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.
- 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.
PoliticsAFPOutraged Democrats vow to challenge court ruling undercutting Obamacare
Outraged Democrats vowed to appeal a federal judge's ruling that could undo the US health care law known as Obamacare, saying on Saturday that they will use their new power in Congress to hold Republicans responsible and "expose their lies." Related Video: Federal Judge Rules Obamacare Is Unconstitutional US District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled Friday that the health insurance reform, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is unconstitutional. The White House said it expects the ruling to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
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.
WorldReutersMore than 40 injured in explosion in Japan's Sapporo: Kyodo
More than 40 people were injured in an explosion on Sunday at a bar in Sapporo in northern Japan, Kyodo news agency reported. Kyodo said one person was in critical condition. Eyewitnesses reported smelling gas in the area following the explosion, which Kyodo said happened at 8.30 p.m. (1130 GMT).
- 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.
- NewsThe Independent
Family of seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in US custody disputes official story
The family of a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in Border Patrol custody is disputing claims made by US officials who said she had not eaten or consumed water for days. The parents of Jakelin Caal said the girl had been given food and water and appeared to be in good health as she travelled through Mexico with her father, 29-year-old Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz. In a statement released by lawyers, the family also said Jakelin had not spent days in the desert before she was taken into custody, as officials had claimed.
- NewsAccuWeather
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.
- LifestyleMashable
Shop deals on luggage, packing accessories to travel smarter in the new year
Below, we've rounded up the deets on seven travel and packing tools that just went on sale in the Mashable Shop — and don't forget to enter the code MERRY15 at checkout to score an extra 15% off your purchase. Don't waste another minute of your life trying to determine which nondescript black suitcase on the baggage carousel is yours. SuitFaces' durable covers make your luggage easy to find with all sorts of awesome designs featuring your favorite movie characters, colorful patterns, NBA jerseys, and more.
WorldAFPCar bomb kills 9 people in Syria's Afrin: monitor
A car bomb killed at least nine people including five civilians near a pro-Turkey rebel post in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Sunday, a British-based war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear who was behind the blast in the city, which was seized from Kurdish forces earlier this year. The explosion comes after the Turkish president on Wednesday threatened to launch a new offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.
- BusinessThe National Interest
Introducing the Army's New Lethal Sniper Rifle
Task and Purpose, Jared Keller Security, Here's all we know. Despite a brief period of ambiguity wrought by budget-jousting among lawmakers in Congress, the Army’s new and improved sniper rifle is alive and well. Heckler & Koch showed off its M110A1 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper rifle, selected for the Army’s Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) program on the floor of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference and exposition in Washington this week, a first up-close-and-personal look at the lightweight rifle.
- 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.
PoliticsAssociated PressA look at where the investigations related to Trump stand
A look at where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT? Trump is facing criminal investigations in Washington and New York. Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Egypt unearths tomb of ancient high priest
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a priest dating back more than 4,400 years in the pyramid complex of Saqqara south of the capital Cairo, authorities said Saturday. "Today we are announcing the last discovery of the year 2018, it's a new discovery, it's a private tomb," Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told an audience of invited guests including reporters. "It is exceptionally well preserved, coloured, with sculpture inside.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- NewsAccuWeather
Snow showers, squalls to accompany fresh wave of cold air in northeastern US Monday
Cold air diving into the northeastern United States to start the new week will be accompanied by gusty winds, snow and the threat for slippery travel. "As the mid-Atlantic dries out, the storm will spread snow or a wintry mix from northeastern Pennsylvania to Maine on Sunday night," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said. The greatest risk of a steady, accumulating snowfall will be across central and eastern Maine from late Sunday night into Monday night.
- U.S.ABC News Videos
Pilot credits good Samaritan who jumped into water to save him after crash
Matt Pothier is still recovering after he crashed a 1950s-era fighter plane in waters off Hawaii last week.
- WorldBloomberg
May's Team Pushes Back at Second Vote Reports: Brexit Update
As Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to face lawmakers in Parliament on Monday, her team pushed back on reports that cabinet ministers have been working on the possibility of a second referendum on leaving the European Union. Unreasonable People’ Blocking Deal: Ireland (12:45 p.m. Unreasonable people” in the U.K. are blocking the Brexit withdrawal agreement from passing, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Sunday.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Twitter Users Shred Trump For 'Celebrating' The Weekly Standard's Closure
Twitter users have castigated President Donald Trump after he rejoiced at the forthcoming closure of The Weekly Standard. “The pathetic and dishonest Weekly Standard, run by failed prognosticator Bill Kristol (who, like many others, never had a clue), is flat broke and out of business,” Trump tweeted Saturday. The pathetic and dishonest Weekly Standard, run by failed prognosticator Bill Kristol (who, like many others, never had a clue), is flat broke and out of business.
NewsAssociated PressBaylor ties pervade rape case that sparked uproar
The Texas judge who approved a plea deal allowing a former Baylor University student accused of rape to avoid jail time holds three degrees from Baylor. The prosecutor who agreed to the plea agreement graduated from Baylor law school. Local leaders say those connections to the world's largest Baptist university cast doubt on the handling of the criminal case against ex-Phi Delta Theta president Jacob Walter Anderson, who was accused of repeatedly raping a woman outside a 2016 fraternity party.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Inside the threatened Kurdish proto-state that holds the keys to defeating Isil
While a few government buildings and statues of President Assad remain, Qamishli and the surrounding areas are now firmly under the control of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Mahmoud is a proud supporter of the PYD, but still he declines to give his full name to the Telegraph for fear of reprisal should the regime one day return. Assad has repeatedly promised to retake every inch of Syria, including the third currently in Kurdish hands.
