‘Shadow And Bone’: Alina Starkov Sets Out To Defeat The Darkling & The Crows Take On A Deadly Heist In Season 2 Trailer

Associated Press
Syrian insurgents capture four central towns as government forces reclaim some territory
Syrian insurgents captured four new towns early Tuesday, bringing them closer to the central city of Hama, opposition activists said, while government forces retook some territory they lost last week. The capture of the towns is the latest in the push by insurgents led by the salafi jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as well as Turkey-backed opposition fighters. Insurgents now are about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Hama, the country’s fourth largest city.
Associated Press
China bans exports of gallium and other key high-tech materials, hitting back at US chip sanctions
China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Beijing earlier had required exporters to apply for licenses to send the strategically important materials such as gallium to the United States.
USA TODAY
Supreme Court to rule on key transgender care case: What’s at stake for minors
The Supreme Court will consider if states can keep transgender adolescents from puberty blockers and hormone therapy, a major culture war flashpoint.
Reuters
Israeli farmer whose son was killed by Lebanon rocket works to restore orchard
Five weeks ago, Moshe Weinstein found the body of his son Omer and four farm workers killed by a Hezbollah rocket, their bodies lying in an apple orchard that he has cultivated for years. Weinstein, 75, is back working his land, taking advantage of a ceasefire deal brokered last week between Israel and Hezbollah that is aimed at restoring calm to both sides of the border. He had been elsewhere on the farm when the sirens went off on Oct. 31, warning of incoming fire from Lebanon.
USA TODAY
2024 holiday postage stamps bring artistic diversity to the yuletide season
When a California artist was tapped to create a set of 2024 holiday stamps, she aimed to have universal appeal while reflecting her Latina roots.
Reuters
US watchdog proposes limits on 'data brokers' sale of personal info
The sale of Americans' private information by "data brokers" to scammers, foreign adversaries, abusive domestic partners and other unscrupulous actors could face stringent new proposed regulations, the top U.S. consumer agency for financial protection announced on Tuesday. If adopted, the proposed new rules would subject "data brokers" to oversight by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, requiring them to comply with credit reporting laws, thereby reining in a practice officials say poses threats to national security and public safety. "The scale of this problem is staggering," CFPB Director Rohit Chopra told reporters ahead of the announcement, citing research according to which some data brokers explicitly advertised the sale of senior national security officials' personal information.
Reuters
Indonesia expects $1 billion investment commitment from Apple in a week
Indonesia is expecting to get a $1 billion investment commitment from tech firm Apple Inc in a week, its investment minister said on Tuesday, after the government banned iPhone 16 sales for failing to meet local content rules. Indonesia stopped sales of the smartphone because it requires those sold domestically to comprise at least 40% locally-made parts, which it said Apple had not adhered to. Indonesia plans to increase this requirement, a deputy minister said on Tuesday.
USA TODAY
Decorating for the holidays could be hazardous to your health: Here's why
Each year, thousands of people are injured while setting up their holiday decorations. Here's how to stay safe.
Politico
Biden just gave Trump a new pardon playbook
Joe Biden’s broad reprieve for his son gives the president-elect new rationale for even more expansive pardons than those he issued in his first term.
Politico
Pro-immigration group launches a political arm to combat Trump’s agenda
Republicans outspent Democrats five to one this cycle on immigration ads.
Associated Press
5 Australians serving life sentences for drugs in Indonesia could soon return home
The remaining five Australians from the Bali Nine group who are serving life sentences for drug smuggling in Indonesia could be repatriated home this month as Indonesia and Australia put finishing touches on a draft proposal for their transfer, Indonesia's senior law minister said Tuesday. The Indonesian government is awaiting Australia's response to key points related to the transfer arrangements, including provisions requiring Australia to acknowledge Indonesia’s sovereignty, respect the rulings of Indonesian courts and ensure that the five maintain their prisoner status after returning home, Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters.
AFP
Thai dissident jailed for two more years over royal defamation
One of Thailand's most prominent human rights activists was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday under the kingdom's royal defamation law, his fifth conviction on the controversial charges, a legal rights group said.Arnon Nampa, a 40-year-old human rights lawyer and activist already serving time in prison, was convicted on Tuesday at Bangkok Criminal Court over a 2020 social media post in which he allegedly criticised the king's authority, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
CNN
Putin approves record defense spending — a third of Russia’s budget
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record-breaking defense budget, setting aside a staggering third of the government’s total spending as the war in Ukraine drains resources from both sides nearly three years on.
CNN
Syrian rebels have taken Aleppo, the country’s second biggest city. Here’s who they are
Eight years ago, Syria’s civil war shifted in President Bashar Al-Assad’s favor after a Russian blitzkrieg on Aleppo helped him regain control over the country’s second biggest city.
CNN
Angela Merkel recalls Trump’s ‘fascination with the sheer power’ of strongmen like Putin and Kim
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled first meeting Trump at the White House in 2017. Sitting by the famous fireside in the Oval Office, the two leaders were asked by reporters to shake hands for a photo.
Associated Press
A chef whose van was stolen with 2,500 pies inside is urging the thieves to donate the loot
A British chef has urged thieves who stole a van with 2,500 savory pies inside to “do the right thing” and donate the edible loot to the needy. Tommy Banks, who owns two Michelin-starred restaurants and a pub in the northern English county of Yorkshire, said a member of staff discovered the van was missing, along with its cargo of steak and ale, turkey and butternut squash pies intended for a Christmas market in the city of York.
AFP
Japan to use AI to tackle online manga and anime piracy
Japan is planning to use AI to police anime and manga pirating websites that the pop-culture powerhouse accuses of costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue every year.But under a 300 million yen ($2 million) pilot scheme proposed by Tokyo's cultural agency, AI will scour the web for sites pirating manga books and anime cartoons, using an image and text detection system.
AFP
Death toll in Thailand flooding jumps to 25
Thousands of people have been displaced by torrential floodwaters that slammed into southern Thailand, where the death toll has risen to 25, officials said on Tuesday. Malaysian disaster officials said on Tuesday that more than 94,000 people were yet to return to their homes after being evacuated due to the floods, with five people reported dead.
CNN
How a Supreme Court decision on health care bans for transgender youth could impact trans people nationwide
When Tennessee banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth last year, Sarah began taking days off work to drive hundreds of miles from her home in Nashville to a North Carolina clinic that could treat her transgender son.
AFP
Taiwan's Lai kicks off Marshall Islands visit as China fumes
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te toured the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, after visiting the United States on the first stop of a Pacific trip that has angered Chinese leaders.Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine expressed her government's commitment to "remain a staunch ally" of Taiwan, after Lai arrived in the capital Majuro, where the Taiwanese leader held talks with the government and attended a banquet.

Latest Stories