Jeff Bezos prepares to close the gap in his space race with Elon Musk
SEATTLE — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have become the two wealthiest men in the world thanks to their breakthrough technology companies. But Musk, through SpaceX, has long held a big lead in the pursuit closest to their hearts: colonizing space.
Trump previews second term in sprawling speech to conservative conference
PHOENIX — President-elect Donald Trump delivered a sprawling address on Sunday that he called a “small preview of the common-sense revolution” his administration will bring, pledging to slam shut the nation’s borders, end federal regulations, lower taxes, prosecute his rivals, “stop woke” and “end the transgender lunacy.”
Suspect in German Christmas market attack held on murder charges
MAGDEBURG, Germany — A man suspected of ploughing a car through crowds at a German Christmas market in an attack that killed five people and injured scores faces multiple charges of murder and attempted murder, police said on Sunday.
Iran’s energy crisis hits ‘dire’ point as industries are forced to shut down
Government offices in Iran are closed or operating at reduced hours. Schools and colleges have moved to online only. Highways and shopping malls have descended into darkness, and industrial plants have been denied power, bringing manufacturing to a near halt.
Ukraine says Russian general deliberately targeted Reuters staff in August missile strike
(Reuters) — Ukraine’s security service has named a Russian general it suspects of ordering a missile strike on a hotel in eastern Ukraine in August and said he acted “with the motive of deliberately killing employees of” Reuters.
Nation and world news in brief for December 23
Police fatally shoot man who drove pickup into Texas mall
Israeli order to evacuate Gaza hospital ‘next to impossible’ to obey, say medics
CAIRO — Israel ordered the closure and evacuation on Sunday of one of the last hospitals still partly functioning in a besieged area on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, forcing medics to search for a way to bring hundreds of patients and staff to safety.
Airports reopen following Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Kazan
(Reuters) — The airport in the Russian city of Kazan reopened on Saturday after temporarily closing earlier in the day following a Ukrainian drone attack, Russia’s aviation watchdog said.
Guatemalan authorities rescue 160 children from Jewish Lev Tahor sect
(Reuters) — Guatemalan authorities rescued 160 children and adolescents from the fundamentalist Jewish sect Lev Tahor in southeastern Guatemala on Friday following allegations of child abuse, including rape, prosecutors said.
Pope calls Gaza airstrikes ‘cruelty’ after Israeli minister’s criticism
Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
Justice Thomas did not disclose additional trips, democrats say
Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two additional trips from a billionaire patron that had not previously come to light, Senate Democrats revealed Saturday after conducting a 20-month investigation into ethics practices at the Supreme Court.
Weight loss drugs changed their lives. Then they lost coverage
The letter came in June. Mindy McCormick, 67, read that her insurer would soon stop covering the weight loss drug Wegovy, which she had been taking for more than two years.
Insurers are deserting homeowners as climate shocks worsen
The insurance crisis spreading across the United States arrived at Richard D. Zimmel’s door this month in the form of a letter.
A mouse that swims and dozens more species are discovered in a Peruvian jungle
In the summer of 2022, researchers trudged into the jungles of the Alto Mayo region of Peru in search of undiscovered creatures. This remote yet populous region had experienced significant deforestation, so the team didn’t expect to find much.
Starbucks workers’ strikes across US could reach ‘hundreds of stores’ by Dec. 24, union says
Some members of the Starbucks workers’ union that represents more than 10,000 baristas walked off their jobs in multiple U.S. cities on Friday, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules.
Biden signs spending bill, finalizing end to shutdown drama
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week’s unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed.
German authorities probe motive in deadly Christmas market attack
Authorities investigated a Saudi doctor with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric as the suspected driver in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg that killed five people and injured scores.
Ukraine’s capital hit by Russian missiles after cyberattack
Ukraine’s capital faced a Russian missile attack for the first time in almost a month, a day after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin offered to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump threatens EU with tariffs over oil and gas imports
(Reuters) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday the European Union should step up U.S. oil and gas imports or face tariffs on the bloc’s exports that include goods such as cars and machinery.
Israeli airstrikes kill at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza, medics say
(Reuters) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said, including at least eight in an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp and at least 10, including seven children, in the town of Jabalia.
