TNS International Budget for Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022

Updated at 0100 UTC (8 p.m. U.S. ET)

Additional news stories appear on MCT-NEWS-BJT and MCT-NEWSFEATURES-BJT.

TOP STORIES

Russian forces on offensive, attacking posts in Luhansk and Donetsk

UKRAINE:DPA — MOSCOW — Russian forces are attacking positions in Luhansk and Donetsk, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, with a spokesperson saying on Saturday that soldiers had taken positions near two towns.

"In the Donetsk area, Russian units have continued their attacks and driven the enemy out of their fortified positions," ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said. He claimed positions had also been captured in the north between the small towns of Kreminna and Lyman.

808 words by dpa correspondents, dpa. MOVED

PHOTOS

Biden calls on Cuba to release hundreds of political prisoners detained in 2021 protests

USCUBA-PROTESTS:MI — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden issued a statement Friday calling on the Cuban government to release hundreds of political prisoners detained last year during a rare surge in protests across the country.

“I once again call for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners in Cuba who remain in detention following the July 11, 2021, protests,” Biden said. “In the face of oppression, these protesters bravely exercised their fundamental freedoms, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

332 words by Michael Wilner, Miami Herald. MOVED

PHOTOS

CORONAVIRUS

Unwanted NYC Christmas gifts: COVID and the flu, health officials warn

CORONAVIRUS-NYC:NY — NEW YORK — ‘Tis the season for COVID-19 and the flu.

New York City Health officials reported holiday spikes in both ailments and other seasonal illnesses Saturday while urging New Yorkers to take precautions as Christmas and New Year’s Day approach. The uptick includes both an increase in cases and hospitalizations, with the department issuing a health advisory.

328 words by Larry McShane, New York Daily News. MOVED

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WORLD NEWS

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai gets more prison time for fraud

HONGKONG-PUBLISHER:BLO — A Hong Kong court sentenced Jimmy Lai to five years and nine months in prison, local media reported, adding to the media mogul’s growing jail time as the city cracks down on high-profile dissidents.

The 75-year-old was sentenced by Judge Stanley Chan in the District Court on Saturday after he was convicted on two counts of fraud in October. He was also fined HK$2 million ($257,000) and is forbidden to work in management for any company for eight years, media including online news portal HK01 reported.

468 words by Kari Lindberg, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

China suspends alcohol imports from Taiwan as tensions mount

CHINA-TAIWAN-ALCOHOL:BLO — China suspended the import of alcoholic beverages from certain Taiwanese companies, the latest to get hit amid elevated political tensions.

Taiwan has asked Chinese authorities for reasons behind the decision, the island’s finance ministry said in a statement. Producers affected include the state-owned Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp., Legend Brewery, Yunshan Distillery and Taihu Brewing, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency. China also halted imports of some other beverages, including Uni-President Enterprises Corp. products, according to Taiwan’s Next Apple News website.

202 words by Ambereen Choudhury, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Conservative MPs add to pressure on UK government

BRITAIN-CONSERVATIVES:BLO — A group of Conservative lawmakers has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt demanding he cut spending on diversity and equality measures, and reduce taxes instead.

According to the Telegraph Saturday, the Conservative Way Forward will release a report Monday attacking government plans to spend 7 billion pounds of public money on “politically motivated and divisive activities.”

244 words by James Ludden, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Nobel awards ceremony returns as in-person event in 'special' year

NOBEL-CEREMONY-INPERSON:DPA — COPENHAGEN — Human rights activists in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, economists with expertise in financial crises and a trio who pushed advances in click chemistry were honored on Saturday as Nobel prizes were handed out in person for the first time in two years.

Carl-Henrik Heldin, chairperson of the Nobel foundation's board, called it a "special" year, noting the return to an in-person event. He also noted that, in light of the turmoil brought on by the war in Ukraine, the world needed scientists and activists like the ones being honored.

743 words by Steffen Trumpf and Demy Becker, dpa. MOVED

PHOTOS

Peru leader names ex-cenbank official as economy chief

PERU-BOLUARTE-CABINET:BLO — Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte named a U.S.-educated economist who has spent most of his career at the central bank as economy minister, as she tries to restore calm after the turmoil of recent days.

Alex Contreras was deputy economy minister under former President Pedro Castillo, who was ousted on Dec. 7. Contreras worked at the central bank between 2007 and 2019, according to his resume on the ministry’s website. He has also taught Macroeconomics, Monetary Theory, Statistics and Econometrics in local universities.

334 words by Matthew Bristow, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Free condoms available in France next year for those under 25 years old

FRANCE-CONDOMS:NY — One of the most romantic countries in the world will be providing free condoms for young people starting in the new year.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that free condoms for anyone under the age of 25 will be distributed at pharmacies nationwide starting in January. The move is part of a larger health initiative aimed at improving access to health care, including contraception and STI testing.

271 words by Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News. MOVED

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Gmail users worldwide report slow service, undelivered emails Saturday

GOOGLE-GMAIL-OUTAGE:NY — Google users around the world on Saturday were experiencing outages and glitches on both the desktop and app versions of the platform.

Thousands of people, most of them in India and the U.K., said the issues were mostly affecting Gmail, which has more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, according to downdetector.com. The app, one of the most downloaded in 2022, was also somewhat unresponsive.

207 words by Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

UNITED STATES

US sanctions more Haitians, including the relatives of people accused of corruption

USHAITI-SANCTIONS:MI — A former director of Haiti’s customs administration and an “immediate” family member are being sanctioned by the U.S. State Department along with relatives of a current member of the Haitian Senate.

The State Department announced Friday that the former director of Haiti’s customs administration, Romel Bell, and “one immediate family member” are being designated because of Bell’s abuse of his public position “by participating in corrupt activity that undermined the integrity of Haiti’s government.”

795 words by Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald. MOVED

PHOTOS

BlackRock facing more blowback over ESG as GOP pressure mounts

BLACKROCK-FINANCES-GOP:BLO — It’s been a tough couple weeks for BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest money manager, which endured fresh blows from Republican officials sharply critical of ESG.

On Wednesday, Texas said one of its Senate committees had issued a subpoena requesting documents about BlackRock’s environmental, social and governance practices, and asked for at least one of six executives, including Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink, to attend a Dec. 15 hearing. On the same day, Vanguard Group Inc., one of BlackRock’s main rivals, withdrew from the world’s largest climate-finance coalition, creating a potential selling point to anti-ESG clients. Florida said last week it would pull about $2 billion from BlackRock because of its ESG investments and Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration is urging the manager of its pension to remove BlackRock as an asset manager.

754 words by Nic Querolo, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Who is Casey DeSantis? Florida's first lady plays major role in husband’s success

FLA-FIRST-LADY:OS — ORLANDO, Fla. — Sitting cross-legged on a couch in the Governor’s Mansion wearing a soft lilac sweater and blue jeans, Casey DeSantis stared directly into the camera to talk about how her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, helped her get through her treatment for breast cancer.

“I was facing the battle for my life. He was the dad who took care of my children when I couldn’t. He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand. He was there to fight for me when I didn’t have the strength to fight for myself,” she said.

2219 words by Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel. MOVED

PHOTOS

Pacific storm will pummel US with snow, floods and tornadoes

WEA-PACIFIC-STORM:BLO — A Pacific storm uncoiling itself over California with heavy rain and snow is forecast to deliver a severe risk for tornadoes, high winds and thunderstorms across parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas by the middle of next week.

Upwards of 2 inches of rain could drop suddenly in the valleys of Southern California Saturday into Sunday with up to 6 inches in coastal foothills and mountains, touching off floods and landslides, the U.S. National Weather Service said. Then snow could fall by the foot in the Sierra Nevada range, as well as in parts of Oregon and Washington.

357 words by Brian K. Sullivan, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Storm expected to dump rain overnight onto Southern California, heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada

WEA-CALIF-STORM:LA — LOS ANGELES — It’s ramping up to be a major weekend of precipitation across California as one of the biggest storms of the season makes its way south, with heavy snow blanketing the Sierra Nevada on Saturday and rain expected overnight in Los Angeles.

The Bay Area woke Saturday to flood advisories in low-lying areas of Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, as well as warnings of winds gusting up to 55 mph in some areas. A flash flood watch was also issued to the Colorado, Dolan and River burn areas in Monterey County.

635 words by Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

NY law opens way for flood of sex-abuse suits, no matter how old

NY-SEXABUSE-LAW:BLO — NEW YORK — A New York law that temporarily lifts the statute of limitations on civil sexual-abuse and harassment claims has sparked a flurry of activity just two weeks after taking effect — a warning sign for Wall Street banks and other employers that victims from decades earlier are on the hunt for justice.

Hundreds of alleged victims have sought legal advice in recent days and companies are calling outside attorneys to prepare for potential claims, according to interviews with a dozen lawyers from across the U.S. Lawsuits have already been filed against former President Donald Trump, comedian Bill Cosby and billionaire Leon Black over allegations they assaulted women decades ago, which their lawyers deny.

1297 words by Erik Larson, Bloomberg News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Al-Qaida-linked suspect arrested for 3 terrorist attacks that killed 38 people

MALI-ATTACKS-INDICTMENT:NY — NEW YORK — A notorious terrorist tied to three major al-Qaida attacks that killed 38 innocent people was imprisoned without bail Saturday after his overseas arrest for the savage 2015 rampage.

Fawaz Ould Ahmed Ould Ahemeid, 44, of Mauritania, was transferred into U.S. custody in Mali for joining other terrorists in the bloodbath across nine lethal months in the West African country, with court documents alleging he helped plot the attacks and even participated in one while armed with two AK-47 assault rifles and grenades.

491 words by Larry McShane, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Violence between LA Councilman Kevin de León, activist caught on video, sparks debate

LA-COUNCIL-DELEON-FIGHT-1ST-LEDE:LA — LOS ANGELES — Hours after drawing protesters’ ire with his first in-person appearance in two months at a Los Angeles City Council meeting, Kevin de León was involved in a fight with an activist Friday night that was at least partially caught on video.

The council member said in a statement that he was assaulted. Activists said De León was the aggressor.

2228 words by Gregory Yee, Brittny Mejia and Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

‘Little kids were starting to cry’: Inside the Kevin de León fight at Christmas gift giveaway

LA-COUNCIL-DELEON-FIGHT-EXPLAINER:LA — LOS ANGELES — The fight between embattled Councilman Kevin de León and an activist Friday night has heightened the simmering tensions in Los Angeles politics over the leak of racist audio that has rocked City Hall.

De León — the only of the three council members on the recording to still be in office — has sparked protests outside his home and at City Hall.

1129 words by Brittny Mejia, Gregory Yee and Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

'Catfishing' cop shot himself with service weapon after killing California girl's family, officials say

CALIF-CATFISHING-DEATHS:LA — LOS ANGELES — The Virginia sheriff's deputy who killed three family members of a Riverside teenager he had allegedly been "grooming" used his service weapon to fatally shoot himself at the end of a chase with law enforcement, authorities said Friday.

Austin Lee Edwards, 28, a deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, had "catfished" the 15-year-old girl, posing as someone else to form an exploitative relationship with her online, investigators said.

340 words by Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

Prosecutor: Case against parents of Michigan school shooter 'stronger' than ever

MICH-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-PARENTS:DTN — DETROIT — Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald claims that her involuntary manslaughter case against the parents of the teen who went on a deadly shooting rampage at Oxford High School in November 2021 is stronger than ever.

McDonald's argument was filed Friday in response to the sixth request for a lower bond filed by defense attorneys on behalf of James and Jennifer Crumbley in a bid to get released from jail while waiting to stand trial on the four counts of involuntary manslaughter tied to the shooting deaths of the four students at Oxford High. The bond is currently $500,000 for each defendant, an amount that their attorneys described as "excessive and unwarranted."

889 words by Hannah Mackay, The Detroit News. MOVED

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Spare Whitmer kidnap plotter from life sentence, lawyer argues

MICH-WHITMER-KIDNAP-SENTENCE:DTN — DETROIT — Adam Fox does not deserve a life sentence for plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, his lawyer said late Friday while faulting federal prosecutors for comparing Fox to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and exaggerating the Potterville man's role.

The life sentence sought by prosecutors and guidelines that call for a stiff prison term are not appropriate because, despite tough talk recorded by FBI informants, the plotters did not use explosives and there was no attempt to kidnap Whitmer, defense lawyer Christopher Gibbons wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed in federal court in Grand Rapids.

607 words by Robert Snell, The Detroit News. MOVED

PHOTOS

‘Stay vigilant’: Idaho police prepare for commencement, address harassment concerns

CMP-IDAHO-SLAIN-STUDENTS:ID — BOISE, Idaho — Nearly one month after four University of Idaho students were killed in an off-campus home, Moscow police are reminding the public to stay vigilant this commencement weekend.

Police have still not identified a suspect or the weapon used in the attacks that killed U of I seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington.

361 words by Mia Maldonado, The Idaho Statesman. MOVED

PHOTOS

More migrants arrive in Denver; aid efforts ramp up

DENVER-MIGRANTS:DP — DENVER — An additional 41 migrants arrived at local homeless shelters overnight, Denver officials said Saturday, and 152 migrants are being aided at the city’s emergency shelter.

Thirteen migrants have left the city-managed emergency shelter of their own accord, the city said in a news release. Forty-eight have relocated to a church-run shelter, and 73 are preparing to unite with family or friends.

211 words by Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post. MOVED

PHOTOS

SantaCon’s boozy St. Nicks return to Manhattan for annual drinkfest

NY-SANTACON:NY — SantaCon reveler Chris Paprocky wore the requisite red suit but passed on the white beard.

“I don’t want it to interfere what I’m doing,” the Long Islander explained Saturday on Eighth Ave. “Eating! Drinking!”

487 words by Larry McShane, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Texas man who wrote ‘Murder the Media’ on Capitol door gets 4-year sentence

CAPITOL-RIOT-TEXAS-MAN:DA — DALLAS — A Fort Worth man who claimed to work for Murder the Media News was sentenced to four years in federal prison for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Nicholas DeCarlo, 32, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in September to a count of obstruction of an official proceeding. DeCarlo must serve three years of supervised release following his sentence and pay a $2,500 fine and $2,000 in restitution to the agency that manages the Capitol grounds, according to court records.

473 words by Aria Jones, The Dallas Morning News. MOVED

PHOTOS

Rebel farmers are pushing back on climate action. This is why

ENV-FARMING-EMISSIONS:BLO — It took an existential threat to turn a fifth-generation dairy farmer into an anti-government protester.

Bart Kooijman raises 120 cows on 50 hectares in western Holland. If authorities push ahead with plans to halve nitrogen emissions from agriculture by 2030, his could be among thousands of farms that will have to shrink or close.

2171 words by April Roach, Tracy Withers, Jen Skerritt and Agnieszka de Sousa, Bloomberg News. MOVED

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The search for P-22 is on. Here's why capturing LA's star mountain lion could take weeks

CALIF-MOUNTAINLION:LA — The search is on for Los Angeles' most famous wild cat.

Wildlife officials have said they plan to capture the mountain lion P-22 after concerns arose over possible "signs of distress" including killing a leashed Chihuahua last month and attacking another Chihuahua last week.

554 words by Gregory Yee, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

As flu season hits South Florida hard, drug shortages cause panic

MED-FLA-DRUGSHORTAGES:FL — FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Harni Patel, pharmacist and owner of Tamarac Pharmacy, finds herself fielding calls daily from panicked parents of feverish children searching for everything from Children’s Tylenol to Amoxicillin to Tamiflu.

Flu season has hit hard in South Florida, and drug shortages rippling through the country are creating nightmares for those who get sick.

885 words by Cindy Krischer Goodman, South Florida Sun Sentinel. MOVED

PHOTOS

SpaceX overnight launch on tap to send private lander, NASA ice surveyor to moon

SCI-SPACEX:OS — ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX is back at the launch pad for another shot to send a couple of moonbound customers into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

A Falcon 9 is carrying private Japanese company ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander, the first of a planned series of landers that if successful will make it the first commercial soft landing ever on the moon. Also on board is NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s briefcase-sized Lunar Flashlight that plans to map ice in the permanently shadowed spaces near the moon’s south pole.

806 words by Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel. MOVED

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk threatens to sue Twitter leakers, reporter says

MUSK-TWITTER-LEAKS:NY — Elon Musk took aim at Twitter staffers leaking internal information to the media, vowing that those who continue to do so will face legal action moving forward, a journalist reported Saturday.

The billionaire Twitter CEO made the threat in a companywide email, journalist Zoë Schiffer reported. Schiffer stopped short of posting the document itself, writing that “Twitter is doing everything it can to catch sources.”

339 words by Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

ENTERTAINMENT

Ronnie Turner, son of Ike and Tina Turner, dead at 62

RONNIETURNER-OBIT:NY — Ronnie Turner, a singer and youngest son of rock and soul idols Tina Turner and Ike Turner, has died. He was 62.

Tina Turner shared the news of her son’s death Friday in an Instagram post accompanied by a solemn black-and-white photo of the 83-year-old singer with her eyes closed.

311 words by Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News. MOVED

PHOTOS

SPORTS

Morocco's Qatar fairy tale: First African team in World Cup semis, 1-0 over Portugal

SOC-WORLDCUP-MOROCCO-PORTUGAL-1ST-LEDE:DPA — DOHA, Qatar — Morocco's fairy-tale run in Qatar reached historic dimensions on Saturday when they became the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal with a 1-0 triumph over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

Youssef En-Nesyri headed the historic goal in the 42nd minute when he beat Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa on a cross from Yahya Attiat-Allah.

773 words by Miriam Schmidt and Ulrike John, dpa. MOVED

PHOTOS

France eliminates England, advances to World Cup semifinal against Morocco

SOC-WORLDCUP-ENGLAND-FRANCE:LA — AL KHOR, Qatar — Olivier Giroud’s header in the 78th minute broke a tie and sent France to a 2-1 win over England on Saturday, setting up a World Cup semifinal showdown with Morocco, the first African nation to reach the tournament’s final four.

France dominated possession in the early going but couldn’t capitalize until Aurelien Tchouameni scored on a right-footed strike from distance in the 17th minute.

525 words by Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

Mark Zeigler: The next steps for the U.S. men's national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup

SOC-ZEIGLER-COLUMN-SPORTSPLUS:SD — With the World Cup in the stages of winding down, we have a chance to reflect on the U.S. men's national soccer team and the complicated notion of progress.

It's a word we heard often before, during and after its four games in Qatar but, really, what does progress mean and how do you quantify it?

1918 words by Mark Zeigler, The San Diego Union-Tribune. MOVED

PHOTOS

FIFA joins tributes to journalist Grant Wahl after his death at the World Cup

SOC-WORLDCUP-WAHL-TRIBUTE:LA — AL KHOR, Qatar — Two dozen flowers and a framed photograph of soccer journalist Grant Wahl were placed in section 506, desk 305, seat A — Wahl’s assigned seat — high above the sideline at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor ahead of Saturday’s France-England game.

Wahl, 48, collapsed during an Argentina versus Netherlands match and died early Saturday, prompting inquiries into the cause of his death and tributes around the world.

625 words by Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times. MOVED

PHOTOS

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