milestone-shattering year on Wall Street. The S&P 500 gave up an early gain to finish down 0.4%. The benchmark index, which set 57 record highs in 2024, racked up a 23.3% gain for

WASHINGTON (AP) — Funeral services honoring former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, will be held in Georgia and Washington, D.C., beginning Saturday, Jan. 4, and concluding Thursday, Jan. 9. The schedule includes a service at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta; public viewings in Atlanta and Washington; a service at the

Associated Press Her greatest fear, dormant for decades, came rushing back in an instant: had she adopted and raised a kidnapped child? Peg Reif’s daughter, adopted from South Korea in the 1980s, had sent her a link to a documentary detailing how the system that made their family was rife with fraud: documents falsified, babies

NEW YORK (AP) — Police say six people have been shot at a New York City convenience store as attackers followed their targets inside. They ended up wounding bystanders including a woman and her 12-year-old daughter. It happened Monday evening in the Bronx. Police interim Chief of Department John Chell says one of the targets

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors say a man who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a Northern California woman in what became widely known as the “Gone Girl” kidnapping after police initially called it a hoax has been charged with two 15-year-old home invasion sexual assaults. Prosecutors announced Monday that Matthew Muller has been charged with

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A suburban New York prosecutor says a reinvestigation has identified two suspects in a notorious 1996 double killing. And she says the probe found no connection to the man her predecessors tried five times before he ultimately was acquitted in 1996. Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced the

Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s Supreme Court has issued a $10 million fine against TikTok for “not implementing measures” to prevent viral video challenges that have allegedly led to the deaths of three Venezuelan children recently. The ruling was handed down on Monday. Judge Tania D’Amello said TikTok had acted in a negligent

MARCY, N.Y. (AP) — A New York prison where a man was beaten by correctional officers while handcuffed then died this month will get a new superintendent. Gov. Kathy Hochul made the announcement Monday after visiting the Marcy Correctional Facility. Body camera video had been released days earlier showing officers pummeling the incarcerated man on

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Actors Carey Mulligan and Stephen Fry and author Kazuo Ishiguro have been awarded New Year Honors that celebrate artists, athletes, politicians and others who make notable contributions to British society. Mulligan, a three-time Oscar nominee, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to

NEW YORK (AP) — The crystal-covered ball that descends down a pole in Times Square to ring in the new year was taken for a test run Monday, as New York City officials laid out their plans for the iconic New Year’s Eve event. Officials flipped a switch to light up the dazzling geodesic sphere

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Indiana National Guard says a 34-year-old soldier serving in Iraq has died in a non-combat incident. Capt. Eric Richard Hart of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Saturday. The incident is under investigation. The 34-year-old was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion of Indiana’s 38th Infantry Division. While all combat operations

The FBI is warning sports leagues about crime organizations targeting professional athletes following a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL and NBA players. The athletes’ homes are targeted due to the perception they may contain high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash, the FBI said in a Liaison Information Report

Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Johnny Jones found out about Jimmy Carter’s death within a matter of minutes. That’s how it works in a small town, even for a former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner known throughout the world. “Somebody texted my wife and told her about it — that’s when I

NEW YORK (AP) — The final viewership numbers are in for the NBA’s five games on Christmas Day and they were even better than first thought, the league and ESPN announced Monday. An average of 5.335 million viewers tuned in for the five games that spanned 13 hours on ESPN platforms, according to Nielsen, up

Associated Press NEW CANEY, Texas (AP) — Cleanup was underway Monday after a strong storm system spawned hail, rain, high winds and tornadoes across the southern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least four people. As of Monday afternoon, over 30 tornadoes had been confirmed as crews worked through about 50 reports of tornado damage

Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Following Florida Democrats’ losses on Election Day, a second state lawmaker has announced she’s switching her party affiliation and joining the Republican caucus. In a post on social media, Rep. Hillary Cassel said Florida Democrats are out of touch with voters and that she has a better

Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will start requiring property insurers to increase coverage in wildfire-prone areas after homeowners across the state increasingly struggle to find policies. The state’s new rule announced Monday requires insurers to start increasing their coverage by 5% every two years until they hit the equivalent of 85% of their

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Officials in Rhode Island say cybercriminals who hacked the state’s system for health and benefits programs have released at least some of the files to a site on the dark web. Gov. Daniel McKee said Monday that the state has been preparing for this scenario, after a major cyberattack hit RIBridges

South Korea’s worst aviation disaster in decades also was the year’s deadliest plane crash worldwide, and time is running out on 2024. A Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air slammed into a concrete fence at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea, killing 179 people. Two crew members survived. The

Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from her planned role debut in Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” at the Vienna State Opera and been replaced by Lise Davidsen in a switch of star sopranos. Netrebko says ill health had compromised preparation time ahead of rehearsals. Davidsen made her Ariadne role debut at England’s Glyndebourne Festival in 2017. She

Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. official says arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in December are little changed from a month earlier. They are hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020, indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president hasn’t happened. There were about 44,000

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation. He also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from “a few dozen to a few hundred.” Bayrou’s

AP Basketball Writer Tennessee remains No. 1 after a quiet holiday week in the AP Top 25. The Volunteers received 41 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday. No. 2 Auburn had 20 first-place votes, with Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounding out the top

Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine. Carter was not misquoted. But he was certainly misunderstood, as his thoughts in

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that released hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards — along with two

Associated Press STANTON, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge has sentenced the adult son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer to serve 28 years in prison in connection with a wild chase in which he fled from a hospital and drove into a deputy’s vehicle, killing the deputy. A judge sentenced 43-year-old Ian Cramer on

AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — If you think your Spotify playlist is getting a little too long, consider the one shared by the members of Khruangbin. It’s got 51 hours of songs. “I’m trying to listen to as many different things as possible before they all start to sound kind of the same,”

AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — If you’re making New Year resolutions, experts say keep them small and focused on specific goals. Psychologists recommend starting small so new changes aren’t overwhelming. By breaking a larger goal into smaller steps, the more ambitious goal may seem achievable. Experts also say enlisting family and friends may help

Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine judge confirmed charges against five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction, and ordered preventive prison for two of them for having supplied him with drugs. A judicial officer confirmed Monday the judge’s decision and said

Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson, providing crucial backing for the Louisiana Republican as he prepares for what is expected to be another contentious speakership race this week. Trump said in a post on his social media platform that Johnson “is a good,