General news

Bollywood celebrates rocking year, riding high on action flicks, unbridled masculinity and misogyny

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Bollywood celebrates rocking year, riding high on action flicks, unbridled masculinity and misogyny

NEW DELHI — Bollywood has made a financial comeback this year worthy of one of its traditional singing-on-top-of-the-hills moments. India’s Hindi language movie industry made an impressive recovery after a pandemic-driven slowdown, audience fatigue with big studio productions and Bollywood megastars, and streaming platforms taking away a large chunk of viewership. According to consultancy firm … Read more

California is expanding health care coverage for low-income immigrants in the new year

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California is expanding health care coverage for low-income immigrants in the new year

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 700,000 immigrants living illegally in California will gain access to free health care starting Monday under one of the state’s most ambitious coverage expansions in a decade. It’s an effort that will eventually cost the state about $3.1 billion per year and inches California closer to Democrats’ goal of providing … Read more

Judge allows lawsuit that challenges Idaho’s broad abortion ban to move forward

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Judge allows lawsuit that challenges Idaho’s broad abortion ban to move forward

An Idaho judge on Friday denied a request by the state’s top legal chief to throw out a lawsuit seeking to clarify the exemptions tucked inside the state’s broad abortion ban. Instead, 4th District Judge Jason Scott narrowed the case to focus only on the circumstances where an abortion would be allowed and whether abortion … Read more

Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list

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Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list

LONDON — Singer Shirley Bassey, director Ridley Scott and Mary Earps, the goalkeeper for England’s women’s soccer team, were recognized Friday in the U.K.’s New Year Honors list, which celebrates the achievements and services of more than 1,000 people across the country. Bassey, 86, who is already a dame — the female equivalent of a … Read more

West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits

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West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is issuing the first checks from a fund established by the settlement of opioid lawsuits in the state, which has by far the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate. The Kanawha County Commission said Thursday it received a $2.9 million check and plans to discuss how it will be spent … Read more

Air in Times Square filled with colored paper as organizers test New Year’s Eve confetti

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Air in Times Square filled with colored paper as organizers test New Year’s Eve confetti

NEW YORK — Visitors to Times Square got a small preview of New York City’s famed New Year’s Eve party on Friday, as the event’s organizers heaved handfuls of colored paper skyward in a promotional event to test their confetti. With crowds of celebrants expected to pack into Times Square for the festivities, even the … Read more

Kathy Griffin files for divorce ahead of her fourth wedding anniversary

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Kathy Griffin files for divorce ahead of her fourth wedding anniversary

LOS ANGELES — Comedian Kathy Griffin has filed for divorce from longtime partner Randy Bick just shy of the couple’s fourth wedding anniversary. Los Angeles Superior Court records show Griffin filed for divorce Thursday, citing irreconcilable differences. The pair dated for several years before marrying on New Year’s Day 2020. They have no children together, … Read more

Alabama, Michigan both restrict game film viewing on tablets due to fears of hacking, sign-stealing

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Alabama, Michigan both restrict game film viewing on tablets due to fears of hacking, sign-stealing

LOS ANGELES — The Alabama Crimson Tide caused a stir at the Rose Bowl when they revealed they’ve restricted their players’ game film viewing on iPads heading into the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan because of concerns about hacking. As it turns out, Michigan is also taking precautions. The Wolverines also have stopped watching … Read more

Mexican president inaugurates centralized ‘super pharmacy’ to supply medicines to all of Mexico

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Mexican president inaugurates centralized ‘super pharmacy’ to supply medicines to all of Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president is inaugurating a ‘super pharmacy’ in a bid to end the woes of patients throughout the country who are often told they need a specific medicine — but the hospital in question doesn’t have it. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s solution was to outfit a big warehouse on the outskirts … Read more

Column: The Newby Awards sends out an invitation to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

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Column: The Newby Awards sends out an invitation to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

In a year when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” dominated the Oscars, Taylor Swift took that theme to a whole new level before 2023 was done. We’re not even talking about the mammoth tour or the blockbuster movie or the overwrought fan base. This was The Year of Traylor. When Swift hooked up with Kansas … Read more