U.S. can offer 'comfort letters' to help Russia grain, fertilizer exports

AFP
Iraq's prohibition zeal threatens Baghdad's boozy subculture
The smell of dampness rises through the dust at a private club in central Baghdad, one of many shut in a crackdown on alcohol sales in Iraq.Several private "social" clubs that have operated in Baghdad for decades were sent official letters in November forbidding them from manufacturing and serving alcoholic beverages.
Associated Press
Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, US military says
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said. Both pilots were recovered alive, with one suffering minor injuries, but the incident underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become after a year of ongoing attacks on shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area. The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.
AFP
Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat
On a hillside in Tunisia's northwestern highlands, women scour a sun-scorched field for the wild herbs they rely on for their livelihoods, but droughts and rising temperatures are making it ever harder to find the precious plants.Wildfires fuelled by drought and rising temperatures have ravaged these woodlands, further diminishing the natural resources that women like Soudani depend on.
AFP
Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal
Incoming US president Donald Trump on Saturday slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington.He continued that if Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."
Politico
Trump taps billionaire Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as Italy ambassador
Fertitta has never held political office but is a longtime GOP donor — including to Trump’s Save America PAC.
Associated Press
The water was their livelihood. Now Thailand's sea nomads work to preserve a vanishing way of life
When Hook was a child, he started his days by jumping off the boat that his family lived on and into the ocean. Now Hook, whose full name is Suriyan Klathale, lives on land like the rest of his community, a people known as the Moken. The recollections of his childhood, which many Moken of his generation still have, are mostly just memories.
Associated Press
Fleeing motorist is dead after driving into Texas shopping mall and injuring 5
A fleeing motorist drove a pickup truck into a busy JCPenney store in Texas on Saturday, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by law enforcement, authorities said. Four of the injured people were taken from the Killeen mall to hospitals and the fifth went on their own, Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety said in an evening media briefing. Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department said the incident began with calls about an erratic driver in a black pickup in Belton, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) away.
Reuters
Trump says he might demand Panama hand over canal
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday accused Panama of charging excessive rates for use of the Panama Canal and said that if Panama did not manage the canal in an acceptable fashion, he would demand the U.S. ally hand it over. In an evening post on Truth Social, Trump also warned he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," and he seemed to warn of potential Chinese influence on the passage, writing the canal should not be managed by China. It also underlines an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.
AFP
In ruined homes, Palestinians recall Assad's torture
School lessons ended in Syria's biggest Palestinian refugee camp on October 18, 2012, judging by the date still chalked up on the board more than a decade later.According to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, at the start of Syria's conflict in 2011 it was home to 160,000 registered refugees.
CBS News
NYPD chief resigns amid sexual misconduct claims
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey has resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct, the department says.
CNN
How a teenager’s holiday romance led to prison time in Dubai
British citizen Marcus Fakana, 18, is facing a one-year prison sentence for his summer romance with a London teenager, 17, who he met while on holiday in the United Arab Emirates.
Politico
Biden could foil Trump’s plans to resume federal executions
The president is considering using his clemency power to convert federal death sentences to life in prison.
NBC News
Lara Trump says she's removed her name from contention to be Florida's senator
Lara Trump, President-elect Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, said on Saturday that she decided to remove her name from consideration to be a senator in Florida.
AFP
India's architecture fans guard Mumbai's Art Deco past
A towering cinema with a roofline like an ocean liner stands out in India's financial capital Mumbai, part of a remarkable Art Deco architectural heritage that campaigners say needs protection.Architects used geometric patterns and streamlined structures to evoke the popular technologies of the time, including airplanes and ocean liners.
Politico
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal
The U.S. ceded control of the canal to Panama in 1999 pursuant to a Carter administration treaty
Politico
Lara Trump removes herself from Florida Senate sweepstakes
Lara Trump, who recently stepped down from her post as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, announced her decision Saturday evening in a social media post.
AFP
Large earthquake hits battered Vanuatu
A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people."It gave a better bit of a shake and the windows rattled a little bit, it would have caused houses to rattle," he said.
NBC News
Trump taps former producer of 'The Apprentice' as special envoy to U.K.
President-elect Donald Trump announced he has asked former producer from "The Apprentice" as his pick to serve as a special envoy to the United Kingdom.
Associated Press
Lara Trump says she's removing herself from consideration to be Florida senator
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, said Saturday that she's removing herself from consideration to be a Florida senator — ending speculation that she could replace Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been tapped to be the incoming administration's secretary of state. "After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate," Lara Trump posted on X.
CNN
Durbin uses new report to accuse Justices Thomas and Alito of violating disclosure laws
A top Senate Democrat on Saturday accused conservative Supreme Court justices of violating federal disclosure laws in a lengthy report that caps a monthslong investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee and comes weeks before Republicans take control of the chamber.

U.S. can offer 'comfort letters' to help Russia grain, fertilizer exports - U.S. envoy

Latest Stories

Iraq's prohibition zeal threatens Baghdad's boozy subculture

Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, US military says

Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat

Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal

Trump taps billionaire Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as Italy ambassador

The water was their livelihood. Now Thailand's sea nomads work to preserve a vanishing way of life

Fleeing motorist is dead after driving into Texas shopping mall and injuring 5

Trump says he might demand Panama hand over canal

In ruined homes, Palestinians recall Assad's torture

NYPD chief resigns amid sexual misconduct claims

How a teenager’s holiday romance led to prison time in Dubai

Biden could foil Trump’s plans to resume federal executions

Lara Trump says she's removed her name from contention to be Florida's senator

India's architecture fans guard Mumbai's Art Deco past

Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal

Lara Trump removes herself from Florida Senate sweepstakes

Large earthquake hits battered Vanuatu

Trump taps former producer of 'The Apprentice' as special envoy to U.K.

Lara Trump says she's removing herself from consideration to be Florida senator

Durbin uses new report to accuse Justices Thomas and Alito of violating disclosure laws