Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his armed forces to observe a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine this weekend for the Orthodox Christmas holiday, but a Ukrainian official expressed skepticism.
With pressure mounting, the Speaker's chair of the U.S. House sat empty for a third day on Thursday, as Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed in yet another excruciating ballot to win enough votes from his party to seize the chamber's gavel.
The man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Migos rapper Takeoff in Houston has been released on $1 million US bond. Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, was released from the Harris County jail Tuesday, according to court records.
Indonesians can now face jail time for sex outside marriage or unmarried cohabitation because of recent changes to their criminal code.
Damaging winds and heavy rains hit California on Wednesday, knocking out power to tens of thousands, causing flash flooding and contributing to the deaths of at least two people, including a child whose home was hit by a falling tree.
