Ex-police officer and Proud Boys member gets 14 months in prison for joining Capitol attack

Prosecutors say 32-year-old Nathaniel Tuck and other Proud Boys, including his father, were among the first wave of rioters who entered Capitol grounds during a mob’s riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Will Lebanon finally elect a president after a 2-year vacuum?

The primary contenders for the presidency include the Lebanese army’s commander, Joseph Aoun, who is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia. The candidate previously supported by Hezbollah, Suleiman Frangieh, on Wednesday announced he was pulling out of the race and endorsed Aoun.

Turkey insists on two states for ethnically divided Cyprus as the UN looks to restart peace talks

The U.N.-led meeting, set for this spring, hopes to restart formal talks to resolve one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Turkey has advocated for a two-state arrangement in which the numerically fewer Turkish Cypriots would never be the minority, but Greek Cypriots fear it would create a potentially permanent Turkish military presence.

US will announce $500M in weapons to be sent to Ukraine

The U.S. is set to provide Ukraine an additional $500 million in weapons quickly pulled from its existing stockpiles as the Biden administration works to get Kyiv in a stronger negotiating position before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Indian and Afghan officials meet again despite lack of formal diplomatic ties

India’s statement said its foreign minister conveyed India’s readiness to respond to Afghanistan’s urgent humanitarian and development needs. It said they also discussed how the Afghan business community could use the Chabahar port in Iran for the import and export of goods involving India.

Body of Israeli hostage found in Gaza, possibly alongside his son’s remains, army says

Israeli soldiers recovered the body of a 53-year-old Yosef AlZayadni in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, the military said Wednesday, and the army was determining if another set of remains belongs to the man’s son.

Russian missile attack in southern Ukraine kills at least 13 civilians, officials say

Ukrainian officials say that a Russian missile attack in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least 13 civilians and wounded about 30 others.

Ramstein calls off plan for Frankfurt Airport shuttle after no one bids on contract

A Ramstein Air Base proposal for Frankfurt Airport shuttle service was scrapped for lack of bids, ending hopes in the largest U.S. military community overseas for a better option to get to the European hub.

An Italian journalist is freed from detention in Iran and returns home

An Italian journalist detained in Iran for three weeks was freed Wednesday, after her fate had become intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer arrested in Italy and wanted by the U.S. Sala’s homecoming marked a major political victory for Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Impeached South Korean president’s lawyers slam detention efforts as acting leader warns of clash

The presidential security service has fortified Yoon’s compound with barbed wire and rows of tightly placed vehicles as anti-corruption officials and police prepare another attempt to detain him following a failed effort last week.

Justice Department says it plans to release only part of special counsel’s Trump report for now

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it intends to release special counsel Jack Smith’s findings on Donald Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election but will keep under wraps for now the rest of the report focused on the president-elect’s hoarding of classified documents.

Southern US shivers as new winter storm threatens snow for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas

An area stretching from Texas to Tennessee braced Wednesday for the expected arrival of freezing rain and snow, as some other parts of the country that already received an arctic blast this week prepared to go another round with the plunging polar vortex.

Japan links Chinese hacker MirrorFace to dozens of cyberattacks targeting security and tech data

Japan has linked more than 200 cyberattacks over the past five years targeting the country’s national security and high technology data to a Chinese hacking group, MirrorFace. They included alleged Chinese government involvement.

How contaminated is decommissioned airfield in Dallas? The Navy plans to find out

The U.S. Navy plans to take more than 1,000 soil samples from Hensley Field, the latest step toward cleaning up the contaminated decommissioned southern Dallas airfield.

Ex-FBI informant who fabricated bribery story about Biden and son Hunter gets 6 years in prison

Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant who fabricated a story about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepting bribes that became central to Republicans’ impeachment effort, was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.

Commissaries in Europe will stop providing single-use grocery bags in coming weeks

Commissary shoppers in Europe will soon have to bring their own bags or purchase a reusable option as base grocery stores progressively phase out single-use plastic bags this month.

Hollywood Hills fire breaks out as deadly wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area

A fast-moving fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, threatening one of Los Angeles’ most iconic spots as firefighters battled to get under control three other major blazes that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.

Trump asks Supreme Court to block sentencing in hush money case in New York

Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to call off Friday’s sentencing in his hush money case in New York. Trump’s lawyers turned to the nation’s highest court Wednesday after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by the judge who presided over Trump’s trial and conviction in May.

US personnel based outside of UK face new British registration requirement for travel

US service members stationed in the UK are exempt from a new British arrival procedure, while those based in continental Europe will need to sign up for authorization like most other nonresident visitors before they travel.