Comedian Dane Cook returns to Austin with new stand-up tour

Associated Press
Pakistani police issues charges against Imran Khan and his wife for inciting violence
Pakistani police have levelled multiple charges against imprisoned former premier Imran Khan, his wife and others for inciting people to violence, officials said Thursday, following days of protests and clashes in which at least six people were killed and scores more were injured. Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi led thousands of people from the country's northwest to march on the capital Islamabad to demand the release of Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023. Khan already has more than 150 cases against him but supporters say they are politically motivated.
Associated Press
A social media ban for under-16s passes the Australian Senate and will soon be a world-first law
A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. The Senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19.
Reuters
Israeli foreign minister looks to Washington to punish the ICC
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday he believed the United States would punish the International Criminal Court for having issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister. Israel has said it will appeal the ICC decision to move against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
AFP
Putin says barrage 'response' to West-supplied missiles
A massive aerial bombardment of Ukraine's energy facilities was in response to Kyiv striking Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.Pledging Moscow would always respond to Ukraine's use of US-supplied ATACMS missiles, Putin said his military was considering a strike on the heart of Kyiv in retaliation to any future attacks.
AFP
Lebanon MPs seek end to leadership vacuum with January presidency vote
Lebanon's parliament will meet on January 9 to elect a new president, seeking to end more than two years without a head of state, official media reported Thursday, a day after an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire began."Speaker Nabih Berri called a parliament session to elect a president of the republic on January 9," the NNA reported.
Associated Press
UK police investigate more than 5 people over alleged abuse by former Harrods boss Al Fayed
Britain's biggest police force has launched an investigation into more than five people who may have assisted the former boss of top-end department store Harrods, Mohamed Al Fayed, carry out more than 100 alleged acts of sexual abuse, including rape, on women and girls. In an update on its investigation late Wednesday, London's Metropolitan Police said it is looking at unidentified individuals who could have enabled Al Fayed between 1977 and 2014. Allegations against Al Fayed have grown since the BBC broadcast claims by several former Harrods employees in September.
NBC News
3 Americans detained in China are released in prisoner swap, official says
Three American citizens who had been detained for years in China were released, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.
AFP
Eurozone stocks lift as French political stand-off eases
Eurozone stock markets rebounded Thursday as France's political stand-off showed signs of easing, while Chinese equities fell despite reports the United States may be less stringent than feared with its curb on tech equipment to China. Hong Kong and Shanghai retreated as Bloomberg reported that Washington was considering escalating its crackdown on tech supplies to China by putting fresh sanctions on sales of semiconductor equipment and AI chips to the country.
AFP
Lebanon official media says Israeli fire wounds two amid ceasefire
Lebanese official media said Israeli fire wounded two people in a border village on Thursday, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.Lebanon's official National News Agency said two people were wounded in the village of Markaba "due to the enemy targeting" of a square in the village.
CNN
Helping Asheville small businesses this holiday season
You can provide some much-needed help to Asheville, North Carolina residents this holiday season by choosing to shop their online stores this year. It’s an easy way to do something good for a community that really needs a boost this year, and get your holiday shopping completed with the click of a computer button.
Reuters
Romanian top court asks for presidential election recount, Digi24 reports
A Romanian top court will ask for a vote recount in the first round of the country's presidential election, Digi24 TV reported on Thursday citing court sources, after a shock victory for a far right candidate. A spokesperson at the Constitutional Court declined to confirm or deny the report. Having polled in single digits before Sunday's vote, independent far-right politician Calin Georgescu, 62, surged to a victory that raised questions over how such a surprise had been possible in the European Union and NATO member state.
CBS News
3 3 Americans held for years in China released, White House says
Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released from detention, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.
AFP
French farmers wall off public buildings in protest over regulations
French farmers blocked off entrances to two public buildings in Paris on Thursday in protest at "constraints" imposed by regulatory agencies, which they say result in lost production.Thursday's protesters -- led by the heavyweight FNSEA farmers' union -- say they are also feeling the sting of restrictions imposed by France's regulatory agencies on products like insecticides.
Associated Press
Working Well: Practicing humility and finding support can help when political tensions rise at work
There’s no easy way to bridge the political divides that have created rifts in communities, families and friendships. While talking politics with colleagues can be fortifying, the opposite also can be true when we disagree. This month's U.S. presidential election heightened those tensions.
NBC News
Tariffs may be just the start of U.S.-China disputes in a second Trump term
After President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office next month, U.S.-China relations are poised to be one of the greatest foreign policy challenges for the new administration.
NBC News
Ron DeSantis slows the process to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat as pressure grows from Trump world
President-elect Donald Trump handed Ron DeSantis a political gift this month when he gave him a U.S.
NBC News
Their homes were destroyed with little notice. Decades later, a settlement attempts to make amends.
Palm Springs became a playground for celebrities, but its development came at the expense of Black and Latino residents pushed into a neighborhood that was destroyed.
Politico
‘He's not a manager’: Former RFK Jr. staffers on how he'd run HHS
The former independent candidate was described as hands off.
Time
Europe Is Already Reaching for Its Checkbook
The return of Trump means the continent will spend more for its own defense, and embrace a greater independence.
CNN
Power cut to more than a million homes in Ukraine after major Russian attack on energy facilities
More than a million households were left without power in Ukraine after a widespread Russian aerial attack targeted critical energy infrastructure facilities across the country overnight, authorities in the country said on Thursday.

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