Today's Trending Topics: Headline Highlights for Jan. 9 - WKTV

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PARIS (AP) — Authorities in northern France say two people have died and 20 others are injured from a cold snap bringing snow and ice across northern Europe. A statement Thursday from authorities in the Nord region said one of those killed slipped outside and violently banged their head. They said the other person had no fixed address and was found dead in the town of Valenciennes. The icy weather first hit Wednesday. Across the English Channel, weather warnings were in force across the U.K., where temperatures were expected to plummet to -16 degrees Celsius or 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in some places later on Thursday. Manchester Airport briefly closed its runways due to heavy snow on Thursday morning before reopening.
ROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni says her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. Responding to questions from reporters at her new year’s press conference, Meloni said: “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends.” She stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite system.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration is keeping protections in place for more than 2,000 grizzly bears in Western states despite requests to lift the safeguards. The fearsome bruins have been federally protected since 1975 as a threatened species. Republican officials in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho had pushed to reclaim jurisdiction over the animals, which would have opened the door to public hunts. Federal officials also announced they are ending protections for grizzlies in states where they no longer live, including California, Colorado and Oregon. President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration sought to stop protecting the animals. Grizzlies were wiped out in most of the U.S. early last century.
LONDON (AP) — For Jan. 9
From AI assistants to holographic displays, automakers showcase in-cabin experiences at CES
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Interior lighting aimed at reducing motion sickness. Shiny new dashboard and windshield displays. And AI-powered voice assistants paired with abundant infotainment systems to keep you company on long drives. Auto makers pulled out all the stops to showcase their latest advances for in-vehicle experiences at CES, the Consumer Technology Association’s annual trade show of all-things tech, in Las Vegas this week. Hyundai Mobis unveiled a futuristic, full-windshield holographic technology — while BMW spotlighted its new “iDrive” panoramic display. And Honda and Honda Sony Mobility showed off all the bells and whistles consumers can expect in their upcoming electric vehicles.
BANGKOK (AP) — An annual U.S. government report on “notorious markets” known for counterfeiting and other violations of intellectual property says that nearly all 35,000 online pharmacies around the world are being run illegally. The report says of the 96% of online pharmacies found to be violating the law, many are operating without a license and selling medicines without prescriptions and safety warnings. It says the websites often look like legitimate e-commerce platforms, often with false claims that they have FDA approval. The U.S. Trade Representative’s annual report on theft of intellectual property also singled out 19 countries for concerns over counterfeit or pirated products and named dozens of online retailers allegedly engaged in selling counterfeit products.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Former major league left-hander Brian Matusz has died. He was 37. Matusz spent eight seasons in the majors, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles as they returned to prominence a decade ago. The Orioles and the University of San Diego announced the death, with USD saying it received word from Matusz’s family. They did not announce a cause of death. The Orioles drafted Matusz with the fourth overall pick in 2008. He made his major league debut in 2009 and was a starter until shifting to the bullpen in 2012. That was the season Baltimore earned a wild card for its first playoff appearance in 15 years.
“Wicked” topped nominations to the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, landing a leading five nominations including best ensemble, and individual nods for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey. Out-of-control wildfires that swept across Los Angeles and Southern California forced the Screen Actors Guild to cancel its plans to announce the nominations live Wednesday morning. The nominations were instead issued by press release by SAG and Netflix, which began a multiyear deal to stream the awards last year. The other nominees for best ensemble are: “Anora,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown.” It was an especially strong showing for the Bob Dylan drama “A Complete Unknown,” which scored four nominations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — New research shows about a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction. Freshwater habitats cover less than 1% of the planet’s surface, but support 10% of its animal species — including dragonflies, fish, crabs and other animals. These species are threatened by compounding risks from pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture, invasive species, climate change and other disruptions. Researchers examined around 23,500 species in the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It’s the first time scientists have analyzed global risks to freshwater species. Previous studies focused on land animals.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge has ordered MyPillow to pay nearly $778,000 for unpaid bills and other costs to package delivery service DHL, which had sued the company that’s synonymous with its founder, chief pitchman and election denier Mike Lindell. The order, signed last month, says MyPillow had agreed in October to pay DHL $550,000 but failed to do so. DHL’s lawsuit is one of a series of legal and financial disputes involving MyPillow and Lindell, a prominent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump who has helped amplify Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
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Egypt has unveiled several discoveries near the famed city of Luxor including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years.
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