Four injured when decorative helicopter falls into pool at American Dream mall

AFP
Brazil views labor violations at BYD site as human 'trafficking'
Authorities in Brazil said Friday they are probing Chinese auto giant BYD and one of its contractors for suspected "trafficking" of Chinese workers building a factory in the South American country.The workers, employed by BYD contractor Jinjiang Open Engineering, were viewed as "victims of international trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation," said the statement.
AFP
Weak yen lifts Japan stocks higher, Wall Street slides
A weaker yen lifted Japanese equities on Friday, while Wall Street's major indices slid in quiet holiday trading. US indices slid lower at the start of trading, with the Dow shedding 0.6 percent.
Yahoo Finance
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq slide as Treasury yields hover near 7-month highs
Wall Street looked to be slogging to the finish of a largely triumphant year.
Associated Press
What to know about South Korean acting President Han's impeachment
The impeachment of South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo Friday has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials are unprecedented, and the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is now South Korea's new interim leader.
USA TODAY
NASA's Parker Solar Probe whizzes within 3.8 million miles of sun, setting a record
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has survived an up-close encounter with the sun, coming closer to the fiery star than any other spacecraft before it.
CBS News
Experts doubt Russian claims of bird strike in Kazakhstan plane crash
Experts say evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan points to a possible midair explosion, not an encounter with a flock of birds.
AFP
Tourists return to post-Olympic Paris for holiday magic
Holidaymakers are returning to Paris for winter holiday magic as the tourism industry rebounds, inspired by the successful Olympic Games and the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral.With five billion viewers, the Paris Games were the most followed Games in television and social media history, according to the International Olympic Committee.
AFP
Probe suggests Azerbaijan plane crashed due to 'physical external interference'
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week suffered physical "external interference", the airline and Azerbaijan's transport minister said Friday, citing preliminary results of an investigation, adding to speculation it was hit by a Russian air defence system.Azerbaijan Airlines said it had suspended flights to 10 Russian airports, saying preliminary results suggested the crash of Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 was "due to physical and technical external interference".
CNN
History-making probe achieves closest-ever approach to the sun
On Christmas Eve, the Parker Solar Probe became the nearest spacecraft to the sun, flying within a few million miles of the solar surface.
NBC News
Insurance companies deny cancer treatment claims and Trump's 'border czar'on family detention centers: Morning Rundown
NBC News investigates health insurance companies denying cancer patients coverage for potentially life-saving treatments.
CNN
How Kremlin disinformation could hide the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines crash
The cause of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, is still unknown. The Kremlin has so far been tight-lipped, prompting questions over its messaging.
Associated Press
Student marches, traffic blockades in Serbia as protests persist over concrete canopy fall
Serbian university students left piles of old school books outside the education ministry building on Friday as part of almost daily street protests demanding accountability over the collapse nearly two months ago of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people in the country's north. Scattered traffic blockades were also held on various locations throughout Serbia at 11:52 a.m. — the exact time that the concrete construction on the front of the railway station building in Novi Sad crashed onto the people below. The traffic blockades have been held every Friday since the Nov. 1 crash, lasting 15 minutes for the 15 victims.
Popular Science
What is on the Voyager Golden Record? Shockingly, not The Beatles.
Voyager 1 and 2 are still hurtling through interstellar space well beyond our solar system after over 47 years and hundreds of millions of miles. While recent equipment issues hint at the historic mission’s impending end, each spacecraft carries a token of humanity with them into the cosmic abyss: one of two Golden Records engraved […]
USA TODAY
Severe weather across the country could hamper holiday travel this weekend
Severe weather across the country could lead to delays and traffic during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
CNN
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala arrested in Tehran, Italy says
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been detained in Tehran, Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. She was in Iran on a reporting trip.
CNN
Virus in Louisiana bird flu patient shows mutations that could increase transmissibility to humans, CDC analysis finds
A genetic analysis of samples from the patient in Louisiana recently hospitalized with the country’s first severe case of H5N1 bird flu show the virus likely mutated in the patient to potentially become more transmissible to humans, but there’s no evidence the virus has been passed to anyone else.
Associated Press
Israeli troops burn northern Gaza hospital after forcibly removing staff and patients, officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, igniting fires and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, the territory’s health ministry said. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff.
NBC News
World Health Organization head caught in Israeli bombing of Yemen airport
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has revealed he was inside an airport in the capital of Yemen when Israeli forces launched a deadly strike.
Associated Press
Takeaways from AP's report on social safety nets in states that ban abortion
States with restrictive abortion laws generally have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press. Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennessee residents of childbearing age are more likely to live in maternal care deserts and face overall doctor shortages.
Associated Press
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty. “I was going to have my child no matter what, but for other women, that’s kind of a crappy situation that they put you in," said Cagnacci, a 29-year-old Kingsport mom who relies on Medicaid and a federally funded nutrition program. Tennessee has a porous safety net for mothers and young children, recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press found.

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