World – Brandon Sun

In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha, left, stands with Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit, right, at the General Border Committee Meeting in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AKP via AP) g

Thailand and Cambodia sign a new ceasefire agreement to end border fighting

Wasamon Audjarint And Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia signed a ceasefire agreement on Saturday to end weeks of fighting along their border over competing territorial claims.

The agreement took effect at noon (0500 GMT) and calls for a halt in military movements and airspace violation for military purposes.

Only Thailand has carried out airstrikes, hitting sites in Cambodia as recently as Saturday morning, according to the Cambodian Defense Ministry.

The deal also calls for Thailand, after the ceasefire has held for 72 hours, to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners since earlier fighting in July. Their release has been a major demand of the Cambodian side.

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Man accused of 1996 Tupac Shakur killing seeks to suppress evidence

Jessica Hill, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Man accused of 1996 Tupac Shakur killing seeks to suppress evidence

Jessica Hill, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The attorneys for the man accused of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 are pushing to suppress evidence obtained in what they claim was an “unlawful nighttime search.”

Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys Robert Draskovich and William Brown filed a motion this week on behalf of their client, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who was charged in the drive-by shooting of the iconic rapper off the Las Vegas Strip.

Davis' attorneys argue a judge relied on a “misleading portrait” of Davis as a dangerous drug dealer to grant the execution of a search warrant at night, which should only be done in exceptional circumstances, such as if there’s a risk that evidence will disappear if officers wait until morning.

In reality, Davis, an ex- gang leader from Southern California, had left the narcotics trade in 2008 and began doing inspection work for oil refineries, his attorneys say. He was a 60-year-old retired cancer survivor with adult children and grandchildren and had been living with his wife in Henderson, a city outside of Las Vegas, for nine years at the time the warrant was executed.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

FILE - Duane Davis, left, looks back during a hearing on claims of juror misconduct in his jailhouse battery case at the Regional Justice Center, July 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, Pool, File)

Kennedy Center criticizes musician who canceled performance after Trump name added to building

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Kennedy Center criticizes musician who canceled performance after Trump name added to building

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the Kennedy Center on Friday fiercely criticized a musician's sudden decision to cancel a Christmas Eve performance at the venue days after the White House announced that President Donald Trump's name would be added to the facility.

“Your decision to withdraw at the last moment — explicitly in response to the Center's recent renaming, which honors President Trump's extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure — is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,” the venue's president, Richard Grenell, wrote in a letter to musician Chuck Redd that was shared with The Associated Press.

In the letter, Grenell said he would seek $1 million in damages “for this political stunt.”

Redd did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

New signage, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts, is unveiled on the Kennedy Center, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band The Cure, has died. He was 65.

The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday.

“It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte, who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas,” the band wrote.

“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

FILE - Robert Smith, left, Simon Gallup, center, and Perry Bamonte of British rock group The Cure hold a plaque after being inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk in Los Angeles, Friday, April 30, 2004. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

At least 15 injured in a knife and chemical attack at a factory in Japan

The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

At least 15 injured in a knife and chemical attack at a factory in Japan

The Associated Press 1 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

TOKYO (AP) — A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a rubber factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said.

Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by the man with a knife at the Yokohama Rubber Company in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, according to the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department.

The department told The Associated Press that five of the people who were stabbed were in serious condition but other details were not available.

Seven others were injured by the bleach thrown at them during the attack, the fire department said.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes against their forces

Jon Gambrell And Ahmed Al-haj, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Yemen separatists accuse Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes against their forces

Jon Gambrell And Ahmed Al-haj, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Separatists in southern Yemen accused Saudi Arabia on Friday of targeting their forces with airstrikes, something not immediately acknowledged by the kingdom after it warned the forces to withdraw from governorates they recently took over.

The Southern Transitional Council, backed by the United Arab Emirates, said the strikes happened in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were any casualties from the strikes that further raise tensions in the war-torn nation and put at risk a fragile Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the country’s north for a decade.

Amr Al Bidh, a foreign affairs special representative for the Council, said in a statement to The Associated Press that its fighters had been operating in eastern Hadramout on Friday after facing “multiple ambushes” from gunmen. Those attacks killed two fighters with the Council and wounded 12 others, Al Bidh said.

The Saudi airstrikes happened after that, he added.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak sentenced to 15 years and hefty fine in 1MDB corruption trial

Eileen Ng, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak sentenced to 15 years and hefty fine in 1MDB corruption trial

Eileen Ng, The Associated Press 5 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Imprisoned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 15 years and a hefty 13.5 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) in fines after being convicted Friday in his biggest corruption trial tied to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund.

The nation’s High Court found Najib, 72, guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering related to more than $700 million channeled into his personal bank accounts from the 1MDB fund.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison for each charge of abuse of power, and five years for each of the money laundering charges. The sentences are to run concurrently which means he will face another 15 years in prison. The new sentence will run after his current term for an earlier 1MDB case ends, the judge said.

He also imposed a fine of 13.5 million ringgit. If Najib fails to pay, he faces another 10 years in prison.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

FILE - Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, is escorted by prison officers on his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

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Afghanistan’s historic Ariana Cinema torn down to make way for shopping center

Abdul Qahar Afghan, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Afghanistan’s historic Ariana Cinema torn down to make way for shopping center

Abdul Qahar Afghan, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Through the decades, downtown Kabul’s Ariana Cinema had weathered revolution and war, emerging battered and bruised but still standing to entertain Afghans with Bollywood movies and American action flicks. Now, it is no more.

On Dec. 16, demolition crews began to tear down the historic cinema, which first opened its doors to moviegoers in the early 1960s. A week later, there was nothing left.

“It's not just a building made of bricks and cement that is being destroyed, but the Afghan cinema lovers who resisted and continued their art despite the hardships and severe security problems,” Afghan film director and actor Amir Shah Talash told The Associated Press. “Unfortunately, all the signs of historical Afghanistan are being destroyed.”

Hearing about the Ariana Cinema's destruction was “very painful and sad news for me,” said Talash, who has been active in Afghanistan's film industry since 2004 but has been living in France since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

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Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

FILE - Rahmatullah Ezati plays back a film reel in the projection room of the historic Ariana Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 8, 2021, before it was demolished in December 2025 by Taliban authorities to make way for a new shopping center. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen, File)

US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians

Will Weissert, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians

Will Weissert, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said the United States launched a “powerful and deadly" strike against forces of the Islamic State group in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country's government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians.

In a Christmas evening post on his social media site Thursday, Trump did not provide details or mention the extent of the damage caused by the strikes in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

A Defense Department official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss details not made public, said the U.S. worked with Nigeria to carry out the strikes and that they'd been approved by Abuja.

Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the cooperation included exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination in ways “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security."

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Friday, Dec. 26, 2025

President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mohammad Bakri, renowned and controversial Palestinian actor and filmmaker, dies at 72

Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Mohammad Bakri, renowned and controversial Palestinian actor and filmmaker, dies at 72

Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72.

Bakri was best known for “Jenin, Jenin,” a 2003 documentary he directed about an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city the previous year during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. The film, focusing on the heavy destruction and heartbreak of its Palestinian residents, was banned by Israel.

Bakri also acted in the 2025 film “ All That’s Left of You,” a drama about a Palestinian family through more than 76 years, alongside his sons, Adam and Saleh Bakri, who are also actors. The film has been shortlisted by the Academy Awards for the best international feature film.

Over the years, he made several films that spanned the spectrum of Palestinian experiences. He also acted in Hebrew, including at Israel’s national theater in Tel Aviv, and appeared in a number of famous Israeli films in the 1980s and 1990s. He studied at Tel Aviv University.

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Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

FILE - Palestinian actor Mohammed Bakri poses during the photocall for the film

A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot

Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot Wednesday amid the Christmas holiday, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.

The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19.

Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in U.S. history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Saudi Arabia calls on Yemen separatists to leave 2 governorates as anti-Houthi coalition strains

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday formally called on Emirati-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates their forces now control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels.

The statement from Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis the kingdom launched in 2015.

The separatists' actions have "resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry warned.

It added: “The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences.”

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Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — A planned Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, a holiday tradition dating back more than 20 years, has been canceled. The show's host, musician Chuck Redd, says that he called off the performance in the wake of the White House announcing last week that President Donald Trump's name would be added to the facility.

As of last Friday, the building's facade reads The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. According to the White House, the president's handpicked board approved the decision, which scholars have said violates the law. Trump had been suggesting for months he was open to changing the center's name.

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday. Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, has been presiding over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006, succeeding bassist William “Keter” Betts.

The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to email seeking comment. The center's website lists the show as canceled.

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

FILE - A memorial wreath stands next to the bronze memorial bust by Robert Berks of President John F. Kennedy in the grand foyer at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Nov. 22, 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras’ presidential vote

Marlon González And Megan Janetsky, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras’ presidential vote

Marlon González And Megan Janetsky, The Associated Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ presidential election, electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation’s fragile electoral system.

The election is continuing Latin America’s swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician José Antonio Kast as its next president.

Asfura, of the conservative National Party received 40.27% of the vote in the Nov. 30, edging out four-time candidate Salvador Nasralla of the conservative Liberal Party, who finished with 39.53% of the vote.

Honduras' president-elect

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Presidential candidate Nasry Asfura of the National Party poses for a selfie as he arrives to his party's headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish release of Epstein files despite Dec. 19 deadline

The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish release of Epstein files despite Dec. 19 deadline

The Associated Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that finishing the release of all of the Jeffrey Epstein files could take a “few more weeks,” further delaying compliance with a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.

The department said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, as well as the FBI, found more than a million more documents that could be relevant to the Epstein case. DOJ did not say in its statement when they were informed of those new files.

DOJ insisted in its statement that its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review those documents and make the redactions required under the law, passed nearly unanimously by Congress last month.

“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”

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Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

Eritrean man accused of people-smuggling is extradited to the Netherlands

Mike Corder, The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

AMSTERDAM (AP) — An Eritrean man alleged to be a people-smuggling kingpin was extradited Wednesday to the Netherlands by the United Arab Emirates, paving the way for trial in a Dutch court.

The 41-year-old Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam had been on an international wanted list since 2021 after fleeing while on trial in Ethiopia, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service said in a statement. He was flown to Amsterdam accompanied by Dutch military police.

He is wanted in the Netherlands for crimes including participating in a criminal organization involved in migrant-smuggling, hostage-taking, extortion and violence, including sexual violence.

His case is linked to that of another Eritrean man, Tewelde Goitom, whose trial opened in a Dutch court last month. Prosecutors have sought a 20-year sentence.

January 1, 2026

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