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BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s parliament on Friday approved a pension reform package that had prompted a rebellion in the ranks of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party, the latest instalment of a bumpy first seven months in office. Lawmakers in the lower house voted 319-225 in favor of the package, including a measure that would hold the level of state pensions at 48% of average wages until 2031. There were 53 abstentions.A group of 18 young lawmakers in Merz’s center-right Union bloc — a larger number than his coalition’s parliamentary majority — had balked for weeks at a provision that said after…

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Residents of eastern Congo said fighting has intensified despite a peace agreement that was signed by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washingtion, D.C., with U.S. President Donald Trump in attendance.Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda met with Trump on Thursday to sign a wide-ranging deal that attempts to stop the ongoing war between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the eastern part of Congo. But residents said Friday the fighting has intensified in recent days, with the town of Kamanyola near the borders with Rwanda and…

“A new era for football governance is here,” according to Richard Monks, the chief executive of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).It’s been a long time coming. The Football Governance Act became law in July, David Kogan was appointed IFR chair in October and offices were set up in London and Manchester, but the IFR still hasn’t been able to actually get its hands dirty. ​​​​​​​It’s not a criticism, there is a due process, recruitment and proper consultation over what and how the IFR uses its powers within its legal remit, and that takes time.However, from next week – Friday December…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Doris Crenshaw was 12 years old on Dec. 5, 1955, when she and her sister eagerly rushed door to door in their neighborhood, distributing flyers prepared by activists planning a boycott of city buses in Montgomery, Alabama.“Don’t ride the bus to work, to town, to school or any place on Monday,” the flyers read, urging people to attend a mass meeting that evening.There was a sense of urgency. Days earlier, Rosa Parks, the secretary of the local NAACP chapter, had been the latest Black person arrested for refusing to give up a bus seat to a…

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers has adopted a bill to restore the death penalty, targeting offenses such as treason, terrorism and espionage, authorities said. “The adoption of this bill is part of reforms … to have a justice that responds to the deep aspirations of our people,” Minister of Justice Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said in a Facebook post late Thursday.The death penalty was abolished in the country in 2018.The bill has to be adopted by parliament and reviewed by the courts before becoming law.Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, called the…

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix struck a deal Friday to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and “Friends,” in a $72 billion deal that would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.Beyond its namesake television and motion picture division, Warner owns HBO Max and DC Studios. Netflix is ubiquitous with its vast selection of on-demand content, and its production arm has released popular titles such as “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.”“For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped…

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in India amid growing unease in India–US relations and the stalled 2025 Quad summit. Although the trip, from December 4-5, falls under the India-Russia annual dialogue mechanism, expectations are high over potential defense outcomes, particularly whether New Delhi will seek additional S-400 air defense regiments. India purchased five S-400 regiments for about US$5 billion in 2018 and is now considering five more following the system’s reported success during this year’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has said further acquisitions “cannot be ruled out” but cautioned against expecting an announcement during…

Jeff CarlisleDec 4, 2025, 09:24 PM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.WASHINGTON — MLS commissioner Don Garber hailed the league’s progress over the past season, stating that while he wouldn’t rule out adopting relegation and promotion, any decision is years or decades away.”There’s no real point of saying never because I don’t know what the future would look like,” Garber said about promotion/relegation on Thursday night during a news conference at D.C. United’s Audi Stadium. “I certainly never thought we would adapt to the international calendar.”Garber cited the significant owner investment in stadiums and…

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to halt an order requiring it to release millions of dollars in grants meant to address the shortage of mental health workers in schools.The mental health program, which was funded by Congress after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, included grants meant to help schools hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers, with a focus on rural and underserved areas of the country. But President Donald Trump’s administration opposed aspects of the grant programs that touched on race, saying they were harmful to students…

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after the U.S. stock market held near its records in a quiet day of trading.U.S. futures were higher while oil prices fell.Japan’s Nikkei 225 trimmed gains from the previous day, shedding 1.2% to 50,408.70. Government data showed household spending in Japan fell 3.0% year-on-year in October, below market expectation for a light increase and the sharpest drop since January 2024. Technology shares declined, with computer chip testing equipment maker Advantest Corp. down nearly 2.3% and chip maker Tokyo Electron falling 2.8%.Traders were acting cautiously ahead of a key U.S. inflation…