Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican Michelle Steel in competitive California congressional race (2024)

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 29, 2024--

The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service says Russia is conducing a “staggeringly reckless” sabotage campaign against Ukraine's allies that risks dangerously escalating the conflict. MI6 chief Richard Moore said Friday that Moscow wants to deter Western countries from supporting Ukraine. In a speech in Paris, he said his agency and its French counterpart were working together to prevent a dangerous escalation by “calibrating the risk and informing the decisions of our respective governments” to President Vladimir Putin’s “mix of bluster and aggression.”

Member countries of the World Trade Organization agreed Friday to give Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a second four-year term. The move by the Geneva-based trade body comes as its future is clouded by the return to power in the United States of President-elect Donald Trump, which has the world’s single biggest economy. During his first term, the Trump administration largely bypassed WTO rules by imposing tariffs on steel and other goods from countries including China and even U.S. allies.

Imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Gorinov has been convicted again for opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine and handed a three-year prison term. A swift, three-day trial against Gorinov, once a low-profile activist, underscored Moscow’s intolerance of any dissenting voices. Gorinov, a 63-year-old former member of a Moscow municipal council, is already serving a seven-year prison term for public criticism of the full-scale invasion. Gorinov was first convicted in July 2022, when a court in Moscow sentenced him to seven years in prison for “spreading false information” about the Russian army. He was the first known Russian sent to prison under a 2022 law that essentially bans any public expression about the war that deviates from the official narrative.

A senior figure in the party whose departure from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition three weeks ago put Germany on the road to an early election has resigned in a furor over an internal document whose title referred to “D-Day.” Bijan Djir-Sarai of the pro-business Free Democrats said he was quitting as general secretary, the official responsible for day-to-day political strategy and election planning. The affair threatens to complicate further the Free Democrats’ campaign for an election in which polls already suggest they risk falling short of the 5% support needed to keep any seats in parliament.

Iran will begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges at its two main nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz. That's according to a statement Friday from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. It further raises tensions over Tehran’s program as it enriches at near weapons-grade levels. The IAEA only mentioned Iran enriching uranium with new centrifuges to 5% purity, far lower than the 60% it currently does — likely signaling that it still wants to negotiate with the West and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

LOS ANGELES — Part crime drama, part little-known chapter in the modern history of hate groups in America, "The Order" is by turns thrilling and chilling, featuring riveting performances by two actors at the absolute top of their games.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Kevin Kopjak was still in grade school when he first fell head-over-heels for theater.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As a Broadway actor, Leslie Odom Jr. is familiar with the extra effort required as the winter holidays ramp up.

The Professional Women's Hockey League opens its second season this weekend looking to build on the success it enjoyed during its first year. The league's six teams finally have logos and nicknames. There will be more games — 30 per team, up from 24 last year. There's been an influx of new talent with the additions of college graduates and Europeans making the jump to North America. And there's already talk of expansion, with the league seeking to add up to two more teams next year. The Minnesota Frost are the defending champions.

Matt Eberflus could be running out of time in Chicago after botching a timeout while a national audience watched on Thanksgiving. The clock is ticking on Brian Daboll in New York. Mike McDaniel isn’t on the hot seat but Miami won’t go anywhere if the Dolphins can’t win in the cold. Eberflus’ mistake was so egregious it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bears made a coaching change. The embattled third-year coach’s massive blunder overshadowed an impressive second-half performance by Caleb Williams after the rookie No. 1 pick rallied the Bears into position to potentially upset Detroit.

A look at key dates before and during the San Jose State women’s volleyball season. The Spartans are 14-6, plus six wins via forfeit by four schools in Mountain West Conference regular-season play. Some players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason for not playing, with plaintiffs in a lawsuit earlier this year asserting there is a transgender player on the San Jose State team. Second-seeded San Jose State had been scheduled to play in Friday’s semifinals at the Mountain West Tournament against No. 6 seed Boise State, which announced hours after its win Wednesday over No. 3 Utah State that it would withdraw from the event in Las Vegas and forfeit the match even with an NCAA Tournament berth potentially at stake.

CHICAGO — Is “Nightbitch” a horror film? A horror comedy? A comedy about a woman who turns into a dog? Does Amy Adams really turn into a dog? Is it really more about an ordinary marriage in danger of falling apart?

Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November — but that likely won’t stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new U.S. tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth. The European Union’s harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.3 percent, up from 2.0% in October, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. However, worries about growth mean the Dec. 12 ECB meeting is not about whether to cut rates, but by how much. Market buzz says there could be a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There’s a running back renaissance taking place in the NFL and Christian McCaffrey has yet to take part in it.

SAN DIEGO — The fallout for the Padres from two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell joining the Dodgers on a $182 million contract this week amounts to more of the same.

SAN FRANCISCO — From future Hall of Famers to dazzling young talents with untapped potential, the Bay Area’s new WNBA team is expected to have a diverse pool of players at its disposal when it begins to construct its roster next week.

DENVER — When the Browns needed Jerry Jeudy in last week’s game against the Steelers, he delivered.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have seen an uptick in play from their second-year quarterback, Bryce Young, in recent weeks. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, they’ve also seen an uptick in their speed out of the huddle on offense as well.

PITTSBURGH — One week ago, the Steelers played a 2-8 Browns team that had nothing to lose. They went for it on fourth down four times and converted all four opportunities in their 24-19 upset win.

PHILADELPHIA — When Rick Lovato walked into the Eagles locker room on Oct. 11, he received a round of applause. This is not how the long snapper is usually greeted by his teammates, but it was no ordinary day. A night earlier, his wife, Jordan, had given birth to their son, Freddie. They had…

Thousands of Syrian insurgents have pushed on with their advances on government-held areas in the country’s northwest. They have reached the outskirts of Syria’s second largest city Aleppo and are wrestling control of strategic towns and villages from government forces. Syria’s state media says projectiles from insurgents landed in the student accommodations at Aleppo's university, killing four people, including two students. This week's advances have been the largest by the rebels on government-held areas in years.

British lawmakers have started a historic debate on a proposal to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales, an issue that has divided Parliament and the country. It’s the first time the House of Commons has had the opportunity to vote on legalizing what some people call “assisted dying” while others refer to as “assisted suicide” — and it looks like it will be a close result. Ahead of Friday's debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, around 180 lawmakers have indicated they will back the proposal, while about 150 have said they won’t. The other 300 or so lawmakers have either yet to make up their mind or have not disclosed how they will vote.

Amazon staff in India have joined strike action calling for better wages. Around 200 warehouse workers and delivery drivers rallied in the capital New Delhi under a "Make Amazon Pay” banner to demand higher wages, better working conditions, and union rights. At a rally some workers donned masks of company chief Jeff Bezos and joined hands against the Seattle-based company’s practices following the walkout on Black Friday, which starts one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. There was no immediate statement by Amazon India. Similar protests are planned by Amazon staff in other parts of the world, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and Brazil.

Maria Callas seized fame as the voice of Tosca, Medea and Carmen, opera’s eternally doomed heroines. If opera still commands audiences a century from now, perhaps it will sing of Callas, a fighter who survived the Nazi occupation of Greece, a heckling at La Scala, a media hazing on multiple …

It seems like only the week before last that I was reviewing two thrillers — "Cross" and "Day of the Jackal" — in a single review. (Because it was.) And now I'm going to review three more, similarly grouped. I guess it's a thing! And there are more on the way.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — After more than 40 years as a springtime live-music destination on the waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach, SunFest will not return in May.

First look at Notre Dame’s renovated interior shows soaring ceilings, creamy stonework, no traces of 2019 blaze.

Ananda Krishnan, one of Malaysia’s richest tycoons with a vast business empire including telecommunications, media, petroleum and real estate, has died. He was 86. His investment holding company says he passed away peacefully on Thursday and that his family requested privacy. It didn’t specify the cause of death. Ananda was ranked Malaysia’s sixth-richest man by Forbes with a net worth of $5.1 billion. He was a graduate of Harvard Business School and owned stakes in telecommunications firm Maxis, media company Astro, satellite services firm Measat and oil services provider Bumi Armada. Despite his success, Ananda avoided the limelight. His only son is a Buddhist monk in Thailand and his two daughters are not involved in his businesses.

Donald Trump had the right idea about education during his first administration: Judge potential employees by their skills and experience, not their degrees. Open up a world of bright futures to people who don’t have a bachelor’s degree but crave training and work hard.

SEOUL, South Korea — What on earth to do about all the plastic polluting the oceans, the food supply, even our bodies?

MIAMI — In June, an FBI informant met with a South Florida man who expressed his desire to join an anti-government militia and build a bomb targeting a New York City landmark, authorities say.

Your heart is racing, your arms are tingling and your breathing is shallow. You're having an anxiety attack. And you're in a public place, to boot. A crowded restaurant, say, or at the office. Not a space where you can comfortably lay on the ground and do some deep breathing exercises to cal…

Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution have inched closer to an agreement, with more countries saying they want to address the total plastic on Earth. The most contentious issue of the talks is whether there will be a limit on the amount of plastic that companies are allowed to produce. Panama proposed text for the treaty to address plastic production on Thursday. Juan Carlos Monterrey, head of Panama’s delegation, said it’s a compromise proposal to build consensus because it does not include a numerical target or production cap. Instead, it says countries would adopt a global target at a later conference of the parties meeting. Support for Panama’s proposal quickly grew to over 100 countries.

Charlotte visits the Miami Hurricanes after Hayleigh Breland scored 30 points in the 49ers' 83-67 victory against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. Friday's meeting is the first this season for the two squads. Miami (FL) is 4-0 at home, and Charlotte is 1-1 on the road.

Jaylin Foster and the Texas State Bobcats play the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros. The teams play Saturday for the first time this season. UT Rio Grande Valley is 2-0 at home, and Texas State is 1-1 on the road.

The UMass Lowell River Hawks take on the UNC Wilmington Seahawks at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Friday's meeting is the first of the season between the squads. UMass Lowell is 0-2 at home, and UNC Wilmington is 1-2 on the road.

The Davidson Wildcats square off against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Cypress Lake, Florida. The teams match up Friday for the first time this season. Davidson is 3-0 at home, and Virginia Tech is 0-0 on the road.

No. 1 Kansas aims to extend its six-game win streak with a victory against Furman. The teams play Saturday for the first time this season. Kansas is 4-0 at home, and Furman is 2-0 on the road.

The Indiana State Sycamores square off against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. Indiana State is 2-1 at home, and Arkansas State is 0-1 on the road.