New leaders in Damascus call for cordial Syria ties with a resistant Israel "Our problem is not with Israel. We don't want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel's security," Damascus Governor Maher Marwan tells NPR. Syria and Israel have never had diplomatic ties. Hadeel Al-Shalchi
Rescue team ends search for a man overboard from Norwegian Cruise Line ship The tragedy marks the 19th overboard incident on a cruise ship this year, with only two passengers successfully rescued. Rebecca Rosman
Global stories from 2024 that we loved ... but that you may have missed These stories didn't get huge numbers of views, but readers who found them stayed with them for what qualifies as an eternity on the online clock. Here are our underappreciated favorites. Marc Silver
How a fox skull shape conquers the snow Research explains how foxes hunting mice can plunge down into the snow at high speeds without injuring their poor little snouts. Nell Greenfieldboyce
Top global TikToks in 2024: Mr. Bean disciple, lip-synch for their life, baby hippo! Scenes from some of the most popular TikToks from the Global South in 2024: a dancing teen from the Philippines; an homage to Mr. Bean, that cute baby pygmy hippo. Ari Daniel
More than 10,000 migrants died in 2024 trying to reach Spain by sea, aid group says The migration route that connects West African nations with the Spanish Canary Islands remains the deadliest in the world, according to a Spanish aid organization. Miguel Macias
Congressional lawmakers almost got a pay bump this year. Then it crashed and burned Lawmakers on Capitol Hill haven't had a pay increase since 2009, representing a 31% decline in their salary when adjusted for inflation. Barbara Sprunt
A health care provider that faced dozens of prisoner lawsuits is filing for bankruptcy Wellpath, a health care provider for hospitals, prisons and jails, has been dogged by wrongful death and medical negligence suits. What happens to those cases now that it has filed for bankruptcy? Jaclyn Diaz
