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By DEEPA BHARATH and JESSIE WARDARSKI – Associated Press MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — The late Amada Cardenas was called many things — the “angel of peyote,” the “peyote rose” or simply “Grandma Amada.” The beloved Mexican American peyotera — who was the first authorized dealer of peyote in the United States — not only

By AP MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian operator of a cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria said Thursday that it had been hit by a series of explosions in an act of sabotage. Oboronlogistica, a state-controlled company that operated the Ursa Major freighter, said it was wrecked by three

By AP ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek traffic police were warning drivers in areas with ice and snow to use snow chains, after long traffic jams were reported near some ski resorts because of cars becoming stuck on the roads. Police on Thursday warned drivers not to head to the country’s most popular ski resort

By AP MADRID (AP) — 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. Overall

By AP MOSCOW (AP) — 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

By AP This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH – AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing” China and Chinese brands. Earlier in the week, a task force led by

By KIM TONG-HYUNG – Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s main opposition party submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach the country’s acting leader over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from his short-lived martial

By HUIZHONG WU and JOHNSON LAI – Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges Thursday, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of the island’s capital. Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting

By MARI YAMAGUCHI – Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan Airlines said it was hit by a cyberattack Thursday, causing delays to more than 20 domestic flights but the carrier said it was able to stop the onslaught and restore its systems hours later. There was no impact on flight safety, it said. JAL said

By BASSEM MROUE – Associated Press ZAMALKA, Syria (AP) — A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country’s capital, Damascus, says the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day. The Aug. 21, 2013 attack targeted several Damascus suburbs, including Zamalka, where the Arbeeni family

By ELENA BECATOROS – Associated Press EIN ZIVAN, Golan Heights (AP) — A dry mountain wind whipped through a cluster of Israeli flags at the entrance of a kibbutz in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, where the tranquility belies the tumultuous events unfolding nearby. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted after nearly 25

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Dec. 26, the 361st day of 2024. There are five days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet (30 meters) high, killing an estimated 230,000 people. Also on

By PIERRE LUXAMA – Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A survivor of the worst gang attack on Haitian journalists in recent memory described Wednesday seeing colleagues cut down by bullets and reporters with head and chest wounds going an hour or more without help. Two reporters and one police officer died in Tuesday’s attack

By AP Pope calls for nations to overcome divisions in Christmas address as communities celebrate worldwide VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from

By AP Pope calls for nations to overcome divisions in Christmas address as communities celebrate worldwide VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message has urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the

By KATIE MARIE DAVIES and DASHA LITVINOVA – Associated Press An Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, killing 38 people and leaving 29 survivors, a Kazakh official said. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev disclosed the figures while meeting with Azerbaijani officials, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

By SALLY ABOU ALJOUD, OMAR ALBAM and GHAITH ALSAYED – Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad’s government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters

By SAM MEDNICK, TIA GOLDENBERG and FATMA KHALED – Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A baby girl froze to death overnight in Gaza, while Israel and Hamas accused each other of complicating ceasefire efforts that could wind down the 14-month war. The 3-week old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza’s

By AP FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A power cable linking Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea suffered an outage, prompting an investigation, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Wednesday. Writing on X, Orpo said that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable stopped Wednesday and that authorities were “investigating the matter.” He said the interruption

By AP Jackpot for Mega Millions surges past $1B after no numbers match on Christmas Eve drawing Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. The Mega Millions jackpot has surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday’s drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the

By AP This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.