Syria's Damascus After entering Syria on a "pilgrimage" to Damascus, a Missouri man who was discovered there told NBC News on Thursday that he was imprisoned there for months. The fact that the man, who claimed to be Travis Timmerman and vanished in Hungary in May, was in Syria was not well recognized. Locals and journalists were shocked to learn of his finding, as thousands of prisoners were released from prisons following President Bashar al-Assad's ouster over the weekend. Timmerman, who at first merely called himself Travis, was first spotted in a video that surfaced overnight, which caused some people to mistake him for 43-year-old missing American journalist Austin Tice. Timmerman, 29, who was surrounded by reporters and leaned against walls with peeling paint, claimed that early t...

According to industry insiders, the great majority of persons whose call data were stolen by Chinese hackers have not received notification, and there is no sign that the bulk of those impacted will receive notification anytime soon. The two telecom firms that the hacking campaign seems to have impacted the most, Verizon, AT&T, and the FBI, have been warning some victims for months that their texts or phone calls were read or listened to. During a media call last week, an FBI official stated that several of those individuals were high-value intelligence targets pertaining to American politics and government. In October, the offices of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris told NBC News that they had been notified ...

It's unclear if Chinese President Xi Jinping would accept President-elect Donald Trump's invitation to his January inauguration. Karoline Leavitt, the incoming press secretary for Trump's White House, revealed that Xi was invited during an interview on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" on Thursday. Yes, that is accurate, and this is an instance of President Trump fostering frank discussions with leaders of nations that are not only our allies but also our rivals and competitors," she said. "We witnessed this during his first term," Leavitt continued. Although he received a lot of criticism for it, it brought about world peace. He will always prioritize the interests of America and is open to speaking with anyone." "To be determined," Leavitt replied when asked if Xi had accepted the invitation, ...

The Taliban allegedly ordered the suspension of medical education for women and girls in Afghanistan, a move that the U.S. government denounced on Wednesday. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement that this directive is an unjustified attack on women's access to health care and education, and that it is the most recent in a series of initiatives that threaten the lives and rights of Afghan women and girls. The Taliban have gradually reduced women's rights since regaining control in August 2021 with the withdrawal of American-led forces, including prohibiting girls from going to school past the sixth grade. In an attempt to eradicate Afghan women and girls from public life, the Taliban drafted vice regulations in August that forbid women's voices and bare faces in public. On...

After the migrant boats he was traveling on sank off the coast of Italy, an 11-year-old girl managed to survive three days in rough seas by clinging to two tire inner tubes, according to a charity. The nonprofit stated in a statement Wednesday that the youngster was probably the only one of 45 people on board when her boat sank off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. The girl was found by coincidence by the Trotamar III, a boat owned by the refugee rescue organization Compass Collective. Matthias Wiedenlbert, the captain of the Trotamar III, stated in a press statement from the German charity that it was a remarkable coincidence that we heard the child's voice even though the engine was operating. After hearing the child's cries at 3:20 a.m. local time, the crew acted quickly to ...

Syria's Damascus After entering Syria on a "pilgrimage" to Damascus, a Missouri man who was discovered in the nation told NBC News on Thursday that he was imprisoned there for months. The fact that the man, who claimed to be Travis Timmerman and vanished in Hungary in May, was in Syria was not well recognized. As thousands of captives came out of cells following President Bashar al-Assad's overthrow over the weekend, his revelation shocked residents, reporters, and rebel officials. Timmerman was first seen in a video that surfaced overnight, and at first he merely identified himself as Travis. Timmerman, 29, who was surrounded by reporters and leaned against walls with peeling paint, claimed that early this year, Syrian authorities stopped him after he entered the country on foot. He tol...

The White House announced early Thursday that President Joe Biden would reduce the sentences of over 1,500 criminals and pardon 39 others, marking the largest number of clemencies and commutations ever issued in a single day. In a statement, Biden explained what might turn out to be a pivotal moment in his final days as president: America was founded on the promise of opportunity and second chances. Biden went on. In my capacity as president, I have the immense honor of showing mercy to those who have shown repentance and rehabilitation, giving Americans the chance to resume their regular lives and give back to their communities, and working to eliminate sentencing inequities for non-violent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses. Biden's announcement that he had pardone...

Syria's Damascus A man who appeared on footage that surfaced overnight and purported to show an American who was missing in Syria told NBC News on Thursday that he is Travis, a Missouri pilgrim who was arrested earlier this year after entering the country on foot. He sat up on a bed in a room with unkempt walls, surrounded by reporters, and claimed that despite being imprisoned, he had received good treatment. He claimed not to be a journalist and refused to give his last name. According to the video, the missing man might be 43-year-old American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in Syria in 2012 a few days after turning 31. A source close to Tice's family told NBC News that they do not think the video is of their missing son, despite the fact that hopes for his release have increased...

Syria's Damascus As the search continues for the American journalist who vanished in Syria more than ten years ago while covering the civil conflict there, Syria's new leadership claims it blames former President Bashar al-Assad for the "pain inflicted" for years on Austin Tice's family. In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Obaida Al-Arnaot, the official spokesperson and head of Syria's interim government's political affairs department, stated, "We hold Bashar al-Assad and his criminal regime accountable for the consequences of Austin's disappearance and the pain inflicted on his mother - pain, tears, and separation." Syria's interim administration has attempted to locate Tice in order to bring him back to his family, but Arnaot claimed the 43-year-old journalist has not been able...