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During the final holiday stretch at the Biden White House the theme is ’A Season of Peace and Light’
It’s the final holiday stretch for President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who has decked out the White House with some whimsical decorations to evoke the “peace and light” of the season. Read More
Swiss authorities release right-to-die activist in ’suicide capsule’ case
GENEVA — Swiss prosecutors said a right-to-die activist was released Monday after more than two months in police custody over the reported first use of a so-called "suicide capsule," after they ruled out the possibility of an intentional homicide. Read More
Openly transgender lawyer set to argue against Tennessee gender-affirming care ban in U.S. Supreme Court
When the Supreme Court this week wades into the contentious issue of transgender rights, the justices will hear from an attorney with knowledge that runs deep. Read More
‘Brain rot:’ Oxford’s word of the year was coined by Thoreau
Many of us have felt it, and now it's official: "brain rot" is the Oxford dictionaries' word of the year. Read More
Elton John says he could only hear his new musical after losing his vision
Elton John says he struggled to watch his new musical because he has lost his eyesight after contracting an infection. Read More
Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to
President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family. Read More
Middle East latest: Israel says soldier thought to have been taken hostage is now presumed dead
The Israeli military say an Israeli American soldier who was believed to have been captured alive by Hamas in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack was killed that day and his body taken into the Gaza Strip
What to stream: Sabrina Carpenter holiday special, 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' and Rosé goes solo
Sabrina Carpenter hosting a holiday variety music special on Netflix and Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw playing a spy and an assassin in the TV series “Black Doves" are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases
New law gives Belgian sex workers benefits and safety protection
PARIS — Starting Sunday, sex workers in Belgium will be able to sign formal employment contracts and gain labour rights on par with those in other professions in a legal breakthrough some call a "revolution." Read More
Negotiators fail to reach agreement on plastic pollution treaty
BUSAN, South Korea — Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution won't reach an agreement in South Korea and are making plans to resume the talks next year. Read More
Syrian military launches counterattacks against insurgents
BEIRUT — The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the country's northwest and launched airstrikes on a major city Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country's largest city of Aleppo in a surprise offensive in recent days. Read More
Former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar dies at age 44
Bob Bryar, a former drummer for My Chemical Romance who played on the band’s career-defining rock opera, “The Black Parade,” has died
Trudeau calls conversation with Trump ‘excellent’ after meeting in Florida
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signalled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. Read More
Photos: First look inside Notre Dame Cathedral as it reopens 5 years after catastrophic fire
Five years after a catastrophic fire reduced Notre Dame Cathedral to a smouldering shell, The Associated Press entered the Gothic masterpiece for a first glimpse of its fully restored interiors during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron that was broadcast to the public. The transformation is nothing short of breathtaking: light dances across brilliant stone, gilded accents gleam anew, and the Gothic icon's majesty is reborn. From Dec. 8, visitors will once again marvel at the cathedral's blend of history and craftsmanship. Read More
Middle East latest: 3 die in overcrowding outside Gaza bakery amid food shortage
Two children and a woman have been crushed to death as a crowd of Palestinians pushed to get bread at a bakery in the Gaza Strip amid a worsening food crisis in the war-ravaged territory
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers file legal claim alleging substandard prison conditions
Lawyers for the disgraced movie mogul prepare lawsuit accusing Rikers Island jail of negligence and failing to provide adequate medical treatment
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers have filed a legal claim against New York City alleging he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions while in custody at the Rikers Island jail complex.
The notice of claim – the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city – accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul’s medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, and negligence ranging from “freezing” conditions to a lack of clean clothes.
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