Cristiano Ronaldo scores 100th international goal in Nations League win

Associated Press
More than 10,000 migrants died this year trying to reach Spain by sea, aid group says
More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said on Thursday. On average, that means 30 migrants died every day this year attempting to reach the country by boat, Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said. Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that has increasingly been used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.
Associated Press
Working Well: Returning to the office can disrupt life. Here are some tips to navigate the changes
Jason LaCroix felt privileged to work from home, especially as a father to two young children. LaCroix, a senior systems engineer based in Atlanta, took time off and then worked from home while managing his son's care and appointments. “I want to be around for my kids,” LaCroix, 44, said.
Reuters
Futures lower in holiday-thinned trading
Heavyweight Nvidia dropped 1.1% in premarket trading, while Google-parent Alphabet shed 0.5%. At 05:03 a.m., Dow E-minis were down 146 points, or 0.33%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 26.75 points, or 0.44% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 118.75 points, or 0.54%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq wrapped up Tuesday's truncated session with a third straight session of gains lifted by megacap and growth stocks.
CBS News
3 shot, 1 stabbed in Christmas night dispute at Phoenix airport, police say
Gunfire rang out at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Christmas night and left three people wounded, police say. Another was stabbed. One was in critical condition.
Reuters
Lebanon hopes for neighbourly relations in first message to new Syria government
Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighbourly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed the message to his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in a phone call, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on X. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major part propping up Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad through years of war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines.
AFP
Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning Thursday after a passenger jet from the flag carrier crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38 people, as experts pointed to apparent shrapnel damage on the wreckage as evidence of a possible missile explosion.- Day of mourning - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations.
CNN
These undersea tunnels connect remote islands halfway between Iceland and Scotland
In the Faroe Islands, wild, unpredictable weather — fierce winds and rain, and thick fog that settles like a curtain — can sometimes make travel by car or ferry problematic. No wonder the Faroese love their tunnels.
Associated Press
China raises its estimate for the size of its economy in 2023
China's economy grew a bit more in 2023 than earlier thought, but the revision has not affected forecasts for “about 5%” growth in the GDP this year, the government said Thursday. The estimate for total economic activity, or GDP, in 2023 for the world's second largest economy was increased by about 2.7% to 129.4 trillion yuan ($17.7 trillion), based on an economic census conducted once every five years. The exact impact on China’s annual economic growth in 2023 was not given.
Associated Press
Russia arrests 4 suspects accused of plotting to kill top military officers on Ukraine's orders
Russia's top security agency said Thursday that it has arrested several suspects accused of involvement in an alleged Ukrainian plot to assassinate senior military officers, an announcement that follows the killing of a top Russian general last week. The Federal Security Service, a top KGB successor known under its Russian acronym FSB, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that it had arrested four Russians accused of making preparations to kill senior Defense Ministry officials. The FSB said that the suspected organizers of the attacks were planning to kill one of the senior officers using a remotely controlled car bomb.
Reuters
UNIFIL urges timely Israeli pullout from south Lebanon under month-old truce deal
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Thursday for a timely Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, citing what it called Israeli violations of a Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement with Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a U.S.-brokered 60-day ceasefire that calls for a phased Israeli military pullout after more than a year of war, in keeping with a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the their last major conflict.
CNN
3 shot, 1 stabbed at Phoenix airport in apparent family dispute, police say
Three people were shot and another person was stabbed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona during a family dispute in one of the terminals Wednesday night, police said.
USA TODAY
Flu season is here. Here’s what you can do about it.
More Americans are getting infected with seasonal influenza and seeking care, a regular occurrence this time of year.
USA TODAY
Indian Ocean tsunami two decades ago left 230,000 dead and a lasting legacy
One of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami marks its 20th anniversary on Dec. 26
USA TODAY
Her ancestors left in chains. She came back as a guest of the president
Wanda Tucker first visited Angola to mark 400 years since Africans arrived in what is now America. This time she was invited by Biden.
USA TODAY
DNA testing can help Black Americans reclaim their identity and history
Today's improved genetic testing can help African Americans pinpoint their ancestry with greater precision than ever.
USA TODAY
Fire and angst: How an Africa trip reignited passions for teaching Black history in the US
Members of a delegation invited to Angola by the White House vow to continue to teach Black history.
CNN
‘It’s a scary time’: US universities urge international students to return to campus before Trump inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration is leading to uncertainty and fear across US university campuses
Associated Press
Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mount about its cause
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the air crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the crash that remained unknown. Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea. On Thursday, national flags were lowered across Azerbaijan, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals were sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence.
CNN
Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, leaving 38 dead, 29 survivors, officials say
An Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 people crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing at least 38 who were on board, according to a Kazakh official.
NBC News
Mapping Trump's connections to tech's right-wing brotherhood
President-elect Donald Trump has surrounded himself with a tight-knit group of wealthy tech barons who will help define his second term in the White House.

Watch Cristiano Ronaldo score his 100th career goal for Portugal (video)

Latest Stories

More than 10,000 migrants died this year trying to reach Spain by sea, aid group says

Working Well: Returning to the office can disrupt life. Here are some tips to navigate the changes

Futures lower in holiday-thinned trading

3 shot, 1 stabbed in Christmas night dispute at Phoenix airport, police say

Lebanon hopes for neighbourly relations in first message to new Syria government

Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan

These undersea tunnels connect remote islands halfway between Iceland and Scotland

China raises its estimate for the size of its economy in 2023

Russia arrests 4 suspects accused of plotting to kill top military officers on Ukraine's orders

UNIFIL urges timely Israeli pullout from south Lebanon under month-old truce deal

3 shot, 1 stabbed at Phoenix airport in apparent family dispute, police say

Flu season is here. Here’s what you can do about it.

Indian Ocean tsunami two decades ago left 230,000 dead and a lasting legacy

Her ancestors left in chains. She came back as a guest of the president

DNA testing can help Black Americans reclaim their identity and history

Fire and angst: How an Africa trip reignited passions for teaching Black history in the US

‘It’s a scary time’: US universities urge international students to return to campus before Trump inauguration

Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mount about its cause

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, leaving 38 dead, 29 survivors, officials say

Mapping Trump's connections to tech's right-wing brotherhood