Keeping up with America

Owners of US funeral home that hid 190 decaying bodies to appear in court: Jon and Carie Hallford to face charges of theft, forgery, money laundering and approximately 190 counts of abuse of a corpse

Russia rejected “significant proposal” for Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan’s release, U.S. says: The U.S. recently made a “new and significant” proposal to Russia for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and businessman Paul Whelan, but Moscow declined the offer, the State Department said Tuesday.

Israel’s new grid maps add to confusion and anger in Gaza: “It’s a PR stunt,” Mohammad Ghalayini, who lives in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, told NBC News. “The map isn’t usable because the communications are really, really bad.”

A former career American diplomat was charged with serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba going back decades in what prosecutors portrayed as one of the most brazen and long-running betrayals in the history of the U.S. foreign service.

Can office vacancies give way to more housing? ‘It’s a step in the right direction.’

Around the World

What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza? Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

U.S. imposes new round of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a Belgian involved in procuring electronics for the Russian military, his companies and a group of Belarusian firms and people tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lets Talk Business and Tech

AI defined 2023 – Bullets and ballots will shape 2024: How to sum up the most important news of the year past? The obvious answer in 2023 is to use Artificial Intelligence.

Freeing Ourselves From The Clutches Of Big Tech

4 Marketing Budget Hacks to Boost Your Business in 2024: Use these tried and true tips to create a marketing budget that really moves the needle on your success in the upcoming year.

Richer, Wiser, Happier

Want More Money Confidence? Try This Managing your finances can be overwhelming.

The 5 Worst Bad Habits to Carry Into Retirement | Jacob Schroeder, Kiplinger. Upon entering retirement, we carry a trove of valuable assets, experiences and goals. As you prepare for this next chapter, here’s a guide to the worst bad habits to bring into retirement – and insights on how to finally let them go to have a happy retirement.

Sports and Showbiz Shenanigans

What if NFL used CFP format for the postseason? CBS Sports staff votes on which four get in, who is left out | NBA Insider Expects Celtics to be ‘Active’ in the Trade Market

New UK Distributor True Brit Sets First Movie: Football Hooligan Crime-Comedy ‘Marching Powder’ Starring Danny Dyer & Directed By Nick Love | ‘Horrific’ Home Alone line to Macaulay Culkin ‘killed me’ confesses his co-star

‘Past Lives’ Star Teo Yoo on How He Used His Own Experiences of Loneliness to Inform His Character in Celine Song’s Film | Jamie Foxx gives insight into the severity of his ‘medical complication’

 Life Hacks to Hack Your Life

14 Gifts for the Home Improvement Enthusiast in Your Life

50 Best Winter Soups to Warm You Up on Cold Days

Fun Family Activities to Do at Home This Weekend

Quick tech tricks: Save printer ink, avoid malware, speed browsing and more