'The people have spoken': Cleveland Browns unveil new 'Brownie the Elf' mid-field logo

Associated Press
Trump's mainstream picks for top foreign policy posts could reassure allies — and worry China
President-elect Donald Trump is famously unconventional, but he made conventional picks for his two top foreign policy positions. Trump on Wednesday announced his choice of Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state. Two days earlier, he picked Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser.
Associated Press
Ukrainian soldiers focus on keeping Russian advances at bay and brace for storm to come from US
The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead the men of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pack them with food, water and handwarmers and launch them in darkness toward the front line, a 15-minute flight away. Guided by the drone's night-vision camera, he drops the 10-kilogram (22-pound) packages one by one as close as he can to the position where as many as five infantrymen battle Russian forces in the late autumn chill. For him, all that matters is the distance he measures in the meters (yards) that Russian forces advance or retreat in the front-line sector that is his responsibility.
Associated Press
1 million migrants in the US rely on temporary protections that Trump could target
Maribel Hidalgo fled her native Venezuela a year ago with a 1-year-old son, trudging for days through Panama's Darien Gap, then riding the rails across Mexico to the United States. People from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan and recently Lebanon, are currently receiving such relief.
Associated Press
Gaetz pick shows value Trump places on loyalty — and retribution — as he returns to Washington
Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican's rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are “witch hunts.” In announcing his selection of Gaetz as attorney general and John Ratcliffe a day earlier as CIA director, Trump underscored the premium he places on loyalty, citing both men's support for him during the Russia investigation as central to their qualifications and signaling his expectation that leaders in his administration should function not only as a president's protector but also as an instrument of retribution.
Associated Press
China's president will unveil a megaport in Peru, but locals say they're being left out
On the edge of Peru’s coastal desert, a remote fishing town where a third of all residents have no running water is being transformed into a huge deep-water port to cash in on the inexorable rise of Chinese interest in resource-rich South America. The megaport of Chancay, a $1.3 billion project majority-owned by the Chinese shipping giant Cosco, is turning this outpost of bobbing fishing boats into an important node of the global economy. China’s President Xi Jinping inaugurates the port Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru.
Associated Press
Food aid interventions can curb climate change-induced hardship. But should they do more?
Gertrude Siduna appears to have little appetite for corn farming season. Rather than prepare her land in Zimbabwe’s arid southeastern Chipinge district for the crop that has fed her family for generations, the 49-year-old — bitter at repeated droughts that have decimated yields — turns her thoughts to the prices and farming techniques of chilies. “Chilies are far better than corn.”
Associated Press
An overwhelmed Philippines braces for another typhoon, the fifth major storm to hit in three weeks
The fifth major storm in three weeks approached the Philippines on Thursday, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations request for emergency funds to help the government ease the plight of hard-hit villagers. Typhoon Usagi had sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph) and was forecast to strengthen further before slamming Thursday afternoon into the coast of Cagayan province at the northern tip of Luzon, the country’s most populous agricultural region. Another storm was brewing in the Pacific and may hit the northern Philippines this weekend, according to forecasters.
AFP
Live-streamed prayers for stressed S. Korean exam parents
Nine-hour prayer sessions, live-streamed speaking in tongues, bowing before a Buddhist altar 108 times: South Korean parents are turning to God as students sit a crucial exam Thursday.Some parents bowed 108 times before the altar -- which in Buddhist theology should result in their wishes coming true.
AFP
Scientists say world's largest coral found near Solomon Islands
Scientists say they have found the world's largest coral near the Pacific's Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a major discovery "pulsing with life and colour". "Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet earth, we find a massive coral made of nearly one billion little polyps, pulsing with life and colour," marine ecologist Enric Sala said.
NBC News
Trump's pick for top intel job has been accused of 'traitorous' parroting of Russian propaganda
Tulsi Gabbard, who has never worked in the intelligence world, has denied accusations that she promoted Kremlin disinformation.
TODAY
Widower who donated this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree suffers stroke weeks before lighting ceremony
Earl Albert, a widower from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, who donated the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, suffered a stroke before the tree lighting.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street's mixed finish as dollar surges
Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick last month in inflation in the U.S. The dollar was trading at 156 Japanese yen, up from 155.49 yen, reflecting expectations that the dollar will gain against other currencies under the policies anticipated with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Japan's Nikkei 225 index edged less than 0.1% higher, to 38,754.50 and the Kospi in South Korea advanced 0.5% to 2,429.23.
AFP
Sri Lanka president eyes parliament win in snap election
Sri Lankans were voting in snap parliamentary elections Thursday, with new leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's party expected to secure a mandate to drive through economic reforms.The outgoing parliament was dominated by the party of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa -- the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), or the People's Front -- but it has since splintered.
NBC News
Justice Dept. employees stunned at Trump's 'insane,' 'unbelievable' choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general of the United States sent shockwaves through the Justice Department.
Reuters
Trump's Treasury pick: Lutnick now a top contender alongside Bessent, sources say
Billionaire banker Howard Lutnick has emerged as a serious contender alongside investor Scott Bessent for the top Treasury job in the new Trump administration, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the race for the high profile role heats up. Lutnick, a longtime friend of Trump's and co-chair of the transition team, had received the backing of at least one influential member of President-elect Donald Trump's inner circle for the Treasury Secretary role, one of the sources said.
Reuters
New Zealand parliament debates controversial bill as protesters march on capital
New Zealand's parliament on Thursday began a heated debate on a contentious bill aimed at reinterpreting the country's founding agreement as hundreds of protesters continued their march toward the country's capital. The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the country's centre-right coalition government, last week unveiled the bill which aims to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Associate Justice Minister David Seymour said the Maori are being given different rights than non-Indigenous citizens, who lose out because of policies specifically designed for the uplift of Maori.
CNN
Another storm is brewing in the Caribbean. Here are what areas should be on alert
A new tropical system with the potential to become Tropical Storm Sara is expected soon in yet another example of an Atlantic hurricane season that’s done playing by the rules.
Reuters
Philippines Marcos' says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday his government would not block the International Criminal Court (ICC) if former leader Rodrigo Duterte wants to be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity in his anti-drugs crackdown. The Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC but it has obligations with Interpol, Marcos told reporters.
AFP
Sculptor Gormley hopes art can be bridge to China despite curbs
Renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley has told AFP of his concern over the "uglier sides" of China's state control but says artistic engagement with the historic and cultural powerhouse is crucial.The 74-year-old, however, expressed dismay at "the uglier sides of state control", citing the repression of minorities in the northwestern Xinjiang and western Tibet regions.
NBC News
Person dressed in bear costume to fake attacks on cars for insurance payout, California officials say
Four people have been charged with insurance fraud for claiming that their cars were trashed by a bear — which was actually someone in a bear costume, officials said Wednesday.

'The people have spoken': Cleveland Browns unveil new 'Brownie the Elf' mid-field logo

Who is Brownie The Elf?

Latest Stories

Trump's mainstream picks for top foreign policy posts could reassure allies — and worry China

Ukrainian soldiers focus on keeping Russian advances at bay and brace for storm to come from US

1 million migrants in the US rely on temporary protections that Trump could target

Gaetz pick shows value Trump places on loyalty — and retribution — as he returns to Washington

China's president will unveil a megaport in Peru, but locals say they're being left out

Food aid interventions can curb climate change-induced hardship. But should they do more?

An overwhelmed Philippines braces for another typhoon, the fifth major storm to hit in three weeks

Live-streamed prayers for stressed S. Korean exam parents

Scientists say world's largest coral found near Solomon Islands

Trump's pick for top intel job has been accused of 'traitorous' parroting of Russian propaganda

Widower who donated this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree suffers stroke weeks before lighting ceremony

Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street's mixed finish as dollar surges

Sri Lanka president eyes parliament win in snap election

Justice Dept. employees stunned at Trump's 'insane,' 'unbelievable' choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general

Trump's Treasury pick: Lutnick now a top contender alongside Bessent, sources say

New Zealand parliament debates controversial bill as protesters march on capital

Another storm is brewing in the Caribbean. Here are what areas should be on alert

Philippines Marcos' says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated

Sculptor Gormley hopes art can be bridge to China despite curbs

Person dressed in bear costume to fake attacks on cars for insurance payout, California officials say