WorldReutersSudan's president is first Arab leader to visit Syria since crisis
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, the first such visit by an Arab leader since the start of the Syrian conflict, Syrian state media said. President Bashar al Assad welcomed him at the airport, official photos showed. Many Arab countries have shunned Assad since the conflict that began early in 2011 after protests calling for his downfall swept Syria.
WorldAssociated PressFather of Strasbourg attacker said his son backed IS group
The man described as the father of the 29-year-old suspect in this week's deadly Christmas market attack in Strasbourg says his son subscribed to the beliefs of the Islamic State group. The interview with Abdelkrim Chekatt by the state-run France 2 television channel was shown Saturday night, two days after the son was killed in a confrontation with three police officers in his childhood neighborhood in Strasbourg following a massive manhunt. The Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, seat of the European Parliament, is the largest in France.
- NewsHuffPost
Dogs Thrown From Vehicle On New York Highway, Police Say
Two beagle mixes are recovering after authorities said they were tossed from a moving vehicle onto a New York highway, igniting a search for the culprits. The truck driver, whom police identified only as Adam, said he immediately hit the brakes and parked his vehicle on the side of the road to help. A passing state trooper assisted after spotting the trucker’s abandoned vehicle and then the two dogs, one of which was described as seriously injured. The dogs, since named Adam and Trooper after their heroes, were taken to the Broome County Humane Society in Binghamton for treatment.
- PoliticsBloomberg
Top Democrat Schiff Adds Call for Probe of Trump, Deutsche Bank Links
The incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee joined Democratic colleagues in questioning ties between Deutsche Bank AG and President Donald Trump’s real estate business. Representative Adam Schiff of California said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that any type of compromise needs to be investigated. That could add his panel’s scrutiny to that of Representative Maxine Waters, who’s in line to be chair of the House Financial Services Committee and has also focused on the bank’s connections to Trump.
- NewsThe Telegraph
Family complains that Catholic priest used teen's funeral to condemn suicide
The parents of a teenage boy who took his own life have condemned a Catholic priest who questioned whether their son would get to heaven while presiding over his funeral. The Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit expressed regret for the comments and said the Rev Don LaCuesta would not preach at funerals "for the foreseeable future". "We wanted him to celebrate how Maison lived, not how he died," his mother, Linda Hullibarger, told The Detroit Free Press.
- WorldYahoo News Photo Staff
Restaurant explosion injures dozens in Sapporo, Japan
A suspected gas explosion destroyed wooden buildings housing a restaurant and a real estate office in northern Japan on Sunday night, injuring 42 people, police and local media said. The powerful explosion in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, shook nearby buildings, shattered windows and scattered wooden debris across the area. One person was in serious condition, but police said the other injuries were mostly mild.
NewsAssociated PressTrucker saves dogs thrown from vehicle on New York highway
New York State Police on Saturday asked for the public's help in finding the suspect or suspects in the incident Wednesday morning on Interstate 81 near Whitney Point, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Binghamton. So far, they said, they have no leads. "These animals have been through a lot, and people need to understand that this is not OK," said Amberly Ondria, shelter manager for the Broome County Humane Society.
WorldAFPIsraeli premier's son blocked on Facebook for anti-Muslim posts
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest, Yair, tweeted on Sunday that Facebook blocked his page for 24 hours over apparent anti-Muslim posts and called the leading social network a "dictatorship". In a message posted Thursday on his Facebook page after deadly Palestinian attacks, Yair Netanyahu had called for "all Muslims (to) leave" Israel. In another post he wrote that there were only two possible solutions for peace, either "all Jews leave (Israel) or all Muslims leave".
- WorldAccuWeather
Photos: Snow, freezing rain from Storm Deirdre causes disruptions across UK
Storm Deirdre caused travel hazards, power outages and disruptions this weekend across the United Kingdom. Winds have gusted over 70 mph (110 km/h) at Pembrey Sands in southern Wales. "Leeds and Bradford endured an extended period of freezing rain from the midday to the afternoon hours of Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
- PoliticsYahoo News
'Dirty Deeds,' not by Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s longtime attorney, fixer and all-purpose bully, was sentenced last week to three years in prison for various financial and campaign-finance violations. In his statement to the judge, he said he had been led to commit his “dirty deeds” out of loyalty to Donald Trump. This has led to great expectations for the tell-all book he will someday write, confessing to his crimes, taking just enough blame to appear sympathetic while settling scores with Trump and everyone else.
- WorldReuters
Any decision on Brexit deal will happen in New Year - British trade minister
British trade minister Liam Fox said on Sunday talks with the European Union to secure "assurances" for parliament on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal will take time, with a decision expected in the New Year. quot;The prime minister is giving an update tomorrow, she will be talking to the cabinet on Tuesday, it is very clear that the EU understand what the problem is. And it's a question now, without unpicking the whole of the withdrawal agreement, can we find a mechanism of operating the backstop in a way that actually removes those anxieties," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show.
- NewsUSA TODAY
Judge gives mom 40 years after 2 kids die in car. People 'take better care of their pets'
A Texas judge showed little sympathy during sentencing for a mom whose two daughters, ages 1 and 2, died after being left in an increasingly hot car overnight. In September, Amanda Hawkins pleaded guilty to two felony counts of abandoning or endangering a child causing imminent danger of death, bodily injury or physical or mental impairment and two counts of injury to a child.
NewsAFPDisplaced huddle in a basement as winter grips Syria
Al-Bab (Syria) (AFP) - After washing up her family's dishes over a plastic basin, 11-year-old Cedra sits on the floor of the dank basement in Syria to tackle her day's studies. A dark staircase leads from a street in the town of Al-Bab to the gloomy space the young girl, her blind father and some 40 other families have the misfortune of calling home. "There's a single room which we use as a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom," said Cedra.
WorldReutersDead Guatemalan girl dreamed of sending money home to poor family
The 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl who died after being detained by U.S. border agents this month was inseparable from her father and had looked forward to being able to send money home to support her impoverished family, relatives said on Saturday. Nery Caal, 29, and his daughter Jakelin were in a group of more than 160 migrants who handed themselves in to U.S. border agents in New Mexico on Dec. 6. Jakelin developed a high fever while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and died two days later at a hospital in El Paso, Texas.
- BusinessBloomberg
Goldman Sachs Faces First Criminal Charges in 1MDB Scandal
Authorities alleged that Goldman misled investors when the bank knew that proceeds from 1MDB bond sales it arranged would be misappropriated. The government is seeking fines well in excess of both the $2.7 billion of allegedly misused funds and the $600 million in fees received by Goldman on the deals. Goldman has blamed rogue employees for any wrongdoing in relation to 1MDB, a state-owned investment fund.
NewsAssociated PressO'Rourke, other Dems don't want tent city's contract renewed
Rep. Beto O'Rourke and four other Democratic members of Congress toured a remote tent city in West Texas on Saturday where they said that 2,700 immigrant teens are being held at a cost of roughly $1 million per day. The lawmakers urged the nonprofit running the facility not to renew a federal contract that expires Dec. 31, a longshot request that could effectively shutter the camp. O'Rourke — a Texan who has been mentioned as a potential 2020 presidential candidate after nearly upsetting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in his deep-red state — was joined by U.S. Sens.
- NewsMashable
Prada apologizes for 'Pradamalia' toys that evoke racist blackface imagery
The company later apologized on Twitter, promising to recall the offensive figurines from its new "Pradamalia" line of collectibles. SEE ALSO: Megyn Kelly's show reportedly ending soon The Pradamalia are fantasy charms composed of elements of the Prada oeuvre. They are imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface,” the company statement read.
PoliticsFOX News VideosHilton: Trump’s record is head and shoulders above the rest
Trump haters say that the president pulling out of the Paris climate deal is definitive proof that he’s destroying the world.
WorldAFPYemenis fear collapse of UN-backed ceasefire accord
Residents of Yemen's flashpoint port of Hodeida and other cities fear a UN-brokered ceasefire could collapse at any moment, saying that after four years of conflict any accord is deeply fragile. On Friday morning, a day after the breakthrough agreement was penned in Sweden by representatives of the Yemeni government and the Huthi Shiite rebels, many held their breath. The Red Sea port of Hodeida, a main frontline between rebels and loyalist forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition and a key conduit of aid, had woken to calm after weeks of confrontation.
- U.S.WPVI – Philadelphia
Delaware baby found dead in Midtown Manhattan hotel; 2 women in custody
Two women were arrested in New York City after a 4-month-old boy from Delaware was found dead inside of a hotel.
- NewsAccuWeather
Early week storm may be strongest yet this season in northwestern US
The next storm aiming for the northwestern United States will pack a big punch in Washington and Oregon through Tuesday. This latest storm may prove to be the most impactful of the season so far in terms of rainfall, snow and wind for the Pacific Northwest. "Pretty much all of western Washington and western Oregon will have the risk of flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas and also the threat for flooding from rising creeks, streams and rivers," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk.
- LifestyleCar and Driver
Every Photo from Our Drive of the Audi e-tron GT Concept
Developed alongside the Porsche Taycan, Audi's sleek electric coupe is still a long way from reality. From Car and Driver
WorldReutersNorth Korea condemns U.S. sanctions, warns denuclearization at risk
North Korea on Sunday condemned the U.S. administration for stepping up sanctions and pressure on the nuclear-armed country, warning of a return to "exchanges of fire" and that disarming Pyongyang could be blocked forever. The North's stinging response came after the United States said on Monday it had introduced sanctions on three North Korean officials, including a top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for alleged human rights abuses. Denuclearizing North Korea has made little progress since Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Singapore in June in a historic summit.
NewsUSA TODAYThis high school taught 'adulting' for a day: How to cook, do resumes, taxes and more
An "adulting conference" this week allowed Kentucky high school seniors the chance to learn how to change a tire, how to cook and other basic life skills — things that they may not have learned at home or in classes. A series of photos posted by Bullitt Central High School on social media shows students learning about personal finances, resumes, and other essential skills at the event, which has drawn attention from local and national news outlets. Students could choose to attend three workshops out of 11 total options, the school says.
- WorldBloomberg
South Africa's ANC Postpones Party Election List Conference
The conference would be rescheduled to Jan. 4-5 from this weekend to accommodate the North West province, which hadn’t submitted its nominations, ANC acting spokesman Dakota Legeote said by phone. The conference had been delayed because of deep divisions within the party and allegations by some members of manipulation of the lists, City Press reported on Sunday. South Africa is due to hold national and provincial elections in 2019, likely in May. The country has a proportional representation system in which lawmakers are chosen according to where they sit on nomination lists.
