Top General News

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass

Dec. 22, 2024 14:24 PM EST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said, while Gaza's small Christian community celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass. Israeli authorities...

Winter is hitting Gaza and many Palestinians have little protection from the cold

Dec. 22, 2024 05:12 AM EST

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 14-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. There is a shortage of blankets and warm clothing,...

German authorities received tipoffs last year about the suspect in Christmas market attack

Dec. 22, 2024 10:19 AM EST

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — German authorities said they received tipoffs last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg as more details emerged on Sunday about the five people killed. Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who...

Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. The US relinquished control years ago

Dec. 22, 2024 15:34 PM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...

In Assad's hometown, few shared in his family's fortune. They hope they won't share in his downfall

Dec. 22, 2024 00:05 AM EST

QARDAHA, Syria (AP) — On the walls of the palatial mausoleum built to house the remains of former Syrian President Hafez Assad, vandals have sprayed variations of the phrase, “Damn your soul, Hafez.” Nearly two weeks after the ouster of his son, Bashar Assad, people streamed in...

Russia's Putin holds talks with Slovakian PM Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader

Dec. 22, 2024 14:29 PM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday hosted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on...

What Trump's decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years

Dec. 22, 2024 09:06 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to...

Destructive Cyclone Chido unearths a rift between locals and migrants in France's Mayotte

Dec. 22, 2024 11:37 AM EST

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — When Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure, it also exposed deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population. Thousands of people who have entered the island illegally bore the brunt of the storm...

NASA's Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before

Dec. 22, 2024 09:04 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. Since then, it has flown straight through the sun's corona: the outer atmosphere visible during a total solar...

Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots

Dec. 22, 2024 07:37 AM EST

Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk's X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner's support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta's Threads and its...

Latest General News

Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. The US relinquished control years ago

Dec. 22, 2024 15:34 PM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...

Thousands stream into Belgrade square to protest against populist Serbian leadership

Dec. 22, 2024 15:27 PM EST

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people streamed into a central square in Serbia's capital on Sunday for a rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students. ...

At least 10 are killed as a small plane crashes into a Brazilian town popular with tourists

Dec. 22, 2024 15:14 PM EST

A small plane crashed into a Brazilian town that's popular with tourists on Sunday, killing all 10 passengers on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, Brazil's Civil Defense Agency said. The agency in a post on X said the plane hit the chimney of a home and then...

Russia's Putin holds talks with Slovakian PM Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader

Dec. 22, 2024 14:29 PM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday hosted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on...

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass

Dec. 22, 2024 14:24 PM EST

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said, while Gaza's small Christian community celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass. Israeli authorities...

College playoffs looks for good matchups after snoozy first round of blowouts

Dec. 22, 2024 14:17 PM EST

For those who dozed through it, or flipped to more compelling fare in the NFL, here's a brief recap of the rollout of the much-anticipated College Football Playoff. Average final score: Winners 36, Losers 17. In four games, not a single one was closer than a 10-point...

Tiger's son comes up aces in PNC Championship with a hole-in-one

Dec. 22, 2024 14:16 PM EST

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods isn't the only member of his family that can produce big moments. His 15-year-old son Charlie made his first ace Sunday in the PNC Championship. Woods was more excited than if he had made the hole-in-one himself. Charlie Woods hit...

Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain reopens after renovation work in time for the Jubilee Holy Year

Dec. 22, 2024 14:14 PM EST

ROME (AP) — Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain reopened Sunday after three months of renovations, just in time for the inauguration of the 2025 Jubilee Holy Year that is expected to draw millions of visitors. The renovation work on the 18th-century monument that's one of the Italian...

New York City police investigate the death of a woman found on fire in subway car

Dec. 22, 2024 14:12 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Police are investigating the death of a woman found ablaze inside a stationary subway train early Sunday morning as a homicide. The unidentified woman was discovered on fire, in the middle of the train, around 7:30 a.m. after officers on routine patrol...

Albanian prime minister says TikTok ban was not a 'rushed reaction to a single incident'

Dec. 22, 2024 14:09 PM EST

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister said Sunday the ban on TikTok his government announced a day earlier was “not a rushed reaction to a single incident.” Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular...