Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The dramatic downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad presents possible danger, and an opening, for neighboring Israel. After fighting wars on multiple fronts for months, Israel is now concerned that unrest in Syria could spill over into its territory. Israel also views the end of the Assad regime
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments, dating from 300 to 800 A.D., will be sold in New York this month. The 155-pound (52-kilogram) marble slab inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on Dec. 18. The tablet was unearthed during railroad excavations
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — Germany and several other European countries said Monday they are suspending decisions on asylum claims by Syrian nationals because of the unclear situation in their homeland following the fall of Bashar Assad. Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday that more than 47,000 applications are currently pending. It said it
Continue ReadingINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Four women who accused Curtis Hill of drunkenly groping them when he was Indiana’s attorney general have dropped their lawsuit against him. Jury selection was to begin on Monday. The women’s decision Sunday ends nearly seven years of investigations and litigation over Hill’s actions during a party in March 2018. The women
Continue ReadingAlmost exactly seven years ago, President Vladimir Putin stood with Russian troops at their air base in Syria and proudly declared victory over “terrorists” in that country as part of the Kremlin’s military intervention to prop up the government of Bashar Assad amid a civil war. This weekend, those hard-won gains seemed a distant memory.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A gang leader who controls a key port in Haiti’s capital is accused of massacring older people and Vodou religious leaders in his community to avenge his son’s death, according to the government and human rights organizations that estimate more than 100 were killed. Reports on the number of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a law to prohibit book bans in the state and enshrine protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians who comply with the law. New Jersey becomes the latest Democrat-led state to enact a ban on book bans, joining Illinois and
Continue ReadingQUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Police say two suspected militants riding on a motorcycle were killed when an explosive device they were carrying exploded prematurely near a police station in restive southwestern Pakistan. The blast happened Monday in Killa Abdullah, a town in Balochistan province. A local police officer said the men were near a police
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The rapper Jay-Z says that a rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. A lawsuit alleges Jay-Z raped a minor with Sean “Diddy” Combs at an awards show after-party nearly 25 years ago. But the Grammy Award-winning rapper vehemently denies the allegations. The suit is
Continue ReadingBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Cynthia Erivo says her Golden Globe nomination for “Wicked” was a dream come true, “really surreal and wild” — and especially rare because it was for a musical. Demi Moore, nominated for “The Substance,” calls her nod a “huge win” for women, and also important for its message of self-love
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Imagine being able to bet on a basketball game or a boxing match after it was already over. That’s happened again in New Jersey, where sportsbook William Hill has been fined $20,000 for taking such bets in 2022 and 2023. The company, which runs retail sports betting at
Continue ReadingOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal appeals court has delayed a hearing in which an Oklahoma death row inmate is expected to make a final plea for mercy before his scheduled execution. The three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit delayed Monday’s scheduled hearing of the Pardon and Parole Board.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its fleet of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metal components were found in a part after another near crash. It’s the latest setback for the embattled aircraft, whose safety problems have grown and which lawmakers recently urged be grounded once more. Naval Air
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer Winter is a great time to experiment with new food preparations and flavors to keep your meals nutritious and interesting. Experts recommend packing healthy ingredients into into warm stews and porridges, trying out underappreciated seasonal vegetables and broadening your use of spice. Balanced meals made in bulk can also be a way
Continue ReadingAP Airlines Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — It’s the job of American Airlines’ chief operating officer to make sure the carrier’s flights take off on time and fly safely during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. David Seymour oversees flight and airport operations for American, which expects to make about 6,500
Continue ReadingAssociated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The global chemical weapons watchdog has said that it reminded Syria of its obligations to comply with rules to safeguard certain toxic chemicals after rebels entered the capital Damascus over the weekend and overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 29 political prisoners amid what human rights groups describe as renewed oppression in the country. Belarusian officials did not provide the names of those released on Monday, but said that the group included 11 women and 18 men. More than half of
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The Golden Globes nominated more than 40 individual films Monday and yet still managed to overlook quite a bit. That may just be the brutal truth of awards season. The field narrows and suddenly great performances and wonderful films are simply left in the dust. Excluded were actors like Danielle Deadwyler, June
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Boston parents who claimed a temporary admissions policy for the city’s elite high schools discriminated against white students and those of Asian descent. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from their colleagues’ decision to leave in place lower court rulings in favor of
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer TikTok asked a federal appeals court on Monday to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge to the statute. The legal filing was made after a panel of three judges on the same court
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