Author: Press Room

GENEVA: UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday (Dec 9) he wanted to engage with Beijing over the findings of a report issued by his predecessor that said China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. Grappling with the human rights record of China, a permanent member of the United Nations’ Security Council, is one of the thorniest among dozens of human rights challenges facing the new high commissioner since he started in October. Beijing pressured Turk’s predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, not to publish the report, Reuters revealed, and she only…

Starbucks is expanding its exposure to Web3 and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with the launch of the beta version of Starbucks Odyssey, a new loyalty program available to a select group of waitlist members comprising customers and employees in the US.”Selected participants will be able to engage in Starbucks Odyssey ‘Journeys’ which are a series of entertaining, interactive activities to earn collectible ‘Journey Stamps’ (NFTs) and Odyssey Points that will unlock access to exciting new benefits and experiences,” the company said in a statement. The US chain says the program is “an extension of Starbucks Rewards, powered by Web3 technology, that unlocks…

CNN  —  As a right-wing faction threatens to tank his speakership ambitions, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy delivered a promise: “I’ll never leave,” making clear he has no plans to drop out of the race even if the fight goes to many ballots on the floor. “I’ll get 218,” McCarthy told CNN, referring to the votes he’d need to become House speaker. But Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a conservative hardliner who is challenging McCarthy to be the most powerful member of Congress, doubled down on his commitment to stop the California Republican’s ascension. “I’m not bluffing,” Biggs told CNN…

CNN  —  Americans’ views of the state of the nation have bounced back slightly since earlier this year, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, but public perception of the economy remains grim. Nearly half of Americans say they’re financially worse off than they were a year ago, the survey finds, with more than 90% expressing concerns about the cost of living and the majority cutting expenses in response.Only 35% of US adults say that things are going well in the country today, with 65% saying things are going badly. That, however, marks a modest improvement from surveys this…

WNBA star Brittney Griner arrived back in the United States early Friday after being freed from Russian custody, bringing a nearly yearlong ordeal to an end.Griner could be seen climbing down the steps of a plane shortly after it arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas before 6 a.m. EST.”So happy to have Brittney back on U.S. soil. Welcome home BG!” Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens tweeted shortly after.Griner, 32, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and center for the Phoenix Mercury, was freed Thursday in a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. A senior administration…

CNN  —  Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive TV interview. “I’ve registered as an Arizona independent. I know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Sinema said in a Thursday interview with Tapper in her Senate office. “I’ve never fit neatly into any party box. I’ve never really tried. I don’t want to,” she added. “Removing myself from the partisan structure – not only is it true to who I…

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). This Bible verse from the Old Testament may seem particularly applicable today, as believers see strife and discord throughout our communities and across our nation.What type of book in the Bible is 2 Chronicles — and how can we apply its teachings today?BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: WE’RE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST ‘CONFORMING’ TO THIS WORLDThe Book of…

How Yankees can improve 2023 roster after Aaron Judge deal Breaking News Click to close Source: New York Post

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San Antonio CNN  —  Brittney Griner, the American basketball star detained by Russian authorities in February, has safely returned to the US after being released from custody in a prisoner exchange, according to a CNN crew on the ground. A person who appeared to be Griner stepped off the plane shortly after 5:30 a.m. ET Friday at Kelly Field in San Antonio, the crew said. “So happy to have Brittney back on US soil. Welcome home BG!” tweeted Roger Carstens, a State Department official traveling with Griner, Friday morning. One of her first stops is expected to be “at a…