North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year’s elections, Meta said Thursday.

The network of nearly 4,800 fake accounts was attempting to build an audience when it was identified and eliminated by the tech company, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The accounts sported fake photos, names and locations as a way to appear like everyday American Facebook users weighing in on political issues.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to get them to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Notorious coup leader Guy Philippe returned to Haiti on Thursday after the U.S. government repatriated him, sparking concerns that his presence could unleash further upheaval in a country already reeling from gang violence and political instability.

It wasn’t clear what role, if any, Philippe expected to play upon his return to Haiti, which is under siege by gangs that grew extremely powerful in the political vacuum created by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant Rep. George Santos is refusing to resign and warned on Thursday that his expulsion from Congress before being convicted in a court of law would establish a precedent that “is going to be the undoing of a lot of members of this body.”

The first-term Republican congressman from New York could well become just the sixth member of the House to have been expelled by colleagues. Republicans and Democrats have offered resolutions to remove him, and the House is expected to vote on one of them Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he continually disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial.

The one-sentence decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge had put the order on hold while the appeals process played out.

Trial judge Arthur Engoron, who imposed the gag order, said he now planned to enforce it “rigorously and vigorously.”

UNITED NATIONS, November 29. /TASS/: The West is not interested in protecting the interests of the Palestinians, it considers them second-class people, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"During these weeks, an extremely unpleasant fact has become clear: the Palestinians are a second-class people for the West, which is simply not interested in protecting their interests. This is the main reason for the problems the Council faces in making decisions," the diplomat said at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

UNITED NATIONS, November 29. /TASS/: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that 111 employees of the world organization have been killed in the Gaza Strip since tensions escalated in the Middle East.

"It is with immense sadness and pain that I report that since the beginning of the hostilities, 111 members of our UN family have been killed in Gaza," he said in his address to the UN Security Council. "Civilians - including United Nations personnel - must be protected. Civilian objects - including hospitals - must be protected. UN facilities must not be hit," he emphasized.

MEXICO CITY, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Mexico's president has requested permission from the Mexican Senate to allow a group of U.S. military personnel to enter the country to train Mexican special forces in early 2024, according to an announcement in the Senate's official gazette.

The presence of U.S. military personnel on Mexican soil has long been a sensitive issue in Mexico, which lost much of its territory to the United States due to war in the 1840s and also endured U.S. military incursions in the early 20th century.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says pretax earnings took a $1.1 billion hit this year due to a six-week strike by autoworkers, but the company expects to absorb increased labor costs and have enough left to buy back stock worth nearly one quarter of the company’s $44 billion market value.

The Detroit automaker on Wednesday said it would increase its dividend by one-third in January to 12 cents per share and buy back $10 billion worth of stock, with $6.8 billion being acquired immediately.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Separately, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Israelis have been receptive when U.S. officials have raised the issue.