LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey cries in final seconds of NCAA championship win for home state

Associated Press
Abortion opponents shift focus to pills with lawsuits, proposed laws and possible federal action
Opponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S. This month, the Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to a patient there via telemedicine. The suit represents the first lawsuit of its kind and could lead to a legal test for the New York law designed to protect providers there who prescribe the drugs to patients in states with abortion bans.
Associated Press
The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies
As Washington heaved over the possibility of a partial government shutdown, leading far-right figures gathered with thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters and, for the most part, gloried in splintering the president-elect’s party. Speakers and attendees at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2024 hailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for initially scuttling a bipartisan agreement to keep government open.
CBS News
Woman set on fire while sleeping on NYC subway, NYPD says
A person of interest was taken into custody after a woman died after being lit on fire while she was asleep on an F train in Brooklyn, police say.
Associated Press
Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them
Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, soybean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene. Most commercial drones sold in the United States, including those used by Hedrick, are made in China.
AFP
Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
Every day before dawn, Jamil Ghafori gets to work on the floor of a cramped Kabul bakery with five other men churning out thousands of traditional flatbreads -- the staple of every Afghan meal.Men, women and children, rich and poor, rain or shine, stop by multiple times daily at their closest bakery for fresh bread to accompany their meals.
Associated Press
Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza
The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza.
Reuters
Indonesian tsunami survivor holds on to hope for missing son after 20 years
In front of Saudah's house on Indonesia's Sumatra island lie two damaged coast guard ships, washed ashore by a tsunami 20 years ago and a daily reminder that her youngest son has yet to come home. Saudah, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, believes Muhammad Siddiq, who was six when the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004, is still alive and has not given up hope that he might one day return. The deadly wave, triggered by a 9.1 magnitude quake, killed some 230,000 people along the coasts of more than a dozen countries, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand making it one of the deadliest disasters in recorded history.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher after Wall Street rally caps a dismal week
One shadow over markets was cleared when U.S. lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. were expected to hold a news conference later Monday as reports speculated on a possible merger between Japan’s second and third-largest automakers.
Associated Press
It's the holidays in Zimbabwe. Time to celebrate by unveiling a family tombstone
Chipo Benhure started saving early for a holiday season to remember in Zimbabwe, but it wasn’t for a party or vacation. The highlight is a graveyard ceremony to unveil her late mother’s tombstone. “I didn’t want to be found wanting come Christmastime, so I was putting aside a few dollars each month,” Benhure said, standing at a crowded and dusty ground on the outskirts of the capital, Harare.
Yahoo Finance
The Container Store files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
The Container Store couldn't keep up as consumers turned to Amazon, focused on essential goods and pulled back on big-ticket items.
Reuters
Dalai Lama seeks to allay health concerns as succession planning looms
When the Dalai Lama went to New York in June for knee surgery, his followers worried about his overall health and the future of Tibetan Buddhists without him. "According to my dream, I may live 110 years," said the 89-year-old spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists when asked about his health and how he was feeling. The knee too is improving, he said at his Himalayan residence in Dharamshala town in northern India after blessing more than 300 visitors from India and overseas at a regular audience.
USA TODAY
Woman set on fire in NYC subway train dies, authorities say; suspect in custody
The "person of interest" was taken into custody hours after the attack while riding another train, according to NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta.
Associated Press
Former Israeli spies describe attack using exploding electronic devices against Hezbollah
Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie talkies three months ago. Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. One agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn't realize it was buying from Israel, its enemy.
CNN
Ho Chi Minh City’s first metro line opens after more than a decade of delays
The line stretches from Ben Thanh market in the center of Vietnam’s largest city to the Soui Tien Theme Park.
Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: The scars of a 9.1 earthquake and tsunami continue to haunt Indians for decades
He was a young boy playing cricket with friends on a beach around 9:30 in the morning when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake violently shook the earth, and a tsunami struck from Indonesia to India two decades ago. Life changed for Yusuf Ansari, now a 32-year-old motor rickshaw driver.
AFP
Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
Honda and Nissan were poised Monday to announce the start of talks on a merger to help the Japanese giants catch up with Chinese rivals and Tesla on electric vehicles.Business has been especially tough for foreign brands in China, where electric vehicle manufacturers such as BYD are leading the way as demand grows for less polluting vehicles.
Associated Press
A Holy Year is about to start in Rome. Here's what you need to know
Pope Francis on Tuesday formally inaugurates the 2025 Holy Year, reviving an ancient church tradition encouraging the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome, amid new security fears following a Christmas market attack in Germany. At the start of Christmas Eve Mass, Francis will push open the Holy Door on St. Peter’s Basilica, which will stay open throughout the year to allow the estimated 32 million pilgrims projected to visit Rome to pass through. The first Holy Year was called in 1300 and in recent times they are generally celebrated every 25 to 50 years.
AFP
'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
Social media users in Vietnam on platforms including Facebook and TikTok will need to verify their identities as part of strict new internet regulations that critics say further undermine freedom of expression in the communist country.A large proportion of the population is also on social media, with the MIC estimating the country has around 65 million Facebook users, 60 million on YouTube and 20 million on TikTok.
AFP
Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
Asian markets rose Monday after big gains on Wall Street, with traders welcoming below-forecast US inflation data that tempered worries that the Federal Reserve will take a more hawkish tone with interest rates next year.Sharp losses in reaction to the forecasts were pared after data showed the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation, came in at 2.4 percent on-year in November.
AFP
Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
Tens of thousands protested Sunday in Belgrade to demand that Serbian leaders take responsibility for the collapse of a train station roof that killed 15 people last month.Fourteen people, aged between six and 74, were killed on November 1 when the roof collapsed after major renovation works on the station.

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