'He was not on our radar': Authorities search for motive in Nashville blast
Federal, state and local law enforcement officers on Monday (Dec 28) were searching for the motive behind a bombing that rocked Nashville on Christmas morning, with no concrete clues yet emerging as to why the 63-year-old suspect carried out his suicide mission.
The FBI on Sunday identified the suspect as Anthony Q. Warner and said he died in the blast, which damaged more than 40 businesses in downtown Nashville, Tennessee's largest city and the United States' country music capital.
Warner's motor home exploded at dawn on Friday soon after police, who were responding to reports of gunfire, heard music and an automated message emanating from the vehicle warning of a bomb. Police hurried to evacuate people in the area, and Warner is the only person known to have perished.
US government appeals order blocking TikTok restrictions
The Trump administration on Monday (Dec 28) appealed a federal judge's order blocking restrictions that would have effectively barred the use of Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok in the United States.
The government has cited national security concerns in its targeting of TikTok, arguing that the personal data of US users could be obtained by China's government. TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the United States, denies the allegation.
In a Dec 7 ruling, US District Court Judge Carl Nichols in Washington issued an order that prevented the Commerce Department from barring data hosting for TikTok within the United States, content delivery services and other technical transactions that TikTok-owner Bytedance said would have prevented the use of the app in the United States.
Actress Lori Loughlin completes prison term in college admissions scam
Full House actress Lori Loughlin was released from a Dublin, California, prison after completing a two-month sentence for paying bribes to secure spots for her daughters at a top US university, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said on Monday.
Loughlin, 56, had reported to the low-security federal correctional institution in Dublin in October.
Prosecutors said Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid US$500,000 (S$664,777) in bribes to secure spots for their daughters at the University of Southern California as fake athletic recruits for the school's crew team, even though neither rowed competitively.
Spain to keep registry of people who refuse Covid-19 vaccine
Spain will set up a registry of people who refuse to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus and share it with other European Union member states, although it will not be made public, Health Minister Salvador Illa said Monday (Dec 28).
During an interview with La Sexta television, Illa reiterated that vaccination against the virus - which as in most EU nations began in Spain over the weekend - would not be mandatory.
"What will be done is a registry, which will be shared with our European partners... of those people who have been offered it and have simply rejected it," he said.
Football: Man City's game at Everton postponed due to Covid-19 cases
Manchester City's Premier League visit to Everton on Monday (Dec 28) was postponed after multiple new positive tests for coronavirus were detected among Pep Guardiola's squad.
City had already announced on Christmas Day there had been four positive tests at the club for players Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus and two staff members.
"Based on strong medical advice the Premier League, in consultation with both clubs, have decided to postpone the fixture," City said in a statement.
