Corsicana, TX (75110)TodayMostly sunny skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..TonightCloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

JAKARTA, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A fire at a nursing home on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi killed more than a dozen people, with three others injured, a local official said Monday. Footage aired by local broadcaster Metro TV showed the fire engulfing the nursing home, while locals helped to evacuate an elderly person. Deadly fires are not uncommon in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands. A fire tore through a seven-storey office building in Indonesia's capital Jakarta this month, killing at least 22 people. In 2023, at least 12 people were killed in the country's east after an explosion at a nickel-processing plant.

SYDNEY, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed al Ahmed recalled the moment he ran towards one of the attackers and wrestled the gun from him, saying in an interview published Monday with a US outlet he wanted to protect "innocent people". Despite the tragedy, tales of heroism emerged of those who tried to stop the two gunmen during their deadly rampage. He recalled the moment he "jumped" on the gunman's back, holding him with his right hand and said: "Drop your gun, stop doing what you're doing". Ahmed was at the beach getting a cup of coffee when the shooting occurred. "Ahmed has shown the courage and values we want in Australia," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.

PARIS, France, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Struggling Nice announced a press conference for Monday morning amid widespread French media reports that coach Franck Haise is no longer the coach. Contacted by AFP Nice, who have slipped to 13th in Ligue 1, said on Sunday evening that a press conference would be held on Monday at the club's training centre, without providing further details. His team beat second-division Saint-Etienne in the French Cup last week to snap a club record nine-game losing streak. The club is owned by INEOS, the company of the British entrepreneur Jim Ratcliffe, who also has a 25-per cent stake in Manchester United. The club returns from their brief winter break with a home match against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on January 3.

PARIS, France, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that Kyiv's allies would meet in Paris next month to discuss security guarantees as part of a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. "We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalize each one's concrete contributions," Macron said on X after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.

MILAN, Italy, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Inter Milan stayed at the Serie A summit on Sunday after beating Atalanta 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky 2025 in positive style. Hojlund has scored six times in 12 Serie A appearances, two more than he managed in an entire Premier League campaign with Manchester United last season. Obviously when I was at Atalanta I was a bit younger and I've got a bit more experience now. I've played in the Premier League and in the Champions League and I'm playing with very good players now."

MELBOURNE, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Veteran England batsman Joe Root has said it would be "silly" to change England's management team after losing the Ashes, with players "absolutely committed" to the current set-up. The team restored some pride with a frantic four-wicket win in Melbourne, snapping an 18-match winless streak on Australian soil. "In terms of the playing group, we're absolutely committed to the management," Root, England's all-time leading Test run-scorer and a former captain, told English media in Melbourne. "Yes, we can be better and there are certain areas that we'll continue to keep working at, but the management work extremely hard. I think it would be silly (to consider change) for the amount of hard work and things that have been done."

MELBOURNE, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Australia coach Andrew McDonald came to the defence of the Melbourne Cricket Ground's under-fire curator Monday and warned against authorities meddling in pitch preparation. The carnage left Cricket Australia facing Aus$10 million (US$6.7 million) in revenue shortfall, with tickets for day three, four and five needing to be refunded. Cricket Australia are set to undertake their own end-of-season review of the management of Test wickets. But McDonald said he was not in favour of any interference, with curators in Australia traditionally independent when preparing pitches, both from captains and Cricket Australia. "I don't think Australia will ever go there, and I don't think they've ever been there, to my knowledge."

PRISTINA, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Preliminary results in Kosovo's parliamentary elections Sunday suggested that caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party was nearing 50 percent, potentially ending the country's long-running political deadlock. The Central Election Commission (CEC) said Kurti's Vetevendosje (VV) party was projected to win 49.79 percent, after processing about 95 percent of polling stations. It was followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with 21.18 percent and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 13.77 percent, the CEC added. "We must move forward as quickly as possible to establish institutions," Kurti said after the preliminary results were published. "Electoral corruption," responded the two other main parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

LATAKIA, Syria, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least three people were killed on Sunday during Alawite protests in western Syria, health authorities said, as thousands took to the streets across the religious minority's heartland following a deadly mosque bombing. A security source also confirmed to AFP that one of the three dead was a member of the General Security forces within the police department. Latakia's head of internal security Brigadier General Abdul Aziz al-Ahmad said "our security forces and protesters were subjected to direct fire from an unknown source", resulting in civilian and security personnel injuries, the interior ministry reported. Since Assad's fall, the Observatory and Homs residents have reported kidnappings and killings targeting members of the minority community. In March, Syria's coastal areas saw massacres of Alawite civilians, with authorities accusing armed Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking security forces.

QUITO, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Multiple gunmen killed six people on Sunday, including a two-year-old girl, after shooting up a beachside boardwalk in southwestern Ecuador, police said. Three others were wounded in the attack in popular whale-watching destination Puerto Lopez, after men in a van and on two motorcycles opened fire on the boardwalk before fleeing. It was the third deadly attack in the city this weekend, with a total death toll of nine, local media reports said. Ecuador is located between the world's two top exporters of cocaine, Colombia and Peru, and has seen a surge in violence by gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Hardline policies instituted by its President Daniel Noboa have done little to stem the tide of violence to date.

PALM BEACH, United States, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Sunday that a deal was closer than ever to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the warring countries' leaders. "I really believe we're, Mr. President, probably closer than -- far closer than -- ever before with both parties," Trump said with Zelensky at his side in the tea room of his Mar-a-Lago estate. After their talks, Zelensky and Trump spoke jointly by telephone with key European leaders, who have been particularly alarmed about any decisions that would embolden Russia. Zelensky said that he and European leaders could return jointly for talks with Trump in Washington in January. Trump offered to address the Ukrainian parliament to promote the plan -- an idea, however unlikely, that Zelensky was quick to welcome.

De Minaur muscles up in bid to be Sinner-Alcaraz 'disruptor'SYDNEY, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Alex de Minaur has muscled up in a bid to bridge the gap on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with the Australian aiming to be a "disruptor" to the pair's tennis dominance. In contrast, De Minaur is yet to go beyond the last eight at a major. One of the things De Minaur has been working on is body strength, employing a new fitness trainer as he prepares for the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 18. De Minaur secured one title last season in Washington, adding to his nine other career victories. Australia face the Czech Republic and Norway at the mixed-teams United Cup, which is also being played in Perth.

HONG KONG, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Asian equities mostly rose Monday in quiet post-Christmas trading as investors look ahead to the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting this month, while precious metals retreated from record highs. In early trade Monday, shares in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Manila rose while those in Tokyo, Sydney and Wellington retreated. On commodities markets, gold and silver slipped after hitting new records in recent days. The precious metals have also enjoyed strong buying, with gold and silver both hitting record highs on expectations for more rate cuts, which makes them more desirable to investors. The white metal has also seen a sharp run-up in recent weeks owing to surging demand and tight supply.

MELBOURNE, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - England pace spearhead Gus Atkinson was Monday ruled out of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia with a hamstring injury, their third fast bowler to head home early during the series. The Surrey right-armer hobbled off early on day two of the fourth Test in Melbourne clutching his left leg and took no further part. "Gus Atkinson has been ruled out for the remainder of the Ashes tour after scans confirmed he has sustained a left hamstring injury," the England Cricket Board said. Atkinson is the third England quick to be sidelined after Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain), leaving Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes to shoulder the attack. England are 3-1 down ahead of the Sydney Test starting on Sunday.