Kristi Noem’s daughter gives up property licence amid allegations of conflict of interest by South Dakota governor

Associated Press
Destructive Cyclone Chido unearths tensions between locals and migrants in France's Mayotte
Cyclone Chido not only ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure but also laid bare deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population. Authorities in Mayotte, France's poorest territory, said many avoided emergency shelters out of fear of deportation, leaving them, and the shantytowns they live in, even more vulnerable to the cyclone’s devastation. Mayotte, a French department located between Madagascar and mainland Africa, has a population of 320,000, including an estimated 100,000 migrants, most of whom have arrived from the nearby Comoros Islands, just 70 kilometers (43 miles) away.
Reuters
Mozambique's death toll from Cyclone Chido rises to 94, AFP reports
The cyclone had made landfall in northern Mozambique a week ago and Mozambique's institute for natural disasters on Thursday had given the death toll at 73. Officials in Mayotte, which is one of France's poorest overseas territories, have only been able to confirm 35 fatalities from Chido, but some have said they fear thousands could have been killed. Olamide Harrison, the International Monetary Fund's Mozambique resident representative, said on Wednesday that the country's 2024 economic growth is likely to be revised down from a previous forecast of 4.3% due to the impact of the cyclone and post-election civil unrest.
Yahoo Finance
Wall Street reevaluates 'higher for longer' rates post Fed meeting: What to know this week
Investors will contend with a host of challenges, from turmoil in Washington to a more hawkish stance from the Fed.
Associated Press
Ukrainian drones hit a Russian fuel depot for the second time this month
Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian fuel depot for the second time in just over a week on Sunday, according to a senior Russian regional official, as part of a “massive” cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow's military. The strikes came days after Russia launched sweeping attacks on Ukraine’s already battered energy grid, threatening to plunge thousands of homes into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the region, and as Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor nears the three-year mark. A fire broke out at the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russia’s southern Oryol region, local Gov. Andrey Klychkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding Russian forces downed 20 drones targeting “fuel and energy infrastructure” in the province.
USA TODAY
Y2K swept the nation 25 years ago: Historical photos show millennium panic in America
It's the 25th anniversary of Y2K, when panic about a millennium bug swept the nation. Photos show how we prepared.
Politico
China: US is ‘playing with fire’ with latest military aid for Taiwan
Taiwan is a democratic island of 23 million people that the Chinese government claims as its territory.
Politico
2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident, US military says
Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft.
CNN
Joe Manchin torches Democrats on the way out the door
As Joe Manchin prepares to leave Congress after nearly 15 years, the West Virginia senator — who left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent earlier this year — is further distancing himself from his former party, calling the Democratic brand “toxic.”
NBC News
German Christmas market attack suspect faces charges five counts of murder; aggravated assault
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor accused of killing four women and a nine-year-old boy by driving into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, now faces charges of five counts of murder, and multiple counts attempted murder and aggravated assault after appearing in court Saturday night.
NBC News
Faith-based cost-sharing seemed like an alternative to health insurance, until the childbirth bills arrived
Health care sharing ministries offer reimbursements for members’ medical bills. But they are largely unregulated, and most restrict maternity coverage. Four families said they struggled to get reimbursed for childbirth costs.
Politico
Farewell to ‘The Axe Files’
David Axelrod’s podcast was the last place where members of the opposite party could sit down and share ideas.
Reuters
Spain's Christmas lottery spreads cash and seasonal joy to winners
Players with winning tickets in Spain's huge Christmas lottery draw on Sunday celebrated with sparkling wine, cheers and hugs in a 200-year-old tradition that marks the beginning of the Christmas season. The total prize pot in the state-run National Lottery event reached 2.71 billion euros ($2.83 billion) this year, slightly more than last year's 2.59 billion euros. In the nationally televised draw at Madrid's Teatro Real, young pupils from San Ildefonso school picked the winning numbers from two revolving globes and sang them out.
AFP
France awaits appointment of new government
President Emmanuel Macron returned to Paris on Sunday after a visit to cyclone-devastated Mayotte and East Africa, as a France racked by political deadlock awaited the appointment of a new government.France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer in the hopes of bolstering his authority.
AFP
Cyclone Chido death toll rises to 94 in Mozambique
Cyclone Chido killed at least 94 people in Mozambique in its deadly rampage through the Indian Ocean last week, the country's disaster management agency said Sunday, raising a previous death toll of 76.Despite losing intensity it killed 13 people and injured nearly 30 there, according to the Malawian disaster management agency.
AFP
Khamenei says Iran does not have or need regional proxy forces
Iran's supreme leader denied Sunday that militant groups around the region functioned as Tehran's proxies, warning that if his country chose to "take action", it would not need them anyway.They do not act as our proxy," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group of visitors in Tehran.
Associated Press
Iran's supreme leader says Syrian youth will resist incoming government
Iran's supreme leader on Sunday said that young Syrians will resist the new government emerging after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad as he again accused the United States and Israel of sowing chaos in the country. Iran had provided crucial support to Assad throughout Syria's nearly 14-year civil war, which erupted after he launched a violent crackdown on a popular uprising against his family's decades-long rule. Syria had long served as a key conduit for Iranian aid to Lebanon's militant Hezbollah.
CNN
A boy in north Georgia went for a walk down the road. It landed his mother in jail
In rural Georgia, a 10-year-old boy left home and walked a mile down the road to another town, where a concerned citizen called law enforcement. Deputies then arrested the boy’s mother, igniting a debate about parental rights and potential government overreach.
CNN
Liberal leaders say they have a plan for a new, more effective anti-Trump resistance in 2025
The question has loomed over Democrats and their allies since Donald Trump was elected to a second term: Do party leaders and liberal, pro-democracy activists have the juice to launch a passionate, organized opposition to Trump and the Republican congressional trifecta?
CNN
German market attack suspect appears in court as authorities accused of security failures
A judge in Germany has ordered the suspect in the dedly Christmas market ramming attack to be held in pre-trial detention following a late-night court appearance on Saturday, according to a statement from police early Sunday.
USA TODAY
Are we seeing fewer white Christmases due to climate change?
Winter has been the fastest-warming season for most of the U.S. since 1970, increasing the likelihood of winter precipitation falling as rain rather than snow.

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