AP

By Associated Press DAMASCUS — In Damascus, the streets were buzzing with excitement Tuesday as Syrians welcomed in a new year that seemed to many to bring a promise of a brighter future after the unexpected fall of Bashar Assad’s government weeks earlier. While Syrians in the capital looked forward to a new beginning after

By Associated Press A looming TikTok ban could affect the millions of small businesses that use the short-video social media app to help them grow their business. Desiree Hill, owner of Crown’s Corner Mechanic in Conyers, Georgia, started her business solo as a mobile mechanic. Sharing videos of her work on TikTok helped spread the

By Associated Press Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wages. Name a hot topic, and chances are good there’s a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another. Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year. Others stem from ballot measures approved by

By Bu Missouri Independent via TN Content Exchange A Democrat from St. Ann is once again pushing for legislation placing more restrictions on commercial dog breeders, though it faces long odds thanks to resistance from pet stores and large agriculture operations. A bill that would regulate commercial animal breeders is awaiting the 2025 legislative session

By Kansas Reflector via TN Content Exchange TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court deflected a legal squabble initiated five years ago by an electronic “skill-game” company that sought an official declaration that its Dragon’s Ascent game available to players at truck stops or convenience stores was legal under state law. The state Supreme Court upheld

By Nebraska Examiner via TN Content Exchange LINCOLN — Rod Worrell calls it a “Christmas miracle,” but just hours before he was ready to print the final edition of the Ainsworth Star-Journal on Dec. 25, a new owner emerged. Now both the Star-Journal and the Valentine Midland News, two weekly papers that Worrell and his

By St. Louis Post-Dispatch via TN Content Exchange Health officials are sounding the alarm about a decline in the percentage of young children being vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella and polio. More than 6,000 kindergarten students in Missouri public schools — roughly 9% of all kindergartners — in 2023 were not vaccinated against measles, mumps

By The Conversation via AP Donald Trump has made clear his intent to supercharge his “America First” approach to foreign policy in his second term – and Mexico looks set to be at the tip of the spear. While many of Trump’s predecessors have also followed a “realist” strategy – that is, one where relative

By Associated Press The cheese-loving English inventor Wallace and his loyal dog Gromit have been stars since the beginning. In the 35 years since Nick Park introduced the world to his stop-motion creations and their eccentric, unapologetically British existence, they’ve won Oscars, appeared in commercials, video games, animated series and even the occasional bit of

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Avicii, the groundbreaking Swedish DJ-producer, died six years ago at 28. Two new movies hitting Netflix next week aim to celebrate his life. His death was a tragedy that reverberated around the world — much like his music, which brought unexpected genres and collaborators into his melodic EDM through

By Associated Press LONDON — It’s Netflix’s resolution every new year to give viewers a headscratcher in January. Since 2020, the streamer has released a U.K. miniseries based on thriller book by Harlan Coben over the holidays. It seems to have paid off: “Fool Me Once,” starring Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar and Joanna Lumley, launched

By Associated Press SAO PAULO — Brazilian-made dramas rarely last long in local cinemas. But, nearly two months after its release, “I’m Still Here,” a film about a family torn apart by the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for more than two decades, has drawn millions of moviegoers across the South American country. The film’s