Philippines says China has executed two Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking despite appeals (apnews.com)
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections (apnews.com)
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey....
Lacking counselors, US schools turn to the booming business of online therapy (apnews.com)
As schools across the U.S. grapple with the student mental health crisis, the use of telehealth therapy for students has skyrocketed.
Kiss say farewell to live touring, become first US band to go virtual and become digital avatars (apnews.com)
Three officials have left a pro-DeSantis super PAC in the group's latest shake-up, AP sources say (apnews.com)
Kristin Davison parted ways with Never Back Down just after she took over leading the group following the departure of CEO Chris Jankowski less than two weeks ago. Also leaving Saturday were communications director Erin Perrine and director of operations Matt Palmisano, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke...
The Philippines opens a new monitoring base on a remote island in the disputed South China Sea (apnews.com)
The Philippines inaugurated a new coast guard monitoring base Friday on an island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea and plans to expand joint patrols with the United States and Australia to counter China’s “pure bullying” in the strategic waterway, a Philippine security official said....
7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines and a tsunami warning is issued (apnews.com)
Seismologists say tsunamis expected to hit Philippines and Japan in early hours of Sunday morning...
Klete Keller, Olympic gold medalist swimmer, gets 6 months in home detention for Jan. 6 Capitol riot (apnews.com)
New York could see more legal pot shops after state settles cases that halted market (apnews.com)
New York could soon start to get more recreational marijuana dispensaries after a judge on Friday approved legal settlements to end lawsuits that halted the state’s legal cannabis licensing program....
US joins in other nations in swearing off coal power to clean the climate (apnews.com)
The United States committed Saturday to the idea of phasing out coal power plants, joining 56 other nations in kicking the coal habit that’s a huge factor in global warming....
New California mental health court sees more than 100 petitions in first two months (apnews.com)
An alternative mental health court to compel treatment for people with severe mental illness has received more than 100 petitions since launching in seven California counties in October, state officials said Friday....
Kim's sister rejects US offer of dialogue with North Korea and vows more satellite launches (apnews.com)
Police raid Moscow gay bars after a Supreme Court ruling labeled LGBTQ+ movement ‘extremist’ (apnews.com)
Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization....
Mexico's minimum wage will rise by 20% next year, to about $14.25 per day (apnews.com)
A teenage girl who says she discovered a camera in an airplane bathroom is suing American Airlines (apnews.com)
Illinois appeals court affirms actor Jussie Smollett’s convictions and jail sentence (apnews.com)
An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions Friday of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police....
UN atomic chief backs nuclear power at COP28 as world reckons with proliferation (apnews.com)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The world wants more nuclear energy as a means to fight climate change and supply an ever-growing demand for electricity, part of a generational shift in thinking on atomic power, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday....
Dead longhorn found on Oklahoma State fraternity lawn the day before championship game with Texas (apnews.com)
Police say a dead longhorn cow was found on the lawn of an Oklahoma State University fraternity on Friday, the day before the school’s football team plays the University of Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 championship game....
Still alive! Golden mole not seen for 80 years and presumed extinct is found again in South Africa (apnews.com)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Researchers in South Africa say they have rediscovered a species of mole with an iridescent golden coat and the ability to almost “swim” through sand dunes after it hadn’t been seen for more than 80 years and was thought to be extinct....
Facebook parent Meta sues the FTC claiming 'unconstitutional authority' in child privacy case (apnews.com)
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — The parent company of Instagram and Facebook has sued the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to stop the agency from reopening a 2020 privacy settlement with the company that would prohibit it from profiting from data it collects on users under 18....
Don't eat pre-cut cantaloupe if the source is unknown, CDC says, as deadly salmonella outbreak grows (apnews.com)
Consumers shouldn’t eat pre-cut cantaloupe if they don’t know the source, U.S. health officials said Thursday, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows....
City Council in Portland, Oregon, approves $2.6M for police body cameras (apnews.com)
The City Council in Portland, Oregon, approved $2.6 million for permanent police body cameras in a unanimous vote, a crucial step toward the city no longer being among the last major U.S. police agencies without the technology....
Ferry operators around the country to receive $220M in federal grants to modernize fleets (apnews.com)
The Biden administration will issue $220 million in grants to modernize the country’s ferry systems, officials announced Thursday....
New Zealand leader plans to ban cellphone use in schools and end tobacco controls in first 100 days (apnews.com)
New Zealand’s new prime minister plans to ban cellphone use in schools and repeal tobacco controls in the ambitious agenda he released Wednesday for his first 100 days in office....
For a male sexual assault survivor, justice won in court does not equal healing (apnews.com)
As many as 95% of male sexual violations go unreported, according to research cited in a review of scientific literature about male victims of sexual assault, published in April in the journal Behavioral Sciences. Four of five men who reported assaults regretted doing so, saying that police were often unsympathetic and...
