Insurgents Breach Syria’s Second-Largest City Aleppo, Fighters and a War Monitor Say
BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents have breached Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and were clashing with government forces on the city’s western edge on Friday, according to a Syria war monitor and fighters. Insurgents have been approaching Aleppo city for days and have seized several towns and villages along the way. It was the first time the city has been attacked by opposition forces since 2016, when they were ousted from Aleppo’s eastern neighborhoods. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the insurgents blew up two car bombs at the city’s western edge on Friday. Syria’s Armed Forces vowed to repel the attack and accused the insurgents of spreading false information about their advances.
Battered by War and Divisions, Lebanon Faces a Long List of Challenges After Ceasefire Deal
BEIRUT (AP) — There’s relief over a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, but Lebanese are now facing the realization of the challenges that lie ahead. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement raises multiple questions. Will Hezbollah fully remove its fighters and arsenals from southern Lebanon? Can the Lebanese army ensure that it does so? Who will foot the bill for rebuilding Lebanon? The World Bank estimates that Lebanon has suffered some $8.5 billion in damage from the war. At the same time, Lebanon faces its own internal tensions — a long financial crisis and anger among Hezbollah’s opponents who blame it for the war.
Middle East Latest: 3 Die in Overcrowding Outside Gaza Bakery Amid Food Shortage
Two children and a woman have been crushed to death as a crowd of Palestinians pushed to get bread at a bakery in the Gaza Strip amid a worsening food crisis in the war-ravaged territory. The casualties were taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. A doctor confirmed they died from suffocation due to crowding at the al-Banna bakery. The flow of food allowed into Gaza by Israel has fallen to nearly its lowest level of almost 14-month-old war for the past two months, according to Israeli official figures. U.N. and aid officials say hunger and desperation are growing among Gaza’s population, almost all of which relies on humanitarian aid to survive.
Donald Trump’s Call for ‘energy Dominance’ Is Likely to Run Into Real-World Limits
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is creating a National Energy Council that he says will establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world. It will be key in Trump’s pledge to sell more oil to allies and his intent to move away from President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change. But the president-elect’s energy wishes are likely to run into real-world limits. For one, U.S. oil production under Biden is already at record levels. And Trump’s bid to boost oil supplies and lower U.S. prices is complicated by his threat to impose 25% import tariffs on Canada and Mexico, two of the largest sources of U.S. oil imports.
Retailers Bank on Black Friday to Energize Bargain-Hungry Holiday Shoppers
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers in the United States and some other countries have spent weeks pushing early holiday deals, but they are trying to seduce customers with promises of bigger discounts on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. In the U.S., analysts envision solid sales, though perhaps not as robust as last year’s. Despite the easing of inflation, many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending, according to analysts. Retailers are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
Desertion Threatens to Starve Ukraine’s Forces at a Crucial Time in Its War With Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia. Soldiers, lawyers and Ukrainian officials tell The Associated Press that tens of thousands of tired and bereft Ukrainian troops have walked away from combat and front-line positions. According to military commanders and soldiers, entire units have abandoned their posts, leaving defensive lines vulnerable and accelerating territorial losses. Some take medical leave and never return. Others clash with commanders and refuse to carry out orders, sometimes during firefights. The war has largely been going Russia’s way, and the desertions could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks.
At Least 100 People Are Missing After a Boat Capsized in Northern Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities say at least 100 people, most of them women, were missing after a boat transporting them to a food market capsized along the River Niger in northern Nigeria. The boat was taking the passengers from Kogi state along the river to neighboring Niger early Friday morning when it capsized, Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu told The Associated Press. Local media reported that at least eight people were confirmed dead at the scene while local divers were trying to rescue others. Authorities have not confirmed what caused the sinking, but reports suggest that the boat may have been overcrowded.
Bill to Legalize Assisted Dying in England and Wales Faces Heated Parliamentary Debate
LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers are expected to vote on a law proposed to help terminally ill adults end their lives. The contentious bill being debated Friday in Parliament would allow adults expected to have fewer than six months to live to request and be provided with help to end their life. Supporters say the law would provide dignity to the dying and prevent unnecessary suffering. Opponents say it would put vulnerable people at risk, fearing that some would be coerced to end their lives and that some elderly or disabled people may opt for death so they don’t become a burden.
Notre Dame Cathedral Unveils Its New Interior 5 Years After Devastating Fire
PARIS (AP) — After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral has showed its new self to the world Friday. Rebuilt soaring ceilings and creamy stonework have erased somber memories of its devastating fire in 2019. Images broadcast live of a site visit by French President Emmanuel Macron showed the inside of the iconic cathedral as worshippers might have experienced it back in medieval times. Gaping holes that the blaze tore into the vaulted ceilings, leaving charred piles of debris, are gone, now filled in with new stonework. Macron was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, the archbishop of Paris and others for the visit.
Santa’s Annual Train Visit Delivers Hope and Magic to One Corner of Coal Country
ON BOARD THE SANTA TRAIN (AP) — Since 1943, the people of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have looked forward to Santa’s arrival. Not in a sleigh on their rooftops, but on a train. At each stop of the CSX Santa Train there are dozens to hundreds of people. Many crowd around the back, where Santa and his helpers toss stuffed animals. Meanwhile groups of volunteer “elves” fan out with gifts, making sure every child goes home with something. Many of the children who line the tracks on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, waiting for Santa, are the third, fourth or fifth generation to do so. Sandra Owens has been coming for 43 years and now brings her grandchildren. She says, “The faces of the kids, that’s what makes me happy. You can’t see anything better.”
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