Vladimir Putin is ‘using energy’ to cause political discord in Europe: Expert

Associated Press
Montenegro approves the extradition of cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon to the United States
Montenegro has approved the extradition of a South Korean mogul known as “the cryptocurrency king” to the United States, the Balkan country's Justice Ministry said on Friday. Minister Bojan Bozovic has issued a deposition allowing the handover of Do Kwon, the founder of the Singapore crypto firm Terraform Labs who was arrested in Montenegro last year, according to the ministry. It was not immediately clear when exactly Kwon would be sent to the U.S.
Politico
Trudeau’s top ministers at Mar-a-Lago to discuss border security
The ministers are focused on combating fentanyl and illegal migration.
Associated Press
10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025
With the end of 2024 around the corner, you might be reflecting on financial goals for 2025. Whether you're saving to move out of your parents' house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated, said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate for Credit Karma. “Entering a new year doesn’t erase all our financial challenges from the prior year," Alev said.
Reuters
US closely watching political crisis in South Korea
South Korea's parliament impeached acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday, less than two weeks after suspending President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration, plunging the country further into political chaos. The United States has troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War. After the martial law declaration this month, the U.S. and South Korea had postponed a tabletop exercise and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin scrapped a trip to South Korea.
Associated Press
NATO will step up Baltic Sea patrols as Finland probes the possible sabotage of undersea cables
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Friday that the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea region as Finnish investigators work to establish whether a ship linked to Russia sabotaged undersea cables there this week. Finnish authorities seized control of the ship, the Eagle S, on Thursday as they tried to establish whether it had damaged a power cable linking Finland and Estonia and several data cables. In a post on X, Rutte said that he had spoken to Finland’s President Alexander Stubb “about the ongoing Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables.”
Associated Press
Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher, likened this binding interaction to a lock and key. The Louisiana patient was hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms from bird flu after coming in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.
Reuters
Data-loss prevention company Cyberhaven hit by breach, statement says
Hackers compromised an employee of the data-protection company Cyberhaven and used the worker's access to potentially steal sensitive information from the firm's users, the company said in a statement distributed to customers and reviewed by Reuters. The hackers pushed a compromised version of Cyberhaven's Chrome browser extension to the company's users early on Wednesday, the statement said. The company urged affected customers to reset passwords and review their logs for malicious activity.
Associated Press
Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case
A judge has ruled that the Georgia state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of a inquiry into whether she has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump but is giving Willis the chance to contest whether lawmakers' demands are overly broad. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram filed the order Monday, telling Willis she has until Jan. 13 to submit arguments over whether the subpoenas seek legally shielded or confidential information. Ingram wrote that the would issue a final order later saying what Willis had to respond to.
Associated Press
Relatives of Bashar Assad arrested as they tried to fly out of Lebanon, officials say
The wife and daughter of one of deposed Syrian president Bashar Assad ’s cousins were arrested Friday at the Beirut airport, where they attempted to fly out with allegedly forged passports, Lebanese judicial and security officials said. Rasha Khazem, the wife of Duraid Assad — the son of former Syrian Vice President Rifaat Assad, the uncle of Bashar Assad — and their daughter, Shams, were smuggled illegally into Lebanon and were trying to fly to Egypt when they were arrested, according to five Lebanese officials familiar with the case.
Associated Press
Mexico tests cellphone app allowing migrants to send alert if they are about to be detained in US
Mexico is developing a cellphone app that will allow migrants to warn relatives and local consulates if they think they are about to be detained by the U.S. immigration department, a senior official said Friday. The move is in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations after he takes office on Jan. 20. The app has been rolled out for small-scale testing and “appears to be working very well,” said Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs.
USA TODAY
Suspect in NYC subway killing indicted on murder and arson charges
The man accused of lighting a woman on fire in a New York City subway car has been indicted on murder and arson charges.
Associated Press
One owl rescued by a Minnesota woman is euthanized; efforts to save the other continue
One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week has died, but the other is still getting medical care. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Duluth said in a Facebook post Thursday that the snowy owl rescued by Annabell Whelan had internal injuries, a broken wing and a broken leg. The great gray owl also rescued by Whelan on Monday suffered broken bones and large soft tissue wounds in a wing, Wildwoods said in the post.
AFP
Watching the sun rise over a new Damascus
After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Afaf Mohammed did what she could not for more than a decade: she climbed Mount Qasyun to admire a sleeping Damascus "from the sky" and watch the sun rise.Afaf Mohammed told AFP that "during the war we weren't allowed up to Mount Qasyun.
CBS News
Man accused of burning woman on subway indicted on murder, arson charges
A grand jury has indicted the man accused of setting a woman on fire aboard a Brooklyn subway train, Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez announced Friday.
CBS News
What to know about returning unwanted holiday gifts
The National Retail Federation expects about 17% of sales to be returned this year.
CNN
Azerbaijan Airlines says plane crashed after ‘external interference’ as questions mount over possible Russian involvement
Azerbaijan Airlines says the jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day experienced “physical and technical external interference,” according to an early investigation, as questions swirled about Russia’s possible involvement in the disaster.
Associated Press
Senegal announces closure of all foreign military bases as it cuts ties to ex-colonial power France
Senegal has announced the closure of all foreign military bases, without setting a timeline for the exit of foreign troops. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made the announcement Friday during a general policy statement to the National Assembly. “The President of the Republic has decided to close all foreign military bases in the very near future,” Sonko said.
AFP
Malaysia man flogged in mosque for crime of gender mixing
A man was flogged inside a Malaysia mosque on Friday after being convicted of an Islamic offence for spending time alone with a woman who was neither his wife or relative, state news said.The 42-year-old construction worker was given six lashes in Malaysia's conservative state of Terengganu after being convicted by a Sharia court, the official Bernama news agency said.
AFP
Montenegro to extradite crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon to US
Montenegro announced on Friday that it would extradite South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon to the United States, following a year and a half of dizzying court rulings and subsequent reversals over his removal.The Montenegrin Constitutional Court, on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Kwon's lawyers against the decision of the Supreme Court, which in September determined that the conditions for extraditing Do Kwon to South Korea and the United States for criminal proceedings had been met.
CBS News
Utah man accidentally triggers avalanche, rescues trapped brother
The unidentified pair of brothers and their father were snowmobiling on Christmas Eve when the avalanche swept through.

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