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Flights cancelled as regulator grounds Boeing 737 Max 9s over blowout
(BBC) — Thousands of passengers face flight cancellations after major US airlines grounded dozens of Boeing jets after a mid-flight blowout over Oregon. The US aviation regulator said 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s must be grounded for checks after part of an Alaska Airlines plane’s fuselage fell off on Friday. Alaska said flight disruptions are…
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$842 million Powerball ticket sold in Michigan, 1st time the game has been won on New Year’s Day
(AP) — Someone in Michigan has won an $842.4 million Powerball jackpot on the first day of 2024, the first time it has been won on New Year’s Day since the game’s start in 1992. The winning numbers drawn were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and red Powerball: 1. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot…
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Embattled Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns after bumpy 6 months on the job
Harvard University president Claudine Gay announced Tuesday she is stepping down from leading the prestigious school and will return to the faculty following weeks of controversy over campus politics and her own academic record. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be…
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Japan issues tsunami alerts after powerful earthquake, triggering evacuation warnings
(AP) — Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate seaside areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline Monday. The Japan Meterological Agency reported quakes — one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 — off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m. local time. It…
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Recall of nearly 5 million portable blenders under way for unsafe blades and dozens of burn injuries
BlendJet is recalling about 4.8 million of its portable blenders over laceration and fire hazards after receiving dozens of reports of injuries, federal regulators said Thursday. BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders can overheat or catch fire, according to a notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and their blender blades can break off during use.…
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The secret life of gift cards: Here’s what happens to the billions that go unspent each year
Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third…
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King Charles III’s Christmas message reflects a coronation theme and calls for planet’s protection
King Charles III reflected his coronation theme of public service Monday in a Christmas message that he connected to the health of the planet and wars that are raging. In a prerecorded video shot with him standing beside a Christmas tree in Buckingham Palace, the king spoke of the message of Jesus’ life in serving…
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Pope Francis denounces the weapons industry as he makes a Christmas appeal for peace in the world
Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in particular between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to the throngs of people below, Francis said he grieved the…
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ICE conducts removal flights to Caribbean
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on Friday said it has collaborated with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in facilitating removal flights, including single adults and family units, to several Caribbean countries. ICE said removal flights were made, from December 18 – 22…
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For years, he couldn’t donate at the blood center where he worked. Under new FDA rules, now he can
Over the last six years, blood center employee Dylan Smith was often asked how frequently he gave blood himself. His answer was always the same: As a gay man, he couldn’t. That changed this month. Thanks to new federal guidelines finalized in May, gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can now donate at many…
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Iran hangs ‘child bride’ for murder of husband: rights groups
Iran on Wednesday hanged a woman convicted of murdering her husband, whom she married while still a child, defying an international campaign for clemency, rights groups said. Samira Sabzian, who had been in prison for the past decade, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj, the Norway-based…