It’s a Christmas gift that only our military can deliver. The Pentagon says the United States hit Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria with a whopping 17 airstrikes on Christmas Day. The strikes targeting ISIS fighters and facilities were carried out by fighter aircraft, bombers and remotely controlled aircraft.The… Read More
Belgian police arrest two in terror plot
Two people have been arrested in Belgium on suspicion of planning attacks in Brussels during the holidays, the federal prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. The two were arrested following searches Sunday and Monday in the Brussels area, the Liege region and Flemish Brabant, the office said. The announcement did not say… Read More
Former Israeli prime minister headed to jail
Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday reduced former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s prison sentence for a sweeping bribery scandal from six years to 18 months, handing him a moral victory even as he prepares to become the first former Israeli head of government to be imprisoned. In its ruling, the court… Read More
Why did the seal cross the road? That’s what authorities want to know
Wildlife experts and law enforcement officials on Monday worked to keep a determined elephant seal off a Northern California highway that it has repeatedly tried to cross, snarling traffic in the area. California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Andrew Barclay said callers first reported the 500-pound mammal was trying to climb… Read More
Drug accusations against NFL legend a hoax
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The founder of an Indianapolis medical facility said Monday that a former unpaid student intern who claimed Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning used a banned substance in 2011 didn’t even work at the clinic until two years later, long after the NFL star was undergoing treatment. Dr…. Read More
Choosy thieves return stolen loot
A French prosecutor says choosy thieves returned a delivery of police armbands they say they inadvertently stole while targeting luxury goods. Vienne prosecutor Matthiew Bourrette told the Dauphine Libere newspaper that five masked thieves robbed a delivery center in Saint-Quentin-Fallavie on Dec. 22, making off with a shipment of Louis… Read More
Obama set to release first GITMO prisoners
The first of 17 detainees scheduled to be released from the Guantanamo Bay prison in January will be transferred next week, as the Obama administration continues to reduce the population at the controversial detention center, a senior U.S. official said Monday. Another three detainees are slated to appear before a… Read More
Philly nuns mark 100 years of non-stop prayer
For more than 100 years, the cloistered nuns known as the Pink Sisters have worked in shifts to ensure nonstop prayer in Philadelphia’s Chapel of Divine Love. Now, to address their shrinking numbers and ensure their prayers continue for another century, the Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Adoration sisters have begun… Read More
Now THAT’s a family reunion! Sisters meet after nearly 80 years
Two Pennsylvania women say the pre-Christmas discovery that they’re sisters is nothing short of a holiday miracle. The Progress in Clearfield reports 78-year-old Barbara Smith, of Pottsville, and 77-year-old Sandra Fitzgerald, of Apollo, met for the first time on Sunday. They hugged, shared stories and laughed. Fitzgerald’s son-in-law was studying… Read More
State changes primary rules to stop Trump
Billionaire and GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump went on the warpath this weekend after learning about changes to the Virginia primary that seem designed to harm his campaign. Virginia will hold its presidential primary on March 1, and for the first time ever voters will be forced to sign a… Read More