Solich retires to focus on health

USA TODAY
Greenland is a no, but what territories has the U.S. purchased?
The United States has purchased and acquired multiple territories from other countries since its founding.
USA TODAY
How one little Christmas tree on a NJ beach branched into a beloved tradition
Ocean City, New Jersey, calls itself "America's Greatest Family Resort." Year-round residents in the beach town have a new Christmas tradition.
USA TODAY
A Century of Citizenship: Views from Wind River Reservation on being Indigenous in America
USA TODAY goes to Wyoming's Wind River Reservation to hear the challenges and the pride of being indigenous in America.
AFP
Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday denounced an "inhumane" attack from Russia, which launched over 170 missiles and drones on his war-torn country's power grid on Christmas Day, killing one and causing widespread blackouts.The Christmas Day attack targeted central Dnipropetrovsk, whose governor Sergiy Lysak said Russia was "trying to destroy the region's power system".
CBS News
Is anything open on Christmas Day? Here's what's open and closed.
Last-minute grocery items and gifts can be found on Christmas Day, but many retailers and chains may be closed today.
TODAY
Is Starbucks open on Christmas? What to know about its 2024 hours
It's Christmas and there's no better time for an extra boost of caffeine to help survive the holiday chaos. Wondering if Starbucks is open? We've got details.
TODAY
Is IHOP open on Christmas? What to know about its 2024 hours
If you're hoping Santa will deliver a short stack this Christmas, here's what to know about IHOP's 2024 holiday hours. Find out if restaurants are open.
TODAY
Is Dunkin’ open on Christmas? What to know about its 2024 hours
If you need your daily dose of caffeine, you may be wondering if Dunkin' will be open on Christmas in 2024 and what holiday hours are. Good news, we've got 'em!
AFP
Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border region of Afghanistan killed 46 civilians, the Taliban government said Wednesday, whilst a Pakistan security official said the bombardment had targeted "terrorist hideouts".Skirmishes on the frontier followed deadly air strikes in March by Pakistan's military in the border regions of Afghanistan, which Taliban authorities said killed eight civilians.
Associated Press
At least 13 people killed in Pakistani strikes on suspected militant hideouts in Afghanistan
Local Afghans and the Pakistani Taliban said Wednesday that civilians, including women and children, were killed after Pakistan launched rare airstrikes inside neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistani security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, told The Associated Press that Tuesday's operation was to dismantle a training facility and kill insurgents in the province of Paktika, bordering Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in a statement, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed that 50 people, including 27 women and children, have died in the strikes.
CBS News
Some 28 survive plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed dozens, officials say
An Azerbaijani airliner with dozens on board crashed in Kazakhstan, officials there said, adding that at least 28 people survived and were hospitalized.
TODAY
An ode to cremas: The creamy, coconutty, Haitian drink my family makes every Christmas
What is cremas? Haiti's creamy, coconutty holiday drink is a beloved beverage my family makes every Christmas.
Associated Press
Pilgrims traverse Vatican Holy Door as Christmas marks the start of the 2025 Holy Year
Pilgrims lined up early Wednesday to walk through the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica, as Christmas marked the start of the 2025 Holy Year celebration that is expected to bring some 32 million Catholic faithful to Rome. On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis knocked on the door and was the first to walk through it, inaugurating the 2025 Jubilee that he dedicated to hope. Pilgrims submitted to security controls before entering the Holy Door, amid new security fears following a deadly Christmas market attack in Germany. Many paused to touch the door as they passed and made the sign of the cross upon entering the basilica dedicated to St. Peter, founder of the Roman Catholic Church.
CNN
FDA issues urgent salmonella warning for Costco eggs
The Food and Drug Administration has escalated its warning regarding certain eggs distributed to Costco locations, potentially linked to salmonella exposure.
CNN
Plane carrying 67 people crashes in Kazakhstan, officials say, with dozens feared dead
A passenger plane carrying 67 people from Azerbaijan to southern Russia crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, local authorities said.
AFP
Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya on Wednesday raised "serious concerns" over China's military buildup as he met counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, Tokyo said.Meeting with Wang at Beijing's opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, he also "expressed serious concerns over the East China Sea situation, including around the Senkaku Islands (and) China's increasing military activity," Tokyo said.
AFP
Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Wednesday, with the mood darkened by wars and a massive Christmas morning attack on Ukraine by Russia and a plane crash in Kazakhstan.- 'We limited our joy' - An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet flying from the capital Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, officials said, with 25 survivors reported so far.
Associated Press
An Israeli soldier who died 417 days after his Oct. 7 wounds has become a symbol of sacrifice
For more than 400 days after being critically wounded during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Yona Brief tried to recover. The dual Israeli-American citizen has come to symbolize the sacrifice by hundreds of fallen soldiers in what many in Israel see as a war for the country’s survival. More than 800 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Hamas’ attack, about 300 of them on the initial day and the rest in Gaza or in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
NBC News
Mega Millions Christmas Eve drawing yields no winner as jackpot grows to $1.15 billion
No winner came forward on Christmas Eve to claim the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, but a handful of people will still be looking at a ho-ho-whole lot of green.
Associated Press
Japan's foreign minister seeks "positive" direction in bilateral ties during his visit to China
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with top Chinese leaders Wednesday during his visit to Beijing, the first since the heads of the two countries met at a summit in Peru last month, in an effort to make positive inroads in the bilateral relationship. At the top of Iwaya's agenda is China’s ban on Japanese seafood in response to the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as well as China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the East and South China Seas. Iwaya met with China's premier, Li Qiang Wednesday as well as Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart.

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