One week into a new Syria, rebels aim for normalcy and Syrians vow not to be silent again DAMASCUS (AP) — A transformation has started to take place in the week since the unexpected overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Suddenly in charge, the rebels have been met with a mix of excitement, grief and hope. And so far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence are minimal, looting and destruction has been quickly contained. But there are a million ways it could go wrong. Syria is broken and isolated after five decades of Assad family rule. Families have been torn apart by war, former prisoners are traumatized, and tens of thousands of detainees remain missing. The economy is wrecked, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high. Corruption seeps through daily life. Christians in Syria mark country's transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians have marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation. Some were in tears, others clasped their hands in prayer. The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling for a quick end to Western sanctions as the country’s new leaders and regional and global powers discuss the way forward. The Syrian government has been under sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war. Israel will close its Ireland embassy over Gaza tensions as Palestinian death toll nears 45,000 DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel says it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorate over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials say new Israeli airstrikes have killed over 30 people including children. Israel's decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland's “extreme anti-Israel policies.” Ireland earlier announced that it would recognize a Palestinian state. And the Irish cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll in the war is approaching 45,000. The GOP stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's Republican secretary of state and attorney general sought to reassure voters before the November election that the state's elections were being vigorously protected against the possibility of immigrants voting illegally. That push coincided with a national Republican messaging strategy warning that potentially thousands of ineligible voters would be voting. The officials' efforts in Ohio led to charges against just six noncitizens in a state with 8 million registered voters. That outcome and the stories of some of those now facing charges show the gap both in Ohio and across the United States between the rhetoric about noncitizen voting and the reality that it's rare and not part of a coordinated scheme to throw elections. South Korean leaders seek calm after Yoon is impeached SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader has offered to work with the government to ease the political tumult, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days. Storms across US bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Inclement weather has plagued areas of the U.S. in the first half of the weekend, with dangerous conditions including heavy snow, a major ice storm and unusual tornado activity. An ice storm beginning Friday created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska. More than 33 inches of snow was reported near Orchard Park, New York, which is often a landing point for lake-effect snow. On Saturday, a tornado touched down in Scotts Valley, California, causing damage and several injuries. In San Francisco, a storm damaged trees and roofs and prompted a tornado warning, which was a first for a city that has not experienced a tornado since 2005. Small businesses say cautious shoppers are seeking 'cozy' and 'festive' this holiday season With a late Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season is five days shorter than last year, and owners of small retail shops say that people have been quick to snap up holiday décor early, along with gifts for others and themselves. Cozy items like sweaters are popular so far. Businesses are also holding special events to get shoppers in the door. But there’s little sense of the freewheeling spending that occurred during the pandemic. Overall, The National Retail Federation predicts retail sales in November and December will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer says After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the federal government to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify and ultimately stop the airborne pests. The New York Democrat is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy advanced technology to identify and track drones back to their landing spots. That is according to briefings from his office. Federal authorities have said that the drones do not appear to be linked to foreign governments. West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 coup-hit member states ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has approved an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations. It comes after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping. The president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said in a statement: “The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025 to 29 July 2025 as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries during the transition period." In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of existence, the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced in January that they decided to leave ECOWAS. Pope Francis makes 1st papal visit to France's Corsica awash in expressions of popular piety AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. The one-day visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, on Sunday is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first papal visit ever to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.
‘Ghost gun’ in CEO’s murder highlights an industry custom-made for crime
Russian food inflation remains rampant, with butter prices rising 30% since December last year. Sunflower oil and vegetables are among the other items seeing ongoing price rises. Russia's central bank last month hiked interest rates to 21% — their highest level in over 20 years — but the high rates have shown few signs of dampening inflation so far. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russia has exchanged "butter for guns," as the country's leadership has deflected blame for price rises onto "unfriendly" countries. A break-in at a small food store in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg wouldn't usually make headlines around the world, but this time was different. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are CCTV footage from the store, Dairy Place, in early November appears to show the door being smashed and one person rushing over to empty the cash register. The other person makes a beeline for the fridge, plundering 20kg of butter from the chiller , Russian media reported. The owner of the store said on Telegram that the heist showed butter was now like "gold," according to a Google translation. CNBC could not independently verify the footage. Dairy Place is not the only victim of butter thefts, with a recent spate of similar incidents prompting some stores to lock the product in containers. A standard 200g stick of butter now costs around 200 rubles , or almost $2, with prices up 30% since December 2023, according to data from state statistics service Rosstat. The theft of such a basic product has drawn attention to rampant price rises in Russia. "The cost of basic foods has been growing for the last three years. It is getting worse day-by-day and sped up, especially this year," Stanislav, a Moscow resident, told CNBC. Money Report European stocks set to start the week higher as global markets rally China's central bank keeps medium-term loan rate unchanged amid yuan weakness "It depends on the type of food, of course. Some prices of goods go down, for example, buckwheat. It had a higher cost in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now it is three times lower. But this is the single example of a price decrease. All other food prices are growing. I think it is about 10%–40% per year," he added. Russia's annual inflation rate came in at 8.5% in October, well above the central bank's target of 4%. It prompted the bank last month to raise interest rates to 21% — their highest level in over 20 years — and a further hike is expected in December. High interest rates have shown few signs of dampening price growth so far, with food inflation in particular keenly felt by shoppers. Dairy products, sunflower oil and vegetables (especially potatoes, with prices up 74% since December last year) are among the items seeing ongoing upticks in price , according to weekly data from statistics service Rosstat , as demand outstrips supply. Anton Barbashin, a Russian political analyst and editorial director of the journal Riddle, said price rises were inescapable for most citizens, telling CNBC that "literally half of all Russians spend most of their earnings on food, so they feel inflation the most." "Product inflation is now the greatest driver for inflation, as such. So prices for basic goods, food and other personal items are increasing the most," he noted. "So far, the strategy for most Russians has been to downgrade their consumption patterns, opt for lower-quality goods. Postpone any long-term purchases. However, this stress is not spread out evenly. Moscow is still barely feeling the troubles. The most hit are [people in] the smallest towns and rural areas," he noted. Inflationary pressures in Russia, and indeed throughout Europe, have been exacerbated by Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine, with food costs rising as a result of supply and labor shortages, higher wage costs, sanctions and increased production costs. These have accompanied Russia's shift to a war-orientated economy since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with a massive increase in state defense spending and domestic production of military hardware taking priority over agricultural production. The Russian economy has fared better than expected since the start of its invasion of its neighbor, with the International Monetary Fund expecting it to grow by 3.6% this year. Russia's leadership has looked to dodge criticism for the price rises, blaming "unfriendly" countries (that is, Ukraine's allies) for the conflict, sanctions and supply shortages. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russia has exchanged "butter for guns," as he defended higher defense spending. "To say we spend too much money for guns and forget about butter — this is not so. I would like to underscore that all, exactly all the earlier announced plans of development and achievement of strategic objectives and all the social commitments assumed by the state towards the population — all of them are being performed to the full extent," Putin said at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in October, TASS news agency reported . While many Russians have linked the war and inflation, it's risky for ordinary citizens to openly criticize the invasion — or "special military operation" as Moscow describes it — as any perceived "discrediting" of the army can be punished by up to five years in prison. Stanislav, who preferred not to give his surname given the risks associated with criticism of the war, said he knows that the price rises are linked to the invasion of Ukraine, but said he doesn't have "too many conversations with other people because it is dangerous to say something true in Russia." "Smart people ... understand what is happening with the economy, but most people accuse foreign 'unfriendly' countries [of being to blame for the price rises]. This official term 'unfriendly country' is often used in bills and propaganda," he said. Despite deflecting responsibility for price rises away from itself, and the war, the Kremlin has nonetheless looked to reassure the public it is acting on product shortages. Last year, a shortage of eggs — and price rises of more than 40% — prompted the government to remove import duties on the product . The administration said it would buy eggs from "friendly" countries and, in the first quarter, Russia imported 235 million eggs from Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Russian media reported. This October, the government said it would monitor butter prices and would support a "systemic increase in production" as the dairy industry continued to struggle to meet demand. Russian analyst Anton Barbashin, who no longer lives in the country, noted that Russia's propaganda machine means there is little sign of mass discontent with the government or president over stubborn inflation. "It has always been a great accomplishment of the Kremlin to separate the issue of Putin's policies and individual struggles of the Russians," he said. "Naturally, it is not a universal rule, but so far we're not seeing these struggles translate into blaming the president or the war." He said that, so far, propaganda was keeping mass dissatisfaction at bay, and some Russians just think, "it is war and war is costly." "But the speed of economic change in Russia is increasing, so we might expect [an] increase of those who want this war to end," he said. "We shouldn't also discard that [the] Kremlin is blaming Western activities and sanctions for economic issues in Russia, offering an easy target for Russians to blame." Also on CNBC UBS: 4 Fed rate cuts to come and slash exposure to European markets Debt brake reform is possible, German finance minister says Economic uncertainty in Germany remains high, BCG partner saysChiefs edge Panthers, Lions rip Colts as Dallas stuns Washington
Parliamentary panel to examine lateral entry issue for key government postsPackers wide receiver Romeo Doubs leaves game because of concussion
iOS 18.2 is the second major update to iOS 18 , and it brings the first Apple Intelligence image generation features, ChatGPT integration with Siri , and plenty more changes and bug fixes. This guide highlights everything that's new in iOS 18.2. Apple Intelligence There are several new Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.2, including Image Playground and Genmoji . It's a more fun update than iOS 18.1 thanks to the image generation features. Image Playground Image Wand Genmoji Siri ChatGPT Visual Intelligence Writing Tools Languages We have a much more in-depth Apple Intelligence guide that goes over all of the available features, which is well worth checking out. We also have individual guides on the new additions in iOS 18.2. Camera Control For iPhone 16 users, there's now an option lock your auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF Lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control. There is also an option to adjust the double click speed of Camera Control. Options include Default, Slow, and Slower. The adjustment options join prior options to tweak the double light press speed and the light press force. As mentioned above, Camera Control now supports Visual Intelligence. The update also adds a new setting for the Camera Control button. In the Settings app under Display & Brightness, there is now a toggle for "Require Screen On." When this setting is turned on, you can only launch the Camera app or a supported third-party camera app with the Camera Control button when the iPhone's screen is turned on. Mail App Categorization In the Mail app, there are new built-in categories for separating out important emails, deals, newsletters, transaction emails, and more. Apple Intelligence is required for Mail app categorization. The Mail app includes bigger pictures for contacts and businesses, and all emails from a single person or source will be pooled together. You can swap between categories (the new option) and List View (the non-categorization standard view) by tapping on the three dots in the upper right corner of the app. In the Mail section of the Settings app, you may need to go to Notifications > Customize Notifications > and toggle on All Unread Messages if you're using list view, because the other setting only shows you unread messages categorized as "Primary," which can be confusing. Tweaked Video Player and More in Photos App Apple added a tweaked video player that takes up more of the screen in iOS 18.2. This change eliminates the thick borders around videos that appear on earlier iOS 18 versions, meaning you no longer have to tap on a video for full-screen playback. It's now possible to scrub through a video frame-by-frame, plus there is a setting to turn off auto-looping video playback in the Photos section of the Settings app. When using the Collections views in the Photos app, you can swipe right to go back to the previous view, plus the Favorites album now appears in the Utilities collection along with the Pinned Collections section. You're also now able to clear Recently Viewed and Recently Shared album history. Safari In the Safari section of the Settings app, there's a new "Not Secure Connection Warning" toggle that lets you know if you're visiting a website that does not have a valid SSL certificate for an encrypted connection. It is not advised to send passwords or other sensitive data on a site that pops up a "Not Secure" warning. Apple's "Not Secure Connection Warning" toggle is not turned on by default. Apple says that HTTPS Priority will upgrade URLs to HTTPS whenever possible. The Settings app has a new section for managing website data and history, with options for Clear History and Website Data. The Website Data section includes options for exporting data from Safari and importing data from another app into Safari. Apple added new background images for customizing the Safari start page. Safari Downloads The progress of Safari downloads can now be tracked on the iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island . Voice Memos With Voice Memos, two tracks can be layered on top of one another. There's also an option to separate layers and edit layer mixes. Two-track projects can be imported directly into Logic Pro on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Find My Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced. Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that lets someone view the location of a lost item when they open the link. The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so an iPhone or Mac is not required to provide someone with your item's location. Links expire after a week or when you're reunited with your lost item. There's also an option to Show Contact Info, which lets any phone or tablet connect to an item to view a website with more information about it, including the phone number and email address of the owner. Apple Music Apple Music now supports natural language search. You can search for genres, moods, activity, decades, and more. Examples include "songs about cats," "songs with a vibe," "relaxing songs," "artists similar to Taylor Swift," "sad 80s songs," and "songs about food." Apple Music now displays the disc number in some albums. Apple TV In the Apple TV app, you can also use casual language search terms to find exactly what you're looking for, typing in genres, actors, and moods. Searches like "movies about natural disasters," "movies with cats," "movies with Zendaya," and "exhilarating movies" all bring up relevant results. The navigation bar in the TV app can be customized, with options to add different apps and Library categories. Existing options like MLS and Apple TV+ cannot be removed. Podcasts You can favorite categories in the Podcasts app in iOS 18.2, and see categories in the library for a new way to navigate through shows and episodes. A new personalized search page in Podcasts suggests the most relevant categories and editorially curated collections tailored to your listening preferences. Apple News+ For Apple News + subscribers in the United States, iOS 18.2 adds daily sudoku puzzles. The sudoku puzzles join existing the Crossword, Crossword Mini, and Quartiles offerings. There are three difficulty levels to complete each day, including easy, moderate, and challenging. Stocks In the Stocks app, there are now pre-market price quotes for tracking NASDAQ and NYSE tickers prior to when the market opens. AirPods Pro Hearing Test and Hearing Aid Expansion The AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Test feature is now available in Cyprus, Czechia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the UK. The Hearing Aid feature is available in the United Arab Emirates. Apple Arcade In the Apple Arcade section of the App Store , the "All Games" section has a new drop down filter menu and the option to turn off game previews. EU App Changes In the European Union, users can now delete core apps that include the App Store, Safari, Messages, Camera, and Photos. Third-party browser apps in the EU will be able to create web apps for the iPhone's Home screen using their own custom engines when iOS 18.2 launches. iPadOS 18.2 requires selecting a Default Browser when opening Safari. This is a Digital Markets Act requirement, with Apple adding an updated interface that will let users select a default web browser of their choice from a list of options. Apple already implemented this change in iOS 18. Default Apps Section In the Settings app under "Apps," there's a new "Default Apps" section that can be used to manage your default apps for the iPhone. There are Default App settings for Email, Messaging, Calling, Call Filtering, Browser App, Passwords and Codes, and Keyboards. In the U.S. and other countries, you can use this section to choose your preferred Email, Call Filtering, Browser, and Passwords, and Keyboard apps. In the EU, there are more options for choosing non-Apple calling and messaging apps. Volume Limit In the Sound and Haptics section of the Settings app, there's a new Volume Limit option with a "Limit Maximum Volume" toggle to control how loudly the iPhone speaker can play audio like songs, movies, and other media. It does not impact phone calls, FaceTime calls, alarms, and other sounds. Control Center In Control Center, there's a new quick access option for Type to Siri. Apple has also removed the Satellite control from the Connectivity section, and changed the icon for Adaptive Audio. Adjusting Camera Control can be done by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button. Settings App Icons In Dark Mode , the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that shows color on a black background rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents. iPhone Mirroring With Hotspot iOS 18.2 allows you to use iPhone Mirroring while your iPhone's hotspot connection is being shared with your Mac. Having your Mac connected through Personal Hotspot previously did not allow you to use iPhone Mirroring. Fitness Shortcut Actions There are new Fitness app Shortcut actions that you can use when creating a Shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Award, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case. Lock Screen Volume Slider In iOS 18.2, there's a new option to force the volume control bar to always be visible on the Lock Screen when adjusting sound. The feature can be enabled in the Accessibility section of the Settings app. Accessibility > Audio and Visual > Always Show Volume Control. Vehicle Motion Cues There's an option see Vehicle Motion Cues in the Dynamic Island when the feature is activated. Vehicle Motion Cues are designed to cut down on motion sickness while riding in a vehicle. Mac Connection When connecting to a Mac or PC, you can use Face ID to trust a device. iMessage Reporting Children in Australia have access to a tool to report iMessages that contain nude photos and videos. Reported images will be reviewed by Apple, and actions could be taken such as disabling the sender's Apple Account or reporting the incident to law enforcement. The feature will expand globally in the future. Music Recognition In iOS 18.2, the Music Recognition feature in the Control Center has a Musical Memories feature that shows you where you were when you identified a song. You will need to long press on the Music Recognition toggle in Control Center, tap on History, and then allow location access to use the feature. AirDrop The AirDrop icon in the share sheet now appears dark in Dark Mode, rather than staying white. Web Restrictions in Utah Utah residents under the age of 17 will be opted in to web content restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law. Bug Fixes There are fixes for a couple of notable bugs in iOS 18.2. The update addresses an issue that could cause captured photos to not immediately appear in the All Photos grid. It also fixes a bug that could cause Night mode photos to appear degraded when capturing long exposures, a problem that impacted the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Security Updates iOS 18.2 addresses multiple security vulnerabilities, which means it's a good idea to update as soon as you can. A full list of the vulnerabilities fixed can be found on Apple's website , but it includes updates for the kernel, Passwords, Safari, WebKit, VoiceOver, and more. Read More For more detail on the Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.2, we have a dedicated guide . Our iOS 18 roundup has a list of all of the features in iOS 18 if you want a recap.
Northern Ireland counts the cost after Storm Bert brings damage and destruction