Lord of the Rings: Amazon teaser reveals official title for ‘Second Age of Middle Earth’ TV show

Reuters
South Korea's acting president faces impeachment vote as court meets on martial law case
South Korea's acting president faces an impeachment vote as the Constitutional Court meets for its first hearing on Friday in the case of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and suspended from duties after a short-lived martial law. The effort to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has been acting president since Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14, threatens to intensify the political crisis gripping Asia's fourth-largest economy and one of its most vibrant democracies. The unexpected martial law decree and swift political fallout shocked the nation and economic markets, unsettling key allies the United States and Europe which had seen Yoon as a staunch partner in global efforts to counter China, Russia, and North Korea.
AFP
US stocks take a breather, Asian bourses rise in post-Christmas trade
Wall Street stocks were little changed on Thursday while Asian equities rose in thin Boxing Day trade, extending their "Santa Claus Rally" with several bourses still shut for the holiday.Stock markets have traditionally fared well in the last five trading days of the year and the first two in the new year, a trend known as the "Santa Claus rally."
NBC News
Woman claims she was 'lured' to Sean 'Diddy' Combs' party through radio contest
In a new lawsuit, a woman has accused embattled rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2006 at a New York party, where she says she was “lured” through a radio station contest.
Associated Press
Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, citing 'emotional toll,' seeks sentencing delay in wake of wife's trial
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez asked a federal judge on Thursday to delay his end-of-January sentencing on bribery charges and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, saying his family would suffer a “tremendous emotional toll” if the New Jersey Democrat were sentenced during his wife’s trial. The 70-year-old Menendez resigned in the weeks after his July conviction on 16 charges, including bribery, extortion, honest services fraud and obstruction of justice. Bob Menendez's lawyers wrote that the former senator “often tends to his wife's physical and emotional needs.”
USA TODAY
Convicted killer escapes Mississippi prison on Christmas Eve, is captured the next day
The Mississippi Department of Corrections has announced the capture of a convicted killer who escaped on Christmas Eve.
USA TODAY
'Holiday stimulus payments' for all residents of certain states aren't real | Fact check
There is no "holiday stimulus payout" associated with a recent Affordable Care Act amendment.
USA TODAY
Great Lakes ice forecast: Forecasters predict turnaround from 2024 record low season
The U.S. National Ice Center released its seasonal outlook, predicting the 2025 season will be a lot different than last season's historic low.
CBS News
Florida pizza delivery worker allegedly stabs pregnant customer after $2 tip
A pizza delivery worker, upset over a tip, allegedly repeatedly stabbed a pregnant woman at a Florida motel, a sheriff's office says.
NBC News
The bald eagle is officially America's national bird after Biden's signature
The bald eagle has landed in U.S. Code as President Joe Biden signed a bill Tuesday making the predator the official national bird.
CBS News
ChatGPT hit by outages as OpenAI reports "high error rates"
The OpenAI issue was caused by an "upstream provider," according to the artificial intelligence organization.
CNN
WHO chief says he was at Yemen airport which Israeli strikes targeted
Israeli forces unleashed a series of strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the western city of Hodeidah on Thursday, according to Houthi-run media, killing at least four people and injuring more than a dozen others.
Associated Press
Cats can get sick with bird flu. Here's how to protect them
The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets. Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys and many other animals. It was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March. The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the U.S., and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms.
NBC News
FDA raises recall alert to highest level on Costco eggs over risk of severe illness or death due to salmonella
Federal food regulators raised their alarm for recalled eggs sold from Costco stores over possible salmonella exposure, reclassifying the targeted product to its highest risk level.
NBC News
Mapping Trump's connections to a powerful group of right-wing tech barons
President-elect Donald Trump has surrounded himself with a tight-knit group of wealthy tech barons who will help define his second term in the White House.
USA TODAY
Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen, airport hit as WHO chief boards flight
The head of the World Health Organization said he was about to board a flight in the Yemeni capital when the airport came under bombardment.
Associated Press
An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence
Syria's new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs on Thursday, a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country's fragile peace could break down. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad. On the road from Damascus, security teams at the checkpoints waved cars through perfunctorily, but in Homs they checked IDs and opened the trunk of each car to look for weapons.
CBS News
Storms, dense fog threaten holiday travel in parts of U.S.
Rain and high winds were expected roll through parts of Oregon and Washington, while fog settled over an area from Kansas City to Chicago.
CNN
Holiday travelers are facing flight cancellations as severe storms roll into the South
Holiday travelers setting out for what is expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year are already facing delays as a severe round of storms rolls into the Southern US.
CNN
Suspect in fatal New York subway burning ‘fanned the flames’ with his shirt, according to police testimony
Prosecutors on Monday charged 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil with first- and second-degree murder and first-degree arson in connection with the death of a woman who died after being set on fire in a New York City subway train a day earlier.
Associated Press
A Virginia zoo welcomes newborn pygmy hippopotamus as year ends
A female pygmy hippopotamus delivered a healthy calf at the Metro Richmond Zoo earlier this month, officials said — the third baby hippo born at the zoo within the past five years. The mother Iris gave birth to the female calf on Dec. 9 following a seven-month gestation, zoo officials said. The newborn, who has yet to be named, is the third calf for Iris and the father, Corwin.

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